SALEM Rotary Club to raise funds for room in center

SALEM -- The Salem Rotary Club is committed to raising $50,000 to buy naming rights to a conference room in the community center under construction.
The 78-member club announced its commitment Tuesday.
"The Rotary Club of Salem wanted to be a viable part of this community project," said Patricia LaLonde, club president.
Putting funds to use: Money received by the nonprofit community center through its naming rights program will be used for improvements to the facility and to fund programs such as helping pay for memberships for people who can't afford it.
Besides selling naming rights for three conference rooms in the 50,000-square-foot community center, also up for sale, for $150,000, is naming rights for the gym.
So far, the Rotary Club has raised about $30,000 of its $50,000 commitment toward the conference room, LaLonde said.
The club intends to net the rest of the money through donations and fund-raisers.
A plaque will be placed on the conference room door bearing donors' names.
The community center is expected to open in fall 2002.
It is being built with a $9.5 million donation from the Salem Community Foundation, a Salem-based charitable organization.