May 5, 2020:
Congratulations to everyone who joined our club’s very first virtual meeting, held on Zoom last week. Special thanks to past president David Burt for his technical assistance in ensuring the event went off with
out a hitch. While we cant wait to meet in person someday soon, this is a great way to come together and ease our way back to normalcy. Our inaugural virtual speaker was our very own Peter Shahid who gave us an update on the Charleston 350th Anniversary celebrations.
Club member and City Councilmember Peter Shahid joined us on Tuesday to discuss the City of Charleston’s response to the coronavirus and how it has impacted the City’s 350th anniversary celebrations.
The idea originated two years ago as an opportunity to tell the true story of Charleston’s history and began as a resolution when it was evident that the State of South Carolina would not be participating.
The 350 Commission was created with Jonathan Green and Peter Shahid as 
Co-Chairs. Four Signature events were planned including Founders Day Kickoff, Transatlantic Connection & Race, Summer Music and Arts Festival and a Community Unity Celebration.
At this point the coronavirus has had a heavy impact on events. Founders Day, April 18, which was comprised of a Breakfast, Lecture Series, Cannons, Symphony concert did not happen as planned.
The Carolina Lowcountry & Atlantic World program and Race to be held May 14-15 were cancelled.
The Summer Music and Arts Festival to be held at the Joe is currently on “Rain Delay”.
The Community Unity Celebration scheduled for November 8, which included 350 transformational tables and a community dinner is currently on hold with social distancing in place.
Unfortunately the four major events have not taken place and many partnership events have also been cancelled. However on April 18, the day was marked by the coordination of churches ringing their bells at high noon for the 350th Anniversary.
Reverend Middleton of Mt Zion AME Church gave the opening prayer.
Mayor Tecklenburg and Councilman Shahid read the proclamation declaring Founders Day.
Park Rangers talked about the history of Charlestowne Landing.
Charleston Symphony gave a Zoom concert and Jonathan Green read The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls.
Submitted by Don Baus, Chairman, Keyway Committee
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
May 12, 2020 | Issue 4962 | President: Sandy Morckel
COMING EVENTS
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- May 12 – Meeting via Zoom (Tobias Kauffman – Youth Exchange)
- May 19 – Meeting via Zoom (Chamber of Commerce)
- May 26 – NO MEETING (Memorial Day Week)
- June 2 – Meeting @ Faber/Zoom (Tosha Conners, My Sisters House)
- June 9 – Meeting @ Faber/Zoom (Kristopher King, Preservation Society)
- June 16 – Meeting @ Faber/Zoom (CCSD Teacher of Year/Rotary Scholars)
- June 23 – Meeting @ Faber/Zoom (Gracie & Lacy)
- June 30 – Meeting @ Faber/Zoom (Presidential/Board Installation)
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 90’s (Thirty years ago decade) (1993-1996)
The Club celebrated its 75th anniversary with an affair at the Omni Hotel in downtown in 1994. Linwood Sikes, Club member, celebrated 50 years of perfect attendance. Our meeting place was moved from the Shriner’s Club to the Rifle Club. Our first female President, Anne Moise, helped to get our Charleston Rotary Fund into full swing. Part of the funds were to be used to establish a fountain in Marion Square and we set aside $100,000 for the project. The fund later changed its name to the Rotary Club of Charleston Fund. We had to raise $100,000 before any funds could be expended for a project. Interesting speakers included General Mikolajeik, of the Air Base, who was also a member of our Club and we met for one of our meetings out there.
