July 30, 2019: This week Helen Hill of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau paid us a visit and enlightened us about the tremendous growth our region’s tourism economy is having, and some of the things her organization is doing to keep it growing. Helen also discussed the challenges of remaining a competitive place for attracting visitors to come enjoy our area, appealing to professionals to come and work here, and incentivizing businesses to locate here.

This year is especially exciting as it marks Charleston’s 350th birthday. Councilman and club member, Peter Shahid is chairing the Charleston 350 Celebration Commission. Helen began with some recent statistics about our City and the tourism industry. In 2018 there were over 40,000 people employed in the tourism industry and the industry has an economic impact of over $8 billion for our region. With the many awards that Charleston keeps winning, it is still increasingly popular. Helen summed up the appeal with the sentiment expressed by the (then) CEO of Volvo when they were looking for a site for the new facility-Charleston has the reputation that I want for Volvo, proud of our heritage but always looking to the future.
The reasons the next 10 years are going to be our best is based on these following things, she continued, but there are also ways we can mess it up.
Number 1 is a highly trained workforce and not continuing to provide training opportunities can erode it but the Chamber continues to work on providing training opportunities.
Number 2 is Air Service. We now have 26 direct flights and continue to grow but we must continue to support our low-cost carriers to continue growth.
Number 3 is rich and diversified economy which includes manufacturing of Cars, Vans and Airplanes but our biggest threat to industry is infrastructure. One recent success story is the HOP bus program that assist hospitality workers with Park and Ride, keeping 450 cars a day off city streets.
Lastly, she said, they (the Chamber) always ask the question “did we oversell what this community can deliver”. The response to the Emanuel AME Church shootings really showed the capacity of this community for forgiveness when similar incidents elsewhere resulted in more violent reactions. Charleston has a unique place in Civil Rights history and a story, both good and bad, that can be told.
Submitted by Don Baus, Keyway Committee Chair
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Campbell Coxe gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Leslie Fellabom introduced visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Sandy Morckel presented Health and Happiness.
- Rob Dewey introduced our keynote speaker, Helen Hill, CEO, Charleston CVB.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
August 6, 2019 | Issue 4936 | President: Sandy Morckel
COMING EVENTS
- Aug. 6 – Dr. Jane Josephs, Alzheimer’s
- Aug. 13 – Assistant US Attorney Jamie Schoen, Opioid Epidemic
- Aug. 17 – Hootie Homegrown Round-Up @ Burke
- Aug. 20 – No Meeting
- Aug. 27 – Coach Earl Grant, CofC Basketball
- Sept. 3 – No Meeting (Happy Labor Day!)
NEWS BRIEFS
Rotary Club of Charleston History Moment
At each meeting, President Sandy plans to share some of the snippets of our club’s amazing 100 year history and our impact on Charleston and around the world. It will be a fun trip down memory lane and will also be shared in the Keyway.
The Rotary Club had aviation on its mind in the early 30’s. Amelia Earhart flew into the fledging airport in 1931 in the first autogiro seen in Charleston. Speaking to the Rotary Club she predicted that within two years Charleston would have scheduled air service. In fact later that year the Rotary Club hosted the first passengers to fly in from Atlanta. Times were tough in those years and Mayor Burnet Maybank told the Club that the City could not raise taxes and must cut expenses or go bankrupt. The Club gave support to the Inland Waterway project and also supported a visit to the City of the giant flying boat, Do X.
Youth Exchange Student Arrives Monday
Our Youth Exchange Student for this 2019-2020 school year, Tobias, arrives this Monday night at the Charleston airport. We would like to give him a big Rotary welcome! If you would like to be part of the group meeting him from our club, please contact Richard Sidebottom at [email protected], so you can be on his communication list. Pending no changes to Tobias’ travel itinerary, the current plan is to meet at 7pm in the main lobby and greet Tobias when he arrives into the public space.
Tobias will be attending Rotary meetings and participating in activities with our club and the District throughout his exchange year, so everyone will have an opportunity to meet him.
Don’t Just Greet Him – Host Him!
Do you have an extra room in your home?
We are still searching for a third host family for our incoming Rotary Youth Exchange student Tobias, who will be with our club for the 2019-2020 school year. He will be attending school downtown at the Charleston Charter for Math & Science and we are looking for a good family to house him from mid-March through June.
If you are able to help or if you have non-Rotary friends that may be interested in housing an exchange student, please see the information sheet below and contact Richard Sidebottom ([email protected] ) or Karen Clark ([email protected]) for more information.Host family information sheet:
https://yehub.net/cgi-bin/sys-pdf.cgi?PGID=LIB&RID=79&DBID=SC1
Collection for The CART Fund This Tuesday, August 6
Our speaker on Tuesday, August 6 will be Dr. Jane Josephs, who will discuss Alzheimer’s. At this meeting, we would like to take an opportunity to support The CART Fund. Buckets will be on the table for you to make a donation. Donations can also be made via credit card at www.cartfund.org/cart/donations/.
The CART Fund is dedicated to raising funds to provide “seed” money for cutting edge, high impact research in hopes of finding a cure/prevention for Alzheimer’s disease. It was started in one SC Rotary club in our District 7770 in 1995. It has now been adopted by 22 Rotary districts in the United States. From the beginning, CART has been a novel fundraising program. Rotarians are encouraged to voluntarily empty their pockets and purses of change, or whatever amount they choose, whenever they attend a Rotary meeting. While the name “CART” stands for “Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust,” contributions of currency, checks or credit cards are also accepted. As of May 2018, 45 grants have been awarded totaling $7,200,000.
50/50 Raffle Continues
Bring your cash! Our weekly raffle will continue on Tuesday with new tickets being purchased. The pot is currently at $355 and will increase with your donations this Tuesday. This Tuesday, the winning ticket will have a 1 in 9 chance at winning half the pot. You do need to be present to win. Tickets are 1 for $5 or 3 for $10.
Hootie Homegrown Round-Up
We are once again supporting the Hootie Back to School Round Up, which is scheduled for Saturday, August 17 at Burke High School. This is a wonderful volunteer opportunity (Red Badgers – hint, hint) and we will need a couple of volunteers to pass out school supplies at the event. Please let Karl Brady ([email protected]) know if you are interested.
US Coast Guard 229th Birthday Celebrated

