July 10, 2018 – This week was a special meeting for the club: the transition to our new President and the installation of our new Board. Prior to the ceremonies, President David Burt gave a great recap of the accomplishments during the past year.
The presidential theme of the 2017-2018 Convention was “Making a Difference”. David said, that looking back on the year, we certainly did that.
Before getting into the great things the club accomplished, David took a moment to remember Leon de Brux. Leon was a member of our club since 1985 and served many of those years as club treasurer. His dedication to the club and personal integrity will be greatly missed. David informed us that the board has voted to donate $2,000 to the Leon B. de Brux Scholarship at The Citadel in his memory.
President David then presented some of the highlights of the year:

The club met the Polio Club fundraising goal of $4,000, and exceeded the $20,000 Foundation Club goal by raising more than $24,000! David thanked Karl Riner for his great leadership on the Foundation this year. We now have 112 Sustaining Members, 7 Paul Harris Society Members, and 5 Major Donors in our club alone! Also in fundraising news, over $52,000 was raised by the Boat Parade. Congratulations to Alex Dallis and the rest of the fundraising team.
The membership committee led by Sandy Morckel and Nicole Davies added 38 new members this year!
President David listed the many educational gifts the club was able to provide to the community: dictionaries to 3rd graders at six schools on peninsula, weekly reading to kindergarten and first graders at Mitchell Elementary, sponsorship of Black Ink festival, school supplies at Hootie Homegrown festival, reading/mentoring program at Sanders-Clyde Elementary, and four $1,000 scholarships to accomplished high school seniors. Rotarians invited Charleston’s YMCA Y-Achievers (50+ middle and high school students) into their places of business to help them in the areas of SAT/ACT Preparation, Life Skills, Etiquette, and Interviewing Skills.
Mark Smith led the club with Senior Giving efforts including wrapping and delivering gifts to residents of the Ansonborough House for Christmas. Alan Uram once again organized our Salvation Army Bell Ringing – which took place all day on December 15th at Market and Meeting and Market and King. David thanked John Channel for finding us another Adopt-A-Highway project to participate in. Lisa Van Bergen helped us to launch an Interact Program at Charleston Math & Science jointly with the Charleston Breakfast Club. Peter Shahid started an innovative vocational program teaching all of us about business ethics. Don Baus kept us informed publishing the keyway each and every week. Under Trey Lucy and Jeremy Cook’s leadership we recognized Students and Educators each month giving each of them a plaque and a gift certificate and we had our Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait introduce us to Stephanie Haecherl CCSD’s Teacher of the Year.
We sent $2200 for Hurricane Relief to the Houston Rotary Club. We collected $396 to be sent to Puerto Rico for Hurricane Relief, and we raised $530 on World Polio Day. We mentored students weekly at James Simons preparing for Rotary Shark Tank which took place on December 15th. We held an Art Auction and raised $4,600 to be put towards a Water Mission Project (Club added $400 to it and gave $5,000 to the Grant for Puerto Rico being organized by the Daniel Island Club). We even had a member of our club match the $5,000 donation! We collected leftover fruit and vegetables at the Charleston Farmer’s Market and delivered them to the Neighborhood House Soup Kitchen. We gave out $11,100 from RCCF through grant applications including purchasing mattresses for Florence Crittenton and new water fountains for the Charleston Orphan House that are ADA compliant. We purchase building materials for an ADA compliant handicap ramp for Operation Home (We even built it ourselves!).
We purchased laptop computers for Charleston Pro Bono to replace outdated computers. We paid for the Blind & Visually Impaired to get transportation to and from their training classes. We supported Camp Rise Above by purchasing supplies for their camps for kids with life changing diseases. We purchased fresh start kids for the underserved in our community through I Serve with Joy.
We gave $1000 to fund 2 business classes supporting entrepreneurship through YEScarolina. We welcomed our Rotary Youth Exchange Student Alix Dufour of France and had a lot of fun with her and the rest of the Youth Exchange Students at the District Conference
President David gave special praise to our own Carroll Schweers, who was awarded the Secretary of the Year award from District 7770.
