8/21: Cheryl Irwin: 9/11 Survivor – Rotary Club of Charleston

August 21, 2018: 9/11 survivor, Cheryl Irwin joined us at our meeting on Tuesday. Cheryl previously served as an experienced and respected public affairs professional and the senior civilian press officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense Press Operations Office. She also served the National Fish and Wildlife Federation as their Vice President of Communications and spent 13 years as an on-air journalist. She was working in press operations for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

It is still an extremely emotional experience – she had begun the day at 8 am preparing briefing cards for whatever news pieces she was assigned to cover that day. She was on the phone when someone noticed on the TV that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. Many just assumed it was a small plane but as they were talking, the second plane hit the tower. Irwin, knew at that moment, that they were going to be hit. At 9:37 the building shook and soon after someone opened the door and told them to evacuate. She quickly emailed her siblings “Evacuating the building, will call later”. They evacuated, and it would be 4 hours before she finally was able to call her siblings by borrowing change for a pay phone, they had thought she was dead for that time. She later learned that a briefing had been held in the Pentagon Briefing room to show the enemy they failed.

As most people went home and wouldn’t return for days, the Public Affairs office would be working long hours for weeks, disseminating information, squelching rumors, and answering calls. They worked 14 hrs/day with only one day off for weeks. Since Reagan National Airport was closed, Pentagon employees were allowed to park there. She recounted how surreal it was to look into the completely empty airport terminal.

Later the President felt they needed a presence at Site R, the underground bunker in Pennsylvania, so she spent a couple weeks there.

She concluded with the incredible sense of pride she has for all of the young men and women who joined the Armed Forces following 9/11.

With 4 planes, over 3000 people killed, she will always believe there were more planes in the air that were just grounded before anything else could happen.

— Don Baus, Keyway Committee Chair

IN OTHER MEETING NEWS

• Rob Byko gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
• Tim McVicker introduced our Visiting Rotarians and guests.
• President Alex Dallis presented Health and Happiness.
• Rob Dewey introduced our speaker, Cheryl Irwin, who is a 9/11 survivor.

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
August 28, 2018 | Issue 4902 | President: Alex Dallis

COMING EVENTS

August 28 – Susan Johnson, Blue Zone Project
September 4 – No Meeting
September 11 – Colonel Nick Wackym, USAF, on 9/11 & military
September 18 – Dominion Energy
September 25 – TBD

NEWS BRIEFS

RCCF Grant Applications Being Accepted

The Rotary Club of Charleston Fund (RCCF) is accepting requests for grants. Interested organizations are required to submit a Letter of Inquiry and complete a grant application prior to September 1 to be considered. The application and other details regarding the grant process can be found on our club’s website — www. charleston-rotary.org.

Rotary District Fall Seminar

The Rotary District Fall Seminar is being held on Friday, September 21^st at Seacoast Church in Mt Pleasant (see details below). This is a great opportunity right in our own back yard to learn more about Rotary and meet fellow Rotarians from around the District. If you are interested in attending, please let Carroll know.

Location: Seacoast Church, 750 Long Point Road, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464

Start time: 9:00 am (registration begins 8:15 am)

Finish time: 4:00 pm

Attire: business casual

Registration Fee: $35.00 per person paid by our club **Lunch is included

Registration: Carroll to take care of the registration

Boat Parade Committee Meeting

The Boat Parade Committee will meet immediately following Rotary this coming Tuesday, Aug. 28^th. We need all Rotarians on-board to assist with this event. If you would like to be involved with any aspect of the planning, we would love for you to attend this meeting. The committee will meet every two weeks until the event on Dec. 8^th.

No Meeting Labor Day Week

Please note that we will NOT meet on Tuesday, September 4^th.

Join the PR Committee and Earn Service Hours, too! (Fame, notoriety and recognition from your peers is FREE!)

We’re looking for 3 to 4 Rotarians to help us spread the word about our Club through various communications channels. Your contributions will reach countless Club members, family and friends, as well as the local community at-large more than 36-times a year! Your feature stories and timely coverage of Rotary Club events may also be picked up by District, National and International Rotary news channels.

