Rotary Club of Charleston

March 11, 2025

George Greene of Water Mission was our guest speaker this week. Water Mission is a locally based non profit that has evolved to have a massive worldwide impact based on the simple vision of providing clean water to the millions of people who don’t have access to it. George gave us the history behind Water Mission, beginning with his family’s personal response to the aftermath of a hurricane in Honduras, to its current state as a global operation with more than 600 staffing helping engineer projects in more than 50 countries around the world. He presented a case study on one project in Uganda that showed the challenges of establishing clean water in remote parts of the world that need it most, but how relatively basic engineering can help produce significant improvement in peoples’ lives.

Don’t forget to sign up for Water Mission’s annual Walk For Water event on March 29 at Waterfront Park in North Charleston. More info here.

Some fun social and volunteer opportunities coming up in March and April, including a behind the scenes look at the Gaillard Center. Check the Keyway from important meeting and events information.  

To join an upcoming meeting by Zoom use this link and the passcode: Rotary

Continue reading “3/11: George Greene, IV – Water Mission”

February 25, 2025

Fellow Rotarian Bob Leventhal gave us some great life lessons drawn from his own personal journey as a entrepreneur, business manager, 7th grade teacher, author, poet and speaker. Bob offer advice on dealing with changes, staying motivated and leading a mor fulfilling life, pointing out that we are never to old to pivot in life. Thanks for a great talk Bob.

Some fun social and volunteer opportunities coming up in March, including our annual trip  cheer on the Stingray. Check the Keyway from important meeting and events information.

To join an upcoming meeting by Zoom use this link and the passcode: Rotary

Continue reading “2/25: Bob Leventhal, How to Manage Big Life Changes”

February 18, 2025

Barbara Melvin, the person who keeps our ports moving, safe and growing, gave us an update on this critical part of the transportation and economic infrastructure in the Lowcountry and beyond.  As head of SC Ports, Barbara has overseen tremendous expansion and growth on the waterways, rail tracks and highways that are used to get goods in and out of the region. She detailed the current operational scale and growth trajectory of the ports, gave updates on future plans to expand the physical operations, offered her views on the recent Union Pier deal, and outlined the challenges of running one the top 10 busiest ports in the US. All on the same day that the largest ship to call on the Port of Charleston arrived just hours earlier.

Some fun social and volunteer opportunities coming up in February and March. Check the Keyway from important meeting and events information.

To join an upcoming meeting by Zoom use this link and the passcode: Rotary

Continue reading “2/18: Barbara Melvin, SC Ports”

February 11, 2025

Mayor William Cogswell joined us for the traditional state of the City report from our standing mayor of Charleston. The Mayor detailed many of the exciting  and needed developments in the works in our City, including Union Pier, a new city operations facility, road works, and developments in West Ashley and John’s Island. He discussed the on-going challenges presented by the remarkable growth of our city, such as traffic, scaling education, and affordable housing, but noted that it is better to have growth oriented problems than the types of issued faced by cities in decline. He was optimistic for the future of Charleston and committed to maintain the economic prosperity, safety and livability of our city.

Some fun social and volunteer opportunities coming up in February and March. Check the Keyway from important meeting and events information.

To join an upcoming meeting by Zoom use this link and the passcode: Rotary

Continue reading “2/11: Mayor William Cogswell: State of the City”

January 28, 2025

Our guest speaker this week John Ravenel, who is an expert on the French Huguenot history and influence. John, a direct descendent of early Huguenot settlers, gave us excellent historical insights into challenges and the evolution of the Huguenot culture and the factors that gave rise to its power and influence throughout Europe, and eventually the world. The Huguenot influence is especially strong here in Charleston with immigrant Huguenots playing large roles in the early settlement and development of our city. There is a continued strong presence in one of the oldest still operating Huguenot churches in the world.

Read on for more information on how to volunteer for SEWE in February, the fantastic multi-day, cross cultural event that offers something for everyone who has an interest in the outdoors, the environment, wildlife, art and many other interests. Lots more going on as his the round running in 2025. Check the Keyway from important meeting and events information.

To join an upcoming meeting by Zoom use this link and the passcode: Rotary

Continue reading “1/28: John Ravenel: French Huguenot Influence”