11/19: John Mitchell & Scott Watson: Charleston’s 350th Anniversary

November 12, 2019:

This past week, John Mitchell,  Special Projects Assistant to the Mayor, and Scott Watson, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Charleston, visited the club to give us an update on the planning for the Charleston 350th Anniversary celebrations happening in 2020 (and which are being driven by our own Peter Shadid). John and Scott gave us an overview of what to expect throughout the coming year as we recognize this historic milestone for our city.  Also, please note all the great service opportunities coming up as we hit high gear in the Holiday Season!

 

Our speakers were introduced by City Councilman Peter Shahid, who is overseeing the 350th Anniversary initiative for the City

John shared that he is the lead staff person overseeing thee 350th celebration of the founding of Charleston, in 2020.  He noted that the City wants residents to be involved in the process and provide feedback.

Scott shared that the City in interested in showing the profile of Charleston in 2020.  There is not currently a website for this celebration because it is in development, but is anticipated.  There are active working committees and subcommittees focusing on this process. In addition, there are opportunities for charitable giving, and the Coastal Community Foundation is helping, and our own Dave Echols is co-chairing that committee.  (The event straddles two fiscal years, which presents more potential funding resources). Scott also pointed out that Charleston’s history is complex and unresolved, and the 350th celebration will reflect that.

There are four major milestone events scheduled:

  •  April 18, 2020:  Founders Day Kick-Off at Charles Towne Landing – Free admission, Living History, and presentations
  • May, 2020: TransAtlantic Connection and Race Finale:  This international regatta will begin in Brest, France and land in Charleston.
  • July 4, 2020: 3-day celebration festival at Riley Park involving baseball, music, family events, fireworks, etc
  • November 8, 2020: Community Unity Celebration: Assembly of residents at the corner of Broad Street and East Bay.  A community Dining Event, closing down south Broad Street (Gaillard reserved as a rain venue). 

The City hopes this celebration will share Charleston with the world, including our values and how our community remains vital and engaged.

Submitted by Lisa Van Bergen, Keyway Committee 

 IN OTHER MEETING NEWS

          • Marjorie Hanger gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.  
          • Rhett Dunaway welcomed all visiting Rotarians & guests.  
          • President Sandy Morckel presented Health and Happiness
          • Peter Shahid introduced our guest speakers, Scott Watson, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs & John Mitchell, Special Projects Assistant to the Mayor, spoke on the 350th celebration of the founding of Charleston in 2020.

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY

November 26, 2019 | Issue 4948 | President: Sandy Morckel

COMING EVENTS

As you can see, there are lots of way to give in the coming weeks as we hit full holiday mode in Rotary. Please consider giving a little of your time for any and all of these great projects as part of your Service Above Self this holiday season.

You can sign up for any of the events by clicking on the links below. Or to see the master schedule go here. If you need your log-in information contact Carroll at [email protected]

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 60s (1960-1962)

The Charleston Rotary Club started the 60’s meeting at the Francis Marion Hotel with 166 members.  In 1960 eight of our members were on a committee to be on the Centennial celebration of the Civil War (Some call it by other names: War of Northern Aggression, War of Secession, War for Southern Independence, or the Blue –Gray conflict. Officially, in US military history it was termed the War of the Rebellion). Nineteen Rotarians attended the District Conference in Florence where our own member, Jimmy Bagwell, was elected District Governor. The Club designated 75 cents per member per meeting to help provide a station wagon for the cripple children’s hospital station wagon which we had supported for years. Several programs were presented and debated on the subject of the medi-care bill.

No Meeting on Nov. 26

As a reminder, we will NOT be meeting for Rotary on Tuesday, Nov. 26.  We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoys their time with loved ones.

The Green Heart Project Awarded RCCF Grant

Members of the Rotary Club of Charleston visited one of The Green Heart Project gardens located at the GrowFood Carolina warehouse. The Green Heart Project builds garden-based experimental learning projects and school garden programs to educate students, connect people, and cultivate community through growing, eating and celebrating food. This particular garden on Morrison Drive is being used by Meeting Street Academy to educate students about healthy food and positive character traits. The club’s donation will be used to fund the construction of a sound barrier as one of the challenges for this garden space is the noise produced by traffic on Morrison Drive as it makes it difficult for teachers to communicate with students. Attending today’s visit from the Rotary RCCF Committee were RCCF Chair and Past President Alissa Lietzow, Past President David Burt, Charlie Palmer, Robert Sullivan and Executive Secretary, Carroll Schweers. The check was presented to Jesse Bloom of The Green Heart Project.

