8/25 Club networking

August  25, 2020:

The Covid-19 situation continues to throw us curveballs, but that doesn’t stop the club. This week’s scheduled speaker was sidelined with the coronavirus at the last minute, so Club President Lisa Van Bergen and Club Services Chair Tom Leonard quickly pivoted to make this week’s meeting a “networking” program. It was a great chance to learn about the backgrounds of some of our members and we heard from 10 Rotarians in all about things ranging from what they do for a living to why they joined Rotary.  Just a few more meetings “in the Zoom bubble” and then hopefully we can get back to meeting face to face.  

At this week’s meeting, we did a quick pivot to account for a last-minute change in schedule. The meeting featured ‘networking’ –  as best as we can over Zoom – and it turned into a great way to meet some members, new and old, who shared their answer to some questions president Lisa had posed about their background and connection to Rotary.

Club Services director Tom Leonard got the ball rolling and talked about his career as a management consultant, as well as his star-studded football past – a high school and college career which led him to cross paths with notable football heroes like Calin Hill, Franco Harris, Ed Marinaro and others. Tom cited the importance of Rotary to him and the community, and expressed thanks for being brought into the club by Rob Dewey.

Next up was past president Paul Stoney. The head of the YMCA here in Charleston used his time to recognize the late Rotarian Bill Hall, who has made such a mark on Charleston and on Paul personally. Paul gave a moving tribute to a man who he considers a father figure and someone who underscored the true meaning of Service Above Self. Paul also noted his own sports background as an avid tennis player and winner of multiple tournaments.

Virginia Lee told us about her background as a Rotarian in the Atlanta area before she moved to Charleston and joined our club two years ago. Virginia has a busy and rewarding professional life as a commercial banker, and her high school-aged twin children keep her busy as well. Virginia had a life-changing moment several years ago when doctors discovered a peach sized tumor in her brain. Thankfully, it was benign and she made a full recovery but she cites it as a motivation for her to enjoy life’s every moment.

Sara Inman is a new member of our club, introduced to Rotary by Sandy Morckel. With a lifelong commitment to service, she discovered that Rotary is a great outlet for her passion. Sarah is an assistant professor at The Citadel teaching Advanced Physiology, Healthcare and Medical Terminology and enjoys watching her students’ success in life.  Her side gig is being a certified bake chef and she provides goodies to her friends. Sarah shared with us that the Covid-19 situation has been especially trying for her as she has lost 6 family members to the virus.

Past president David Burt offered us a glimpse into his background, starting with his chance meeting with noted architect Thom Penny while he was visiting Charleston for a wedding. Mr. Penny saw a drawing David had done and was immediately impressed and soon offered the young architect student from Mississippi State a job. The rest is history, as David has spent this career at the firm LS3P since then, and loves being in a place like this that offers so much unique architecture. David has used the downtime of the pandemic to exercise his passion for drawing, creating fantastic sidewalk art that he features on his Facebook page.

Jacob Humiston is our newest Rotarian, having just been inducted at this week’s meeting. Jacob works for a government contractor doing business development and being new to Charleston he hopes Rotary will help him meet new people and extend his professional network, as well as be an avenue to perform community service. The former US Marine and University of Nebraska graduate combines those backgrounds with a non-profit he is organizing, specifically for UN alumni who also served in the Marines. Jacob was an accomplished cyclist at Nebraska and even competed professionally.

Stefany  DiManno Cerrcato is a world traveler who leveraged her early career as a private jet flight attendant to launch her own high-end travel service. She caters to clients who seek exotic and special holidays, and she donates 5% of her firm’s profits to charity. Stefany loves good wine and good food and discovering new places. Rotary fulfills her desire to give back to her community and she enjoys the fellowship the club offers.

Debbie Barton was drawn to Rotary for its focus on humanitarian initiatives around peace and water. She currently serves as the assistant finance director for the City of Charleston and has recently acted upon her calling to faith by becoming a church minister. Service is close to her heart and Rotary provides her another way to give back to her community.

Stavros Triantafyllidis chose to join Rotary because it supports his personal mission of leaving the world a little better place than he found it. He is an assistant professor of sports management at The Citadel and loves the energy of interacting with students every day. Stavros was an accomplished volleyball player in his native Greece and still enjoys the sport today. He is also quite active in the area of sports management initiatives and is working on a book on sustainable development in sports. Earning his Ph.D. was a milestone moment for him and made him realize that life is a continuous journey of learning.

Karl Brady joined our Rotary club after being exposed to the organization while going to school in the northeast. He has built a successful career in the non-profit field, currently serving as head of donor relations for the Carolina Youth Development Center. He also serves on the Charleston City Council, having won the seat in last year’s election representing District 5. He once had ambitions to become a lawyer but a stint serving in Teach for America led him to see the personal satisfaction he got out of non-profit work. Karl enjoys ‘southern bro’ activities such as clay shooting and golfing.

