Speakers

Since March of 2022, just weeks after the full scale
invasion by Russia, David Black could not sit by and do
nothing. Like many people from around the world, he felt
compelled to do something.
Mr. Black had been a soldier early in his career, then spent
17 years in law enforcement before a 34 year career as a
Private Investigator and Security consultant.
He is now planning to travel back to Ukraine for the 8 th trip.
The first was driving refugees from the Ukrainian/Polish
border wherever they needed to go in Europe. 10
countries in 4 weeks. The heartbreak and suffering Mr.
Black saw first hand and some 56 refugees later, stopping
his volunteering now was not possible.
His next two trips were volunteering on a farm that was
short handed due to the war. Mr. Black has operated a
small beef farm most of his life. Farming was in his blood.
Food was grown, prepared and shipped to the Defenders
from this farm. It was a fantastic and rewarding
experience, but he was still compelled to do more. He then
connected with a Peterborough volunteer who introduced
him to Ukrainian Patriot. This organization has distributed
literally hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid, medical aid
and protective gear to places where it is desperately
needed.

In addition to those deliveries which continue, the next
project is a therapy farm for soldiers suffering from PTSD.
This is planned to be a large venture for over 250 soldiers
at a time and will produce food and house animals, such
as horses, dogs, cats and chickens for both therapy and
sustenance. Professionals in the mental health fields are
already on board to help!
In addition to the therapy farm, another project ongoing is
a dacha(cottage) which will be a holistic healing
opportunity for soldiers on leave or returning from the war,
to reconnect with their families in a peaceful rural setting.
Another NGO, FinEst, a Finnish Estonian organization is
doing similar humanitarian work. Mr. Black will help them
with teaching English and other projects on this next trip.
In spite of the near constant air raid alerts and the frequent
attacks and explosions thoughout Ukraine, like other
volunteers from around the world, Mr. Black is anxious to
be back and doing what he can to help.

Steve Fine, founder and president of the Melanoma Education Foundation, attended
colleges in the Boston area, receiving a doctorate in chemistry from Northeastern
University. He then moved to Pennsylvania, completing a year of postdoctoral research
at Lehigh University. After 5 years as Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry at
Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, he moved back to New England where he served in
technical and management positions in high tech chemical companies.
Shortly after his son, Dan, died of melanoma in 1998 at the age of 26, he founded the
non-profit Melanoma Education Foundation and, since 2000, has devoted full time to
the Foundation.
The primary activity of the Foundation has been educating high school and middle
school wellness teachers about melanoma and providing them with free online lessons
to educate their students about self-detecting melanoma while it is curable. Prior to the
pandemic over 1700 schools in all 50 U.S. states and Canada were using the lessons,
resulting in saved lives of students, teachers and their loved ones. In 2022 outreach
was expanded to U.S. and Canadian Rotary clubs in Eastern and Atlantic time zones.
Since then over 375 virtual sessions on early self-detection and prevention of melanoma
have been conducted. Steve is a member of the Rotary Club, Peabody, Massachusetts.