Rotary Speakeasy Fundraiser Supports Local Education

By Dan Shryock, For The West Side Newspaper

Everyone attending the Rotary of West Salem’s “Smoke & Mirrors” fundraising dinner this month must first know the password.

That’s right. You can’t enter a speakeasy without a password.

More than 100 people, many costumed in 1920s attire reflecting the Prohibition era, are gathering May 21 for a night out. And while the setting is to be reminiscent of that era’s illegal “speakeasy” nightclubs, there’s nothing secretive about the Rotary Club’s intent.

This is all about raising money to support the West Salem community.

“The goal is to raise at least $8,000,” says event organizer Dana Bishara.

The club tried something new last year, staging a Mardi Gras-themed evening that netted $8,500. That success established a mark that members would like to pass this time.

“That was the first time we’d ever done something like this,” Bishara says. “We were aiming for $6,000, and the community really got behind the idea.”

The event, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the 620 Collective event center at 3772 Portland Road, helps raise money the West Salem club uses to support local causes, many of which involve education. Attendees may bid on silent auction items, buy raffle tickets, or simply write a check.

Silent auction items, for example, include a vacation home stay in Lincoln City and an Ace Hardware goodies basket worth $400. “One of our members is an olive grower so he’s putting together an olive and oil basket,” Bishara says. “We also have a basket full of housewarming goodies and a wine-and-dine evening.”

The evening’s menu includes hazelnut-crusted chicken breasts with an apricot glaze as well as pork tenderloin with sun-dried tomato sauce. Then there are the dessert shooters.

While wardrobes replicating styles 100 years ago are optional, Bishara expects many will get into the spirit. Watch for long pearl necklaces, glass beads, and feather boas. There may be more than a few fedoras as well.

“I already have my outfit, and so do some of my friends,” she says. 

Entertainment is provided by magician and mentalist Finn Joseph, a West Salem native who performs throughout the Pacific Northwest. His show “Mind Over Matter,” includes classic magic and stunning visual illusions, Joseph says, “and as the show progresses (it) moves into mentalism, which is magic of the mind. It features extensive audience participation and comedy suitable for everyone.”

What does the club do with the money?

“Our focus is on education,” Bishara says. “Our biggest contributions go towards the community. We give six $1,000 scholarships to high school students to go to college. We also give grants to teachers for special projects. There are 10 schools in our area, so we try to give every school a grant.”

The local Rotary Club receives teachers’ proposals and then awards up to $500 for each successful idea. The goal is to issue at least one grant to each West Salem school.

“Last year our grants went to things like field trips and an after-school soccer program, tutoring, dictionaries, and materials in the classroom that teachers might have otherwise had to pay out of their own pockets,” Bishara said. “And we did a chick hatching program which I thought was a lot of fun. The kids raised little chickens.”

The local club’s efforts don’t stop at the Willamette River. Additional fundraising helps support Rotary’s international humanitarian efforts, making contributions to larger worldwide initiatives.

“We partner with other Rotary clubs and give a little bit that all together makes up a much bigger pot of money,” Bishara says. Projects may include building health centers in Uganda and Guatemala.

Keeping with the Rotary International’s overarching message of “Service Above Self,” club members travel to other countries to lend a helping hand.

“We've had volunteers from West Salem Rotary go to Africa and build water filters to go outside schools so (students) can fill their water bottles,” Bishara says. “We do a food-and-fish program for families in Nicaragua where the families raise the fish and then use the waste as fertilizer in their gardens so that they can grow and sell more vegetables. That's been a very successful project.”

The Rotary of West Salem’s membership is at 35, and more are welcome. Some live east of the river and find noon Monday meetings at Roth’s Market are convenient for them. Those interested in learning more about the West Salem club can find information at rotaryofwestsalem.org.

“We’re always looking to welcome anyone who is of like mind and wants to help,” Bishara says. “We do a really good job of partnering the business owners with the schools and community members because that really encompasses all of us.

“We get to know the direct needs in the community and then we have this support group behind us that can work towards fixing it,” she adds. “By incorporating the businesses that run along Wallace Road and Edgewater Street with the neighborhoods that are located behind those businesses, we work together to strengthen the entire community.”