Ways to Help the Community
Shifa Clinic’s Lowcountry Food Pantry is in need of Rotary volunteers. The pantry in Mount Pleasant has seen a dramatic increase in the number of families accessing the food pantry as a lifeline due to the ecomomic impact of the Coronavirus containment efforts. Formerly serving 250 families per month, they are now serving 375 families per week.
a Senior” project has been very rewarding for the Rotarians who have been matched with seniors. Periodic check-ins by phone and helping with resources or needs has served as a lifeline for these seniors who are quarantining alone in their homes. Our own President Sandy Morckel was matched with Sara Ulmer of Charleston. Sandy had helped Sara connect with community resources to replace a 47-year old water heater, averting a potential disaster. She also helped Sara celebrate her 73rd birthday, bringing her a 
birthday cake on March 4 (picture). And when she heard about the Homeless to Hope Benefit Telethon that President Sandy was coordinating, she rounded up change around the house to donate $25 to the effort! (picture)
Over 100 hours have been devoted by a dozen Rotarians to the 3D Mask Assembly Project in partnership with The Citadel since April 10 (picture). We have delivered over 200 reusable masks for healthcare workers at MUSC and other health care providers in the Lowcountry (picture). On March 4, the SC Army National Guard was able to adopt the project, providing 7 National Guard members for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to work on the 3D mask assembly project for the next 30 days. A real win/win partnership, we are able to accelerate the pace of assembly to reach our goal of delivering 1,000 masks by June, and providing the Guard members the opportunity to earn full time training pay and health care benefits for a month. Thank you to Rotarian and SC Guard Major Howard Chapman for making the connection, and our Veterans Chair Skip Fink for serving as liaison for the project. Rotarians are welcome to still contribute as they are able, but we are limited to a maximum of 10 volunteers at a time with the current state and local ordinances in place.
Also, if you are out there and helping in our community during this crisis, please take a photo of you volunteering and email it to Mike Sottak. We would love to highlight the good works being done by our members.
100 Year Anniversary Impact Project
This past Friday, Past President Digit Matheny and Club Treasurer Alan Uram presented Sergeant Eric Light of the Charleston Police Department a check from the RCCF for $50,000 in support of our partnership with the Charleston Police Department for the launch of their Leadership Development Institute. This project was introduced and rolled out to our club by Chief Reynolds in February as our club’s 100 Year Anniversary Impact Project. The project will build a curriculum and include community input to collaborate on a leadership development project to create a safe community, build strong partnerships and development purposeful leaders. This is a project that can be duplicated in other cities and we are pleased to be a part of Charleston leading the way.
Rotary Exchange Student
Please continue to keep our Rotary Exchange Inbound Student (Tobias – from Switzerland) and Rotary Exchange Outbound Student (Eleanor Pope – in Sweden) in your prayers as they deal with being apart from families during these uncertain times. Tobias will give a presentation to our club next week, and plans to finish out the school year in Charleston and return to his home in Switzerland the last week of May. He will moving from Mike and Toni Sottak’s home to the Pope’s for the remainder of this exchange. He is hoping his family will plan a return trip to the US next year as a family – maybe even visiting us. Any support you can give Tobias or his host family would be appreciated.
From the District – District Awards Night This Tuesday. May 12
We are happy to announce that the link for District 7770 Awards Night is now available on DACdb. On May 12th at 6:45 PM you may begin connecting to the Zoom session. Or, if you prefer, you can go to the District 7770 Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=rotary%20international%20district%207770&epa) and tune in to the live broadcast that way.
To join by Zoom, log on to DACdb, click on the “District” tab, then click on “Calendar”. Go to May 12th and find the Awards Night event. Click on “District 7770 Awards Ceremony“. Then click on “CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CALL“. The meeting hoist will admit you shortly (security measure.) It’s that simple!
There are many Rotarians and Rotary Clubs that have worked hard this year to make our District GREAT! It is only right that we should recognize them in a public forum. We are delighted to have the opportunity, through technology, to be able do this, even in this difficult time. And, by the way, our capacity for attendees has been upgraded for this event. So, as long as you are one of the first 500 to “Zoom in”, you will be able to join. If you can’t get in by Zoom, please remember the Facebook Live option.
Also, remember to dress up! This is the Academy Awards for our District! Bring your favorite beverage and be prepared to join us in several toasts throughout the event!
January Dues Past Due
January –June Rotary dues are now PAST DUE. One of the responsibilities of all members is paying the semi-annual dues. We are not able to hold meetings, etc. when dues are not being paid on time. President Sandy and President-Elect Lisa having been reaching out to those who haven’t paid. If you received a message or notice, please make payment as soon as possible or if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Carroll.