50/50 Raffle 

Congratulations to Karl Riner who drew the winning ball this past Tuesday!  The 50/50 Raffle will start with a new pot and a 1 in 10 chance to win at our next meeting. Bring your cash 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. 

Operation Warm dates

We are excited to announce that Operation Warm is back! The coats have arrived, and we need your help in distributing them to children at both Mitchell Elementary and James Simmons Elementary Schools. Teachers from both schools have confidentially identified kids who have a need for a winter coat and we have also purchased socks that we will be giving away with the coats. It will be a rewarding experience for both Rotarians and the kids!

We have two times for volunteering. Simply click on the link attached to learn more about the details and register to volunteer through our DACdb system:

    1. Tuesday, November 26, 11:30 am – 2 pm @ Mitchell Elementary, 2 Race Street, Charleston
      Register at:  https://www.dacdb.com/index.cfm?EventID=77468207
    2. Friday, December 6, 7:30 am – 10:00 am @ James Simmons Elementary, 741 King Street, Charleston
      Register at: https://www.dacdb.com/index.cfm?EventID=77468210

If you are able to volunteer, but have any difficulty registering online, please email Stefany at [email protected].

We look forward to continuing this great annual tradition! Thank you!

Operation Warm Co-Chairs
Stefany Di Manno Ceccato
Kelsey Willey

Holiday Luncheon at Hall’s

We will return to Hall’s Chophouse for this year’s Holiday Luncheon.  Mark your calendar now for this popular holiday event – Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 12:00 noon.  Please be sure to register to attend this event by going to the calendar on the DACdb (directions were emailed to you by Carroll). There is no charge for Rotarians and spouses/guest are $40.  We would appreciate payment at the door. Reservations are limited.  

Holiday Senior Giving

We are gearing up for our Annual Senior Gift Giving and Party for the residents of the Ansonborough House. The Historic Rotary Club of Charleston is very proud that we have the opportunity to make sure every resident of the Ansonborough House has a wonderful holiday. We need your support to make this a success! Volunteers are needed to shop as we purchase the presents on Saturday, December 7 at 10am at the Wal-Mart at Tanger Outlet, wrap the presents immediately following our holiday luncheon on Tuesday, December 10 and host the party at the Ansonborough House on Wednesday, December 18 at 1:00pm.  If you can volunteer or have any questions, please contact Mark Smith @ [email protected]

You can also register to attend any of this service projects by going to the calendar on the DACdb.

Ringing Bell for Salvation Army

Our Annual “Ringing of the Bell” for Salvation Army will be held on Friday, Dec. 13.  We will have two stations – one at King/Market and one at Meeting/Market.  Sign up on the calendar at DACdb or contact [email protected].

 

 

 

City of Charleston & Mt. Pleasant Holiday Parades

Our Boat that is being raffled at this year’s 100 Year Gala has been accepted as a float in the annual City of Charleston Holiday Parade on Sunday, Dec. 1 and the Mt. Pleasant Holiday Parade on Sunday, Dec. 8.  We are looking for volunteers to help decorate and walk with boat in each of the parades. If you are interested, please contact Lisa Van Bergen at [email protected]. This is a fun way to get involved and also spread some holiday cheer! Spouses, children, dogs all welcomed to walk with our boat — the more, the merrier!!

Sign up to support these events at DACdb.

 

Boat Raffle tickets now on sale

The annual Boat Raffle has begun! Tickets are now available for all Rotarians to help with our major fundraiser of the year. The prize is once again a beautiful Sea Fox boat valued at $40,000. And a cash equivalent prize of $15,000 is also an option for the winner. Tickets are $100 and no more than 1,000 will be sold – great odds!

Please get out there and sell tickets to family, friends and colleagues. This is the primary source of revenue for us to fund all the great work we do all year long. We’ll be parading the boat at both the Charleston (December 1) and Mt. Pleasant (December 8) Holiday Parades and need volunteers to help with that effort, too. Contact Lisa Van Bergen at [email protected] to sign up

This year its even easier to sell tickets. In addition to the traditional printed tickets, which you can get from Doug Holmes, you can direct people to buy tickets in other ways.

By Text: simply text BOATRAFFLE to 44-321 and tickets can be purchased through a mobile device.