Our club’s only Coast Guard veteran, Owen Clary, shared the below information on the Coast Guard with our club this past Tuesday. We were honored to have two active members of the US Coast Guard in attendance to join us in our celebration.
The Coast Guard is one of America’s five armed forces and traces its founding to Aug. 4, 1790, when the first Congress authorized the construction of 10 vessels to “enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect the collection of federal revenue”. Responsibilities added over the years included humanitarian duties such as aiding mariners in distress.

The service received its present name in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to form a single maritime service dedicated to the safety of life at sea and enforcing the nation’s maritime laws.
Today’s Coast Guard is a multi-mission, maritime, military service and the smallest of the five Armed Services. Its current mission is to “protect the public, the environment and U.S. economic interests in the nation’s waterways, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region as required to support national security”.
Locally, Coast Guard Base Charleston was formally established on October 19th 2015, and is comprised of two campuses, one in downtown Charleston and one at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in North Charleston. There are 7 Officers, 111 Enlisted, 35 Reservists and 22 Civilians for a total of 175 personnel. Base Charleston manages 21.5 acres of property with 214,841 square feet of facilities, and 2 major, and 2 floating piers. Base Charleston serves as a mission support ‘touch-point’ for Coast Guard operations within the northern 7th Coast Guard District, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with operational partners to ensure the delivery of professional, responsive and cost-effective services to the American public. It’s large area of responsibility spans from the North Carolina/South Carolina border down to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Happy Birthday to the US COAST GUARD! Semper Peratus!
Rotary Really Does Connect the World
We hosted a special visting Rotarian from Ecuador at this week’s meeting. Dalia Moncayo, Club President of the Rotary Club of Morona-Macas, stopped by to say hello and exchange club banners with us. She was accompanied by her grandson who attends West Ashley High School. Dalia spoke of the common bond we as Rotarians have and how she feels welcome even among strangers when she visited us.
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. For more information, please contact RCCF Chair, Alissa Lietzow ([email protected]).
Dues Statements Emailed
Dues statements for the July 1-December 31 period were distributed via email on June 10. Past due statements were emailed this past week to those who haven’t made a payment. Please be sure to pay from this statement. If you did not receive a statement, please let Carroll know.
Our Club is on Social Media
Members are encourage to follow all of our social media channels and share posts with their followers too! We also need members to send us picture of anything they do that relates to Rotary – service projects, meetings, events, etc. We would love to keep our accounts full of smiling Rotarians! Photos can be send to Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected].
MEMBER NEWS
Member News

Welcome to our newest Rotarians! Madison Altman and Ken Morelli were both inducted into our club this past Tuesday. Madison, who was sponsored by Ruthie Ravenel and introduced by Past President Digit, will hold the classification of Banking/Private. Ken, who was sponsored by Heidi Finniff and also introduced by Past President Digit, will join us under the classification of Retirement Community/Management. Congrats to both of these new members … we are happy to have you with us!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Robert Sullivan
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- JOINED: March 2017
- SPONSOR: Jeanne Jamme
- MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: RCCF Grant Committee, Finance
Committee and James Simmons Shark Tank
- CLASSIFICATION: Real Estate/Commercial
- PROFESSION: Commercial Real Estate, Carolina One
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I went to college at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. I snow skied growing up at a little mounting outside of Charlottesville, VA and wanted to go out west for college. A friend of mine, who was a couple of years ahead of me, went out there. I didn’t even know there was a college in Montana until he went to school there. I went out to visit him on my college search and the rest is history.
Birthdays
- August 6 – Alvin Williams
- August 7 – Amy Chico & Karl Brady
- August 8 – Hilton Smith
- August 12 – Margaret Ann Youngs
By the numbers
- Attendance on July 30, 2019: 66
- Not in attendance: Allen, Bailey, Barry, Beam, Bini, Brack, Burt, Carico, Ceccato, Channell, Chico, Clark, Coe, Coghill, Cook, Cooper, M., Cooper, E., Cooper, J., Crouch, Deavenport, Donnellon, Dopp, Drafts, Dukes, Finniff, Gill, Hanger, Husser, Jones, Zac, Kaynard, Leonard, Lucy, Plotner, Prewitt, Raver, Rust, Sidebottom, Strickland, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Thomas, Webb, Wieters, Willey, Youngs
- Out of Town Make-ups:
None
WELLNESS TIP
Vacation Time!
Improve your heart health: take advantage of summer’s slower schedule by using your vacation time to unwind.
Vacations have multiple benefits: They can help lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormones such as cortisol, which contributes to a widening waist and an increased risk of heart disease.
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.
- We’re on Instagram. 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: Sandy Morckel
- 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.