September 24, 2019:
The President and CEO of Trident United Way, Chloe Knight Tonney, spoke to our club this week and gave an inspiring presentation of TUW’s past, present, and future service to our community.
Chloe has been in community development and service for 30 years and most recently was the Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer for the CDC foundation in Atlanta. She is a native Charlestonian and
graduate the College of Charleston, and her husband, Rick Tonney, is alumnus of the Citadel.
Chloe thanked Rotary for its great service to the community, especially its work fighting polio and efforts to provide clean water around the globe. In her service to CDC Foundation, Chloe was able to be on the “front line” during the Ebola outbreak in west Africa and the aftermath of the Earthquake in Haiti. She saw firsthand the power of philanthropy in bringing change to people’s lives.
Trident United Way was founded as the Charleston Community Chest in 1944. When services were extended to Berkeley and Dorchester counties in the 1970’s it became the Trident United Way. The founders TUW were all members of the Rotary Club of Charleston! Since that time TUW has distributed $250 million to the community. The philanthropy of those early founders and contributors has become part of the “Social DNA” of our community.
We look around and TUW brings positive change to the community by focusing on 3 impact areas: Health, Financial Stability, and Education. TUW has partnered over 60 local health organizations, including core partners: MUSC
Health and Roper St. Francis Healthcare, to launch the Healthy Tri-County initiative to improve health outcomes. 3,000 community members filed tax returns free of charge last year. And in Education, TUW trained over 100 teacher in 4 school districts in their “Reading by Third” project.
There are several integral tools and partners that TUW works with such as the 2-1-1 Help Line, Charity Tracker, Americorps, and SC Thrive. The 2-1-1 Help Line connect people in need with resources and has had major impacts in our community. It was initiated by our club member Rob Dewey and Jerry Zucker
several years ago and continues to affect positive change. The annual TUW Day of Caring is the largest single day of service in the community, with over 5,000 volunteers completing 278 projects in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties.
For more information on the TUW please visit https://www.tuw.org/
Chloe answered a few questions from our members and thanked the club for the opportunity to speak.
Submitted by Jeff Webb, Keyway Committee
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Past President Paul Stoney gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Ken Morelli introduced visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Sandy Morckel presented Health and Happiness.
- Tom Leonard introduced our keynote speaker, Chloe Tonney, who discussed the Trident United Way.
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MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
October 1, 2019 | Issue 4941 | President: Sandy Morckel
COMING EVENTS
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- Oct. 1 – Andrew Hsu, President, College of Charleston
- Oct. 8 – Mary Whyte, Portrait of American Veterans (Meeting at High Cotton)
- Oct. 15 – No Meeting
- Oct. 22 – Chris Singleton
- Oct. 29 – Mayoral Forum
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 40s (1944-1945)

Six former service members were reinstated to active membership after they returned from the armed forces. The Club passed a resolution urging city officials to make every effort to help curb venereal disease in the city and also to make efforts to clear slums for more parking downtown. (We perhaps tore down slum houses for the parking garage behind us, which today would sell for millions).
We changed our meeting time from 2:00 pm to 1:00 pm. A public address system was used for the first time for Club meetings in 1944. (And we are still trying to get it to work). SC Governor Olin D. Johnston addressed the Club.
Honor certificates were presented to Rotarians who had membership in the Club for 15, 20, and 25 years. Our Club sponsored the formation of the Pilot Club in Charleston. The meeting of May 8, 1945 was cancelled for V-E Day celebrations. Membership had increased to 99.
Meeting Change reminder! High Cotton on October 8
Please note that our luncheon on Tuesday, October 8 has been moved to High Cotton, 199 East Bay Street. Members and their guests should park the same as they do for our weekly luncheons and walk up the alley crossing over East Bay Street.
Rotarians Answers the Call for Hurricane Dorian – But We Can’t Stop Giving
Our Rotary Club of Charleston has surpassed the $14,000 mark for donations to the Hurricane Dorian Relief fund. Many thanks to club member Rob Byko, who along with his wife Karen have been spearheading this effort.
But there is always more to be done! Please keep the donations coming! No dollar amount is too small.
To make your donation online via secured PayPal or other service, please follow the link below.
https://7020.org/page/
US DONORS: For a 501c3 US Tax Exempt donation use any of the following
PayPal D7020 through Disaster Network Assistance
PayPal D6990 through District 6990 in Florida
District 7680 DAF No. 574 via Rotary International, add “District 7680 DAF No. 574, Abaco & Grand Bahama”
To make a donation by check, make your check payable to:
“The Rotary Foundation DAF”, and indicate “DAF Fund #574, Abaco and Grand Bahama” in the memo field. Bring your donation to the next Rotary meeting or simply drop it in the mail to:
Charleston Rotary Club/Hurricane Dorian Challenge
c/o Carroll Schweers
P.O. Box 21029
Charleston, SC 29413
50/50 Raffle Winner
We had a winner! Congratulations to John Bleecker who pulled the winning ball this past Tuesday! The raffle will start over this Tuesday with a 1 in 10 chance to win, so bring your cash on Tuesday, Oct. 1 and let’s grow the pot. You do need to be present to win. Tickets are available at meetings – 1 for $5 or 3 for $10.