Don’t worry if your’re not an expert techie, can’t write like Hemingway and Pat Conroy, or wield a camera like Steve McCurry or Annie Leibovitz – our super-qualified A-team will be right there to support your efforts with training and guidance you’ll need to see your by-line and photo-credit circulation grow to an epic scale.

Social Media Manager: Work with team members, committee heads and the Board on developing, publishing and promoting social media content for the Club. Active channels now include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Familiarity with these or emerging platforms will be helpful, as will knowledge of what makes for successful SM content. Experience with search optimization techniques will earn you immediate MVP status. While your own exposure to Social Media is helpful, it is not essential. The team will gladly train our e-challenged volunteers, too!

Keyway Production Manager: Work with co-chairs, Keyway editor and our content development team to publish our weekly newsletter on club web site. Familiarity with web publishing and content managing systems (e.g WordPress) a plus.

Keyway Content Developers: Copywriters & storytellers who can develop short-form, original content including summary articles, possibly combined with team-generated photos and/video content, to provide coverage of weekly meetings and presenters, as well as occasionally produce special features on past or upcoming club events, special projects and fundraisers.

So if you are interested in maximizing your Rotary experience, this is your chance to create an immediate and long-lasting impact on how our Club is regarded by current and prospective members. You will also be shaping how our Club will be recognized by our peers, our community and by Rotary International for the good work of our members.

Join the Charleston Rotary Press Corps and help generate that buzz! Contact Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected], for more information.

MEMBER NEWS

Member News

President Alex presented new member Dale Williams with his Blue Membership Badge this past Tuesday. Dale has been an active new member and successfully completed all “Red Badge” requirements. We appreciate his dedication and enthusiasm for Rotary. Congratulations, Dale!

With much regret, the Board accepted the resignation of Bill Christian. We will miss Bill and wish him all the best.

Proposed New Member

The following membership candidate has submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:

Zac Jones – sponsor: Kurt Seguer, classification: Insurance

In the event you know Zac, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideas of Rotary.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Rotarian: Rob Dewey

Joined: 1994 – having 24 years perfect attendance
Sponsor: First joined the North Charleston Rotary Club – Gene Ott was my sponsor; Joining our Club – Reuben Greenberg was my sponsor
Membership Involvement: Current Board Member – served on the Board two terms; Current Club Service Chair; Education Committee Chair
Classification: Community Chaplain
Profession: Episcopal priest, having served as a Community Chaplain for the past 29 years
Something Unique About Yourself: My hobby is a little unusual … I create stained glass in my garage studio. I have also had top-security clearance with the FBI for 24 years. Rotarian Bill Nettles was the FBI agent who recommended me as a Chaplain. I am married to Kathy Rentiers, who is a native Charlestonian.

Birthdays

August 28 – Jim Atkins
September 1 – Fred Sales & Jim Geffert
September 4 – Conrad Festa

By the numbers

Attendance on August 21, 2018: 77

Not in attendance: Baggs, Barry, Beam, Berlin, Bodkin, Brack, Bullard, Carico, Channell, Chico, Clark, Clary, Coghill, Cole, Cooper, J., Deavenport, Donnellon, Dopp, Drafts, Dukes, Geffert, Gill, Hudnall, Husser, Kaynard, Kerrigan, Krumwiede, LaMotte, Livingston, Marty, McVicker, Morris, Oswalt, Prewitt, Riner, Rust, Saboe, Schmidt, Seguer, Smith, M., Smith, P., Stokes, Strickland, Taylor, E., Tecklenburg, John, Welborn, Willey

Out of Town Make-ups: None

WELLNESS TIP

Take a Tailgate Time-out

It’s an all-American past-time — the tailgate party! Tailgating today has progressed far beyond burgers and chips. You’ll find everything from cheese dip to spicy chicken wings.

Don’t despair: Your tailgate spread doesn’t have to sideline your weight loss plan. Grilled kabobs are great fare on the field. Just skewer veggies, fruits, and lean meat, and soak in your favorite marinade. Seafood, salsas, wraps, and stews are good eating, too. A Crock-Pot of chili — loaded with high-fiber, high-protein beans — is a classic tailgate dish (don’t forget the Beano).

Just remember, alcohol is packed with calories. Enjoy your favorite brew, but switch it out for zero-calorie beverages as the party rolls along. It’s all in how you play the game!

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, Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, 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