David cited the club’s involvement in a number of international projects led by Sandy Morckel. With Save More Kids – we initiated the project and invested $7,000 in the organization dedicated to transforming Liberia through the next generation; The Rotary Club of Charleston partnered with them to fund the planting of seedlings to help impact the Rubber Tree and Palm Tree Farms as part of the Impact Project through a Rotary Global Grant. Our $7,000 investment was leveraged to provide $45,000 in funding for a new crop of seedlings being planted in the nursery now. Members of our club have already made 2 trips to Liberia, and plan to make more trips as the project progresses. Teaching More is an organization focused on 3 projects in Kenya: helping train and expand birth attendants to impact maternal and infant health and HIV testing and education in Rural Kenya, teaching girls and young women about reproductive health, hygiene and safety, and creating self-sustaining farms for food and income for rural farmers. Our Club gave $2,500 to Teaching More in December which they were in desperate need of at the time. We remain in touch with them, and plan to support them further next year. In January we gave $2,000 to Outreach PARAGUAY to deliver medical supplies, health education materials, children’s books, new and gently used home goods, clothing, and soccer gear for distribution in rural communities, elementary schools, and local health posts.
With Jim Geffert’s leadership, we had great programs every week and we are happy that he has agreed to stay on as program chair under Alex next year.
David reminded us of our awesome tour of the USS Ralph Johnson and how hearing his story and meeting his family was even more amazing!
The impact the Rotary Club of Charleston is having on our community and the world is almost immeasurable. With our club doing so many amazing things, David said it’s hard to believe that the most challenging part of his year as president was trying to find a venue for our lunch meetings, but we made it through and we have a new home!
President David said a final “thank you” to his family and partners for their patience throughout the year and said he was happy to leave the post in Alex’s capable hands.
The installation of President Alex and the new Board followed. District Assistant Governor Rob Rosol performed the swearing in. Afterwards, President Alex gave newly minted Past-President David some parting gifts: the pin, commemorative gavel, and – fitting for an Architect – a shiny new Rotary Hardhat!
President Alex spoke about his hope to carry out the vision that the Board has established. A key part of that vision, is engaging members by providing more opportunities for them to participate. He said he hopes to be a coupler between the two engines that are always driving the club forward: it’s past and future leadership. He closed by stating his pride at being president of the “Greatest Club in South Carolina that is part of the Greatest Service Organization in the World!”
–Jeff Webb
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
• Virginia Lee gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
• Bill Prewitt introduced our Visiting Rotarians and guests.
• President David Burt presented Health and Happiness.
• President David & President-Elect Alex were speakers as we transitioned into the new Rotary year. Assistant DG Robb Rosol conducted the installation.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
July 17, 2018 | Issue 4896 | President: Alex Dallis
COMING EVENTS
- July 17 – Stuart Williams, In Place Impact / CofC Entrepreneurship
- July 24 – Noah Leask, Ishpi, Cyber Security
- July 31 – Angela & Dave Muirhead, Beautiful Gate Center
- August 7 – District Governor David Tirad
- August 14 – Jacobo Mintzer, Roper Innovation
NEWS BRIEFS
New Meeting Venue

A decision has been made on our new meeting location! After carefully considering all feedback on visited venues, weighing all pros and cons, and also looking at a couple of other options, the Board has determined that 5 Faber is the best fit for our membership. We will start meeting there on a permanent basis in August. During July, we will meet at Riley Park on July 10 and July 24 and at 5 Faber on July 17 and July 31. We are excited about our new meeting location and hope you will support us in this venue change.
Rotary District Alzheimer’s Gala
Rotary District Alzheimer’s Gala to raise money for Alzheimer’s research is scheduled for Saturday, July 28, 2018 at the Charleston Marriott in Charleston, South Carolina. It is a black tie optional event and designed to provide you with a great experience, as well as an opportunity to contribute to the funding of research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s.
MEMBER NEWS
Rotary International Convention
Welcome back President-Elect Alex Dallis and his wife, Robin! They just returned from their trip to Toronto, Canada where they attended the Rotary International Convention. The convention is an incredible opportunity that all of our Presidents get to experience. They meet fellow Rotarians from around the world, exchange ideas, and learn from each other. We look forward to hearing about their experiences in Toronto!
