With great sadness, we recently learned that one of our greatest Rotarians and active member of the Chestnut Hill community, Susan Bray, M.D., passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 6.

Susan joined Chestnut Hill Rotary on June 1, 2004, and was the first member to serve as club president twice, in 2011-12 and 2020-21. She regularly volunteered on almost every committee but was most active in international service. 

Everyone has heard terms like “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning” being thrown around. For decades, artificial intelligence, or AI, was the engine of high-level STEM research. Most consumers became aware of the technology’s power and potential through internet platforms like Google and Facebook, and retailer Amazon. Today, AI is essential across a vast array of industries, including health care, banking, retail, education, manufacturing, and even the arts.

Lena Kadar was born on a small Guyana Island, called Orealla, and orphaned at age five. By the time she was seven, she and her two little brothers were admitted to Hope Children’s Home in Guyana, South America. 

This past week, she graduated from Community College of Philadelphia and has been accepted into Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, majoring in accounting with a minor in finance. One of Chestnut Hill Rotary’s founding member, Rebecca Anwar, has been providing housing and other support for Lena over the past several years.    

As gun violence continues to plague Philadelphia, it is children who increasingly find themselves as the target. In the last year alone, 220 kids under the age of 18 have been shot in Philadelphia, which is a 10 percent uptick from the previous year. To date, there have been 118 fatal and 485 non-fatal shootings in the city.

Chestnut Hill Rotary received the Shelterbox "HERO" Bronze Award for 2022-23, which recognizes Rotary clubs that have shown commitment in making an impact in worldwide disaster response, by providing financial support of more than $1,000.

The Rotary Club of Chestnut Hill launched its latest efforts to raise funds and awareness for local and international charitable causes. The event will take place at the North Penn VFW in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania on May 12.

“In the course of my career, I have spent countless hours with mothers, fathers and families who have suffered unfathomable loss,” said Judicial Candidate Chesley Lightsey. “Their sons and daughters have been murdered and abused in unspeakable ways. These families come from every section of this city and all walks of life. I have literally felt their pain and carry their stories with me always.”

“People who have been affected by natural disasters or conflicts are standing at the edge of all of the light that they know. In an instant, their life has changed and they’ve lost everything.”

—Jeffry Cadorette, Director, ShelterBox USA, Past Rotary International Director. 

Chestnut Hill Rotary’s Public Image Committee recently started a new initiative to record interviews and spotlight members of our club so that everyone can get to know each other more and perhaps learn something interesting that we did not already know. In this issue, you will learn more about Kelly McClure, Ph.D. She is a cognitive behavioral therapist and licensed clinical psychologist practicing in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia.

By Barbara Wybar

I have now been in Bududa for twenty days. There is usually a slow start, but once I have stayed for a while, the pace grows to where it is almost overwhelming and that is where I am now. There are so many needs, so many orphans and needy children who want to be connected to sponsors in the west, as well as decisions to be made, such as the Family Planning session we are hosting here for the community, and so much more.