By web site: Log on to the Rotary web site at www.charleston-rotary.org and click on the link at the top left of the page to go to a secure web page to buy tickets

In person: at one of several Rotarian businesses selling tickets including

    • ERA Wilder Realty, 122 Coleman Blvd. Mt Pleasant.
    • State Farm Insurance: 3750 Savannah Highway, John’s Island
    • NV Realty, 91 Broad, St. Charleston

The winning ticket will be drawn at our 100th Anniversary Gala Event on February 29, 2020.

Become a sponsor of the Rotary 100th Year Anniversary

As we gear up for our 100th Anniversary celebration there are are some great sponsorship opportunities to give businesses visibility and the excellent PR that come along with being associated with Rotary. Sponsorship packages range from $250 to $10,000 and include participation and visibility at our 100th Anniversary Gale Event on February 29. Go here to see the sponsorship options and you can pay for the package you chose right on the web site. And share this with other businesses or potential sponsor you think would benefit from this great marketing and community support opportunity. Remember, this is part of our fund raising effort and most of the funds will go directly back into the projects and organizations we support throughout the year.

If you want an electronic file of the sponsorship packages to email around or print out, contact Lisa Van Bergen [email protected]

Gala Event Tickets on sale now!

Mark you calendars and get your ticket now for the event of the year: The Rotary Club of Charleston 100th Anniversary Gala Dinner event. The event will be held February 29, 2020 at the Francis Marion Hotel.

Tickets are $100 and there will only be 300 sold, so act now.

To purchase tickets, go here

Featured keynote speaker is Past Rotary International President John Germ, Moderator/Host PJ Browning, Publisher of The Post and Courier, along with highlights of our 100 years of impact in Charleston. Black tie optional.

6 pm: Cocktail Reception with live music
7 pm: Dinner and program
8 pm: Dancing and entertainment with Zandrina Dunning Experience

You won’t want to miss this fantastic celebration of Rotary’s 100 years of Service Above Self in Charleston.

Change in Membership Status Deadline

If you plan a change in your club member status by January 1, 2020 to Excused, Leave of Absence or if you are planning to resign, please notify Carroll in writing NO LATER THAN December 2, 2019.  This change will affect January statement, which will be distributed in mid-December. All current members who officially resign after December 2 will be billed $52 to cover Rotary International dues, which are paid the first of each billing cycle.  If you have any questions, contact Carroll.

Rotary Foundation Giving

The District Match is back …. Effective November 10 through December 31, 2019, Rotarians will receive 1 recognition point for every dollar when a contribution of at least $100 up to $500 is made.  This is a limited time offer. The points are available and will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. When the points are gone — they are GONE! Please contact our Rotary Foundation Chair, Karl Riner at [email protected] to take advantage of the program.

Rotary District Accepting Nominations for District Governor 2022/2023

The nominating committee for our Rotary District will meet on January 31, 2020 to select the District Governor for the 2022/23 Rotary year. 

Should you wish to be considered for this position, the description of the duties of a District Governor, the qualifications required to be a District Governor, and a Governor nominee form was emailed to all members this past week.  If you didn’t receive the email and are interested in applying, please see Carroll. Applicants should complete the application no later than December 15, have it signed by your club secretary and returned to David Tirard no later than December 30, 2019.  David’s address is 1 Queen Crescent, Bluffton, SC 29910.

To make sure that there are no slip-ups by the postal service, please also send a brief email to David at [email protected], confirming you have sent the application.

Outbound Youth Exchange Students Needed for 2020-2021

Our District’s Youth Exchange Program needs your support. The District would like to be able to send between 15 and 19 Outbound students a year on Exchange and receive the same number of Inbounds coming into our District. To do that, the District needs clubs, members and local schools to get involved that have not previously been involved.  Children of Rotarians are eligible for this wonderful opportunity. 

Preliminary Outbound applications are now being accepted for the 2020-21 year. Everyone’s help is needed to keep this program strong and change the lives of young people. Please contact Karl Riner, Karen Clark or Richard Sidebottom of our International Committee, if you have any questions or know of someone interested in participating. 

Corporate/Family Membership

District Membership Committee Member and Past President Digit explains the new membership options for friends, family and work colleagues

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.

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.

Please note that having other school age children in your home is not a requirement for hosting.  