Club/District Emails
As a Rotarian and a member in District 7770, you are receiving emails from our club and the District. Both the club and the District try to minimize the number of emails being sent, but in today’s world of staying at home and no contact, emails are the main way to get information out and keep Rotarians connected. Please do not unsubscribe from District emails as this also effects your ability to receive club emails. If you unsubscribe from the District emails, then you are also unsubscribing from receiving club emails.
50/50 Raffle
The 50/50 Raffle continues at our next in-person weekly meeting. Members will have a 1 in 8 chance to win. The pot will start at $224. 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.
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
Best wishes for all of us to stay safe and continue to stay connected as we help those who are most vulnerable in our community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to fellow Rotarians if we can help you in any way in the days and weeks to come!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the “Super Women” in our club! Your families are blessed to have you and we hope you enjoyed your special day!
A moment of silence was held this past Tuesday in memory of former long-time member and Past President of our club, Barry Van Deventer. Barry served our club as President during the 1988-1989 Rotary year. Please keep Barry’s four children and their families in your thoughts and prayers.
Congratulations to Mike & Emily Copper who are expecting their first baby.
A great effort by our president Sandy Morckel for her work on organizing the Homeless to Hope Telethon this past week, which also featured a performance by our very own Mayor John Tecklenburg. The event hoped to raise $200,00 for a great cause. To watch streamed videos from the event visit the Homeless to Hope Fund YouTube page, and to find out more about the fund visit homelesstohopefund.org.
Debbie Barton graduated this past Sunday from the Citadel Graduate College with a Master’s of Science in Leadership. Congratulations to her on this achievement!
Congratulations to Phoenicia Miracle, who has written her first e-book – How Theme Park Strategies Help Rebuild Client Confidence and Regain Business. It focuses on reopening questions.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Stavros Triantafyllidis
- JOINED: 8/26/2020
- SPONSOR: Heidi Finniff
- MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: Adopt-A-Highway, Beach Sweep Clean-Ups, Seeking to: involve with sustainability initiatives & projects, plan & organize charitable sporting events and advocate carbon-neutral transportation
- CLASSIFICATION: Education/Military/College
- PROFESSION: Assistant Professor & Director of Sport Management, The Citadel
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I was born and raised in Athens, Greece; I have a professional license for skydiving from the US Parachute Association (USPA); I am a huge fan of the NBA (National Basketball Association)
Birthdays
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- 5/3 – David Baggs & Marjorie Hanger
- 5/7 – Dave Echols
- 5/8 – Zac Jones & Jim Bickley
- 5/14 – Trey Lucy
- 5/18 – Colleen Moring
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By the numbers
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- Attendance on May 3, 2020: 63
- Not in attendance: Allen, Altman, Baggs, Beam, Berry, Bickley, Bini, Carico, Chapman, Coe, Cole, Cook, Cooper, Cooper, Coxe, Crouch, DeGraff, Diminch, Dopp, Drafts, Dunaway, Echols, Finniff, Frume, Galizia, Gill, Giovanniello, Goxhaj, Howard, Husser, Jones, Jones, Kaynard, Le, Lietzow, Loredo, Lucy, Minson, Morelli, Moring, Patrick, Ravenel, Rust, Seguer, Sidebottom, Smith, H., Smith, Mark, Smith, Michael, Staley, Strickland, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Tecklenburg, P., Uram, Vanek, Walters, Weston, Wieters, Willey, Woodell
- Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP
Exercise outdoors
Most public gym facilities are likely closed but if yours is still open, we recommend avoiding it until public health officials say otherwise. Instead, take your fitness into the fresh air outside. Consider hiking a new path or trying a water-based activity like kayaking, if the weather permits.
Younger athletes can also benefit from outdoor play by themselves or in small groups. Be sure to supervise kids playing in small groups or alone, and discourage the use of sporting equipment or jungle gyms to minimize direct contact with each other and surfaces.
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