Low Country on the Table
Lowcountry On The Table meetings will be held on Thursday, Oct. 3 around the Charleston area. If you are not already involved in a table discussion that day, we encourage you to attend one of the following:
Past President Andy Brack is hosting a table at 10:00 am on Thursday, Oct. 3 in Charleston at Saffron’s. There are JUST FIVE SEATS LEFT and will be reserved on a first come, first served basis. Please email Andy at [email protected] to reserve your spot.
There will be a breakfast discussion held at Limehouse Produce, 2660 Carner Avenue, North Charleston, SC at 8:00am. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Kerby Teller at [email protected].
Corporate/Family Membership

As we strive to expand our membership, the Board has discussed and approved a new membership category. We are now able to offer Corporate/Family Memberships for members of the same business, organization or family. The primary member will pay full club dues of $550 every 6 months. Associate members can also join at a fee of $225 every 6 months including a one-time $100 initiation fee. Associate members will be responsible for paying the $25 meal fee for lunches attended unless the primary member is not in attendance then there is no charge for their meal. Associate members will have all of the benefits of being a Rotarian as the primary member. If you have a co-worker or immediate family member who would like to be a part of Rotary and join as an Associate member, please contact one of our membership chairs – Digit Matheny [email protected] or Heidi Finniff [email protected] to see how they can join.
Sign up for Rotary Leadership Institute
If you have been to a Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) event recently, please consider coming to an event this year. The next RLI session is in Myrtle Beach (Conway), SC on Saturday, October 19.
RLI is a series of fast-paced, interactive, one-day courses offered to refine a Rotarian’s leadership skills and increase their base of knowledge in Rotary. Courses are fun, topical, interactive, and geared toward busy business and professional persons who want to be more effective leaders in their vocation and club. Participants will not learn everything about all of Rotary’s programs, but they will gain a greater appreciation for the avenues of service and programs of Rotary International.
The RLI session on October 19th will be at the Horry Georgetown Technical College, Building 300, Room 110, 2050 Highway 501 East, Conway, SC 29526. You can register on the district database calendar. Or, you can visit www.rli33.org for the latest RLI Schedule and Brochure as well as registration for this and other RLI events.
Host Tobias, our International Exchange Student
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
Rotary Connects the World: Budapest version
Proving this year’s Rotary Theme is an appropriate one, our own Jack Mitchell dropped by a Rotary event in Budapest, Hungary during a recent trip to Europe. Near the Airbnb where he was staying, there was a plaza that was setting up a weekend chocolate festival. One of the booths was the manned by the local Rotary Club of Budapest. Jack introduced himself to the local Rotarians and had a great conversation and shared what the respective clubs are both doing for their respective communities.
Dues Are Now Past Due
Dues statements for the July 1-December 31 period were distributed via email on June 10 and are now past due. Past due statements were emailed two weeks ago to those who haven’t made a payment. Please be sure to pay from this statement. If you did not receive a statement or have questions, please contact Carroll.
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].
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidate has submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
Marc Howard – sponsor: G.P. Diminich, classification: Banking/Private
In the event you know Marc, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideas of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Alan Uram
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- JOINED: 1/4/2011 – Prior to joining our club, I was a member of the
Charleston Breakfast Rotary Club.
- SPONSOR: Cooper Coker
- MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: Current Treasurer & Board Member; Past Chair of Salvation Army Bell-Ringing
- CLASSIFICATION: Banking/Commercial
- PROFESSION: Market President, GrandSouth Bank. We are a community bank that provides commercial and consumer banking solutions.
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I earned aBusiness Degree from the College of Charleston and an MBA from The Citadel. While at the College, I was a member of the Sailing Team earning Honorable Mention All-American Status my senior year.
- JOINED: 1/4/2011 – Prior to joining our club, I was a member of the
Birthdays
- Oct. 3 – Stavros Triantafyllidis & Doug Holmes
By the numbers
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- Attendance on September 17, 2019: 50
- Not in attendance: Baggs, Barry, Beam, Carico, Chico, Coghill, Cole, Cooper, E., Cooper, Allen, Barry, Barton, Baus, Beam, Bickley, Brack, Carico, Ceccato, Clark, Coe, Coghill, Cohen, Cole, Cook, Cooper, E., Cooper, J., Cooper, M., Coxe, Deavenport, DeGraff, Dewey, Diminich, Donnellon, Drafts, Dukes, Eckert, Fellabom, Fink, Finniff, Gill, Hanger, Holmes, Husser, Jones, C., Kaynard, Lee, Lucy, Moring, Oswalt, Patrick, Ravenel, Raver, Rich, Riley, Riner, Rust, Seguer, Sidebottom, Smith, H., Smith, M., Sottak, Strickland, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Thomas, Van Bergen, Willey, Woodell
- Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP
Be Tender With Your Teeth
If you do one thing to improve your dental health this fall, turn over a new leaf by ditching habits that are hard on your teeth.
That means no more chewing on ice or popcorn kernels. Ice is a crystal and tooth enamel is a crystal — when the two meet, one of them has to give. Sometimes it’s the tooth. Popcorn kernels can break teeth or fillings too, and the hull, if lodged in gum tissue, can irritate and cause bacteria buildup.
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.