As you know, the secondary student program offers an opportunity for you and your family to experience firsthand the richness and diversity of a culture different from your own, and for you to exemplify American values and culture to a foreign visitor. Approximately 25,000 high school students from around the world participate in this program each year. The good will of American host families in opening their homes to these young international visitors is vital to this program’s success. The health, safety, and well-being of the young people who participate in this program are our highest priority. A host family has many responsibilities, the most important of which is properly caring for an international student during the course of his/her program. The student is a guest in your home and how you relate with this student will create a lasting image of our country and its people. It also offers you and your family a unique, rewarding and enjoyable experience. Please let Karen Clark ([email protected]) know as soon as possible if you are able to consider this Hosting opportunity. We appreciate your consideration and thank you for your support of this great program!

Host family information sheet:

https://yehub.net/cgi-bin/sys-pdf.cgi?PGID=LIB&RID=79&DBID=SC1

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].

Member News

We are pleased to announce that Rob Byko, Jeanne Jamme, Virginia Lee and Joseph Tecklenburg have all been elected to the 2020-2021 Board of Directors.  On July 1, 2020, they will join President-Elect Lisa Van Bergen, Karl Brady, Digit Matheny, Charlie Palmer and Paul Stoney on the Board. We had a strong slate of candidates and sincere appreciate all candidates’ willingness and desire to serve our club.  Congratulations to all!

The following members were recognized this past Tuesday for their perfect attendance:

    • Rob Dewey – 26 years
    • Brian Johnson – 16 years
    • Alex Dallis – 15 years
    • Rhett Dunaway- 15 years
    • Kelsey Willey – 1 year
    • Sandy Morckel – 1 year

Congratulations to all these members!  You set a wonderful example for all of us to follow. Your dedication to Rotary and attending every week is to be commended!  

Congratulations to our newest Rotarians – Silva Goxhaj and Mary Peters!  Silva was sponsored by Robert Sullivan and introduced by Heidi Finnif this past Tuesday.  She will hold the classification of Banking/Business Development. Mary Peters is a former long-time member of our club and we are thrilled to have her back at Rotary.  She was sponsored by President Sandy and will hold the classification of Health/Geriatric Care. We welcome Silva and Mary into our Rotary family!

Our most heartfelt condolences to Amy Riley on the death of her father this past week.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Amy and her family. 

Congratulations to our own Past President and Mayor of Charleston, John Tecklenburg, for being re-elected to serve our city a second term as Mayor. 

 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Virginai Lee

    • JOINED: February 2018
    • SPONSOR: Karl Riner
    • MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: RCCF Committee; Newly Elected Board Member
    • CLASSIFICATION: Banking
    • PROFESSION: Commercial Banking – First Citizens Bank
    • SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I’m a proud FLORIDA GATOR

Birthdays

    • Nov. 27 – David Anderson
    • Dec. 5 – Nathan Allen
    • Dec. 6 – Ivan Anderson
    • Dec. 9 – Johnny Stuhr
    • Dec. 9 – Lorraine Perry

By the numbers

    • Attendance on  November 19, 2019: 75
    • Not in attendance:   Allen, Altman, Baggs, Barry, Baus, Beam, Brack, Carico, Clark, Coe, Coghill, Cole, Cook, Cooper, J., Deavenport, Donnellon, Drafts, Dukes, Eckert, Fink, Gill, Holmes, Howard, Husser, Kaynard, Leonard, Lietzow, Minson, Morse, Patrick, Plotner, Raver, Riley, Rust, Seguer, Sidebottom, Smith, Michael, Sullivan, Taylor, Tecklenburg, J. Tecklenburg, J., Tecklenburg, P., Teller, Thomas, Walters, Webb
    • Out of Town Make-ups:  None
WELLNESS TIP

Limit Indulging to Special Days

Nobody gains weight eating a substantial Thanksgiving dinner or indulging on New Year’s Eve. What used to be special occasions have now become everyday holiday festivities, with a variety of food and drinks to celebrate. Just because your coworker brought in homemade gingerbread cookies doesn’t mean you need to eat them. Keep the splurge events to specific times (such as Christmas Day or the first night of Hannukah), and stick with our Core or Advanced Nutrition Plans otherwise. You’ll do damage control with your waistline and those events will feel even more special.

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

SOCIAL MEDIA 

Our Rotary club actively uses social media — and we encourage you to interact with us through social media.

  • We’re on FacebookTake 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.