Congratulations
Congratulations to David Krumwiede, who is getting married on July 13th. We wish him and his new bride all the best!
Condolences
Our most heartfelt condolences to Cheryl Kaynard on the recent passing of her mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cheryl and her family.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Rotarian: Nick Galizia
• Joined: 2018
• Sponsor: Sandy Morckel
• Membership Involvement: New Red Badge Member
• Classification: Architecture/General
• Profession: Associate, McMillan, Pazdan, Smith Architecture
• Something Unique About Yourself: I enjoy all things related to design and the built environment.
I am only the fourth generation in my family to live in the US – my family came to the US via Elis Island in 1903 from Italy.
I am usually very open to trying new things. I love the outdoors, which has led to lots of diverse hobbies, like rock climbing, surfing, snorkeling, shooting trap and skeet, fishing, fencing and playing soccer and golf among others. I enjoy sketching; I lived in Barcelona (even though I spoke German) and have traveled to nearly 20 cities in 5 countries. One of my travel highlights was getting to surf in San Sebastian, Spain.
Birthdays
• July 20 – Peter Shahid
• July 21 – Tim Donnellon & Robert Sullivan
By the numbers
Attendance on July 10, 2018: 65
Not in attendance: Allen, Baggs, Barry, Barton, Baus, Beam, Berlin, Bickley, Bullard, Carico, Channell, Coe, Coghill, Cole, Cook, Cooper, E., Cooper, J., Cooper, M., Crouch, Deavenport, DeGraff, Dewey, Donnellon, Dopp, Drafts, Dymek, Embry, Galizia, Gill, Hart, Hudnall, Hussesr, Jones, Kaynard, Kerrigan, Krumwiede, LaMotte, Livingston, Marty, McGhee, Pate, Ravenel, Riley, Riner, Rust, Saboe, Schmidt, Seguer, Shahid, Sidebottom, Stokes, Strickland, Sullivan, Taylor, E., Tecklenburg, John, Tecklenburg, Joseph, Tecklenburg, P., Van Bergen, Williams, D.
Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP
Sleep Well
Resist the urge to stay up later during long summer days. Instead pay attention to good sleep hygiene by keeping the same bedtime and wake-up schedule and not drinking alcohol within three hours of bedtime.
AREA CLUB MEETINGS
Mondays
- Summerville – Oakbrook: 7:30 a.m., Monday, Westcott County Club, 5000 Wescott Club Drive, North Charleston
- North Charleston: 12:30 a.m., Monday, Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd, North Charleston.
- Summerville Evening: 5:30 p.m., Monday, Montreux Bar and Grill, 127 W. Richardson Ave., Summerville
Tuesdays
- East Cooper Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Cooper River Room at Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant
- Charleston: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, The Riley Park Club, Charleston
- Goose Creek: 12:45 m. Tuesday, Gilligan’s, 219 St. James Ave., Goose Creek
Wednesdays
- Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
- St. John’s Parish (John’s Island): 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, 2817 Maybank Highway, Unit 1, John’s Island
- Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Harbor Breeze Restaurant, 176 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant
- Summerville: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sticky Fingers, Summerville
Thursdays
- North Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Embassy Suites, 5055 International Blvd., North Charleston
- Moncks Corner: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Gilligan’s Restaurant, Moncks Corner
- St. Andrews (West Ashley): 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Bessinger’s BBQ, 1602 Savannah Highway, Charleston.
Fridays
- Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Friday, Harbour Club, 35 Prioleau St., Charleston
SOCIAL MEDIA
Our Rotary club actively uses social media — and we encourage you to interact with us through social media.
- We’re on Facebook. Take a look at our page and be sure to “like us”.
- We’re on Twitter. You can follow us @chasrotaryclub.
ABOUT THE KEYWAY
The Keyway has been published weekly as a newsletter for the Rotary Club of Charleston for more than 90 years.
- President: Alex Dallis
- Keyway editor: Don Baus [email protected]
- Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, [email protected]
- Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029 ,Charleston, SC 29413-1029
- Copyright 2018, Rotary Club of Charleston. All rights reserved.