To access the Zoom recording of this meeting go here.

Submitted by Don Baus,  Chairman Keyway Committee

IN OTHER MEETING NEWS 

      • Marjorie Hanger gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
      • President Lisa welcomed all visiting Rotarians & guests.
      • President Lisa presented Health and Happiness.
      • President Lisa informed us our scheduled speaker Lt. Chris Hulbert of SC State Guard was unable to join us as he has COVID. He will join us in later September. In lieu of a speaker, we were able to quickly switch gears and hold a “networking” opportunity and learn about 10 of our fellow Rotarians.              

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY

September 1, 2020 | Issue 4976| President: Lisa Van Bergen

COMING EVENTS
    • 1 – Winslow Hastie, Historic Charleston Foundation
    • 8 – NO MEETING (Labor Day)
    • 15 – Lt. Chris Hulbert, SC State Guard
NEWS BRIEFS

 

RCCF Grant Applications Being Accepted Through This Tuesday

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, David Burt at [email protected].

 

IMPORTANT Meeting Update – ZOOM Thru August

With the continuous spike in COVID cases in our area, the Board decided this past week to cancel our in-person meetings through the end of August. We will continue to meet on ZOOM during this time with plans of returning to in-person meetings at Hall’s Signature Events after Labor Day – Tuesday, September 15th. 

We hope members will continue to log in to ZOOM and enjoy meetings from the comfort of their home or office. No yummy lunch by Hall’s or the in-person camaraderie of your fellow Rotarians, but it is the next best thing to stay engaged and be connected to your Rotary family. And as we know, the impact of Rotary is felt through our volunteerism and support of one another and the community, especially during trying times.

Global Grant Scholar Update

Our Ambassadorial Global Grant Scholar, Maddie Davis, was not selected as one of the recipients of the Rotary Foundation scholarship.  While disappointed, she is pressing ahead on her plans for graduate work – and still seeking scholarship opportunities to make those plans a reality. If you are aware of any other opportunities where Maddie may consider applying for scholarship dollar, please reach out to Maddie or to Chloe Tonney.

 

African Region Certified Wild Polio-Free

The African region has just been certified wild poliovirus-free.

Rotary members have played an invaluable role in the effort to rid the African region of wild polio. We should be proud of all the hard work that we’ve done to eliminate the wild poliovirus throughout Africa and in nearly every country in the world.

This progress is the result of a decades-long effort across the 47 countries of the African region. It has involved millions of health workers traveling by foot, boat, bike and bus, innovative strategies to vaccinate children amid conflict and insecurity, and a huge disease surveillance network to test cases of paralysis and check sewage for the virus.

Over the last two decades, countless Rotary members in countries across the African region and around the world have worked together to raise funds, immunize children, advocate with local and national leaders, and raise awareness about the importance of vaccination, enabling the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to effectively respond to and stop polio outbreaks.

This milestone is an incredible public health achievement for Rotary members, the African region, and our GPEI partners, and a huge step forward on the road to global polio eradication. But we still have important work to do in order to eradicate wild polio in the last two endemic countries.

We have faced many challenges in our journey to eradicate polio. But we’ve made remarkable progress, and the polio infrastructure that Rotarians helped build will serve as a lasting legacy that will continue to help protect vulnerable children against other diseases for decades to come.

We are calling on you today to recommit yourselves to ending polio. We need each and every one of you to help finish this fight and continue raising $50 million each year for PolioPlus. The eradication of wild polio in the African region shows us that polio eradication is achievable, and shows how our hard work, partnerships and financial commitment continue to propel us forward, even during a global pandemic.

 

Walk to End Alzheimer’s

This year, the Charleston Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s, on November 7th, is everywhere — on every sidewalk and bridge, the beach, downtown, in parks and anywhere your team chooses to walk. Your team can be one person or 200 and you can walk together or separate. Although the world may look a little different right now, one thing hasn’t changed: our commitment to the fight against Alzheimer’s.

The 2020 Charleston Walk to End Alzheimer’s won’t be a large in-person gathering this year — instead, we invite you to walk wherever you like in small teams of friends and family while others in your community do the same. We want the Greater Charleston area to be covered in purple on November 7th!

There are a couple of ways we invite you to participate. Create a team and walk with us to support the cause or be a Sponsor.

How to participate:
1. Register for the Charleston Walk. 
Sign up as a Team Captain, team member or individual. It doesn’t matter where you live you can sign up for the Charleston walk and walk where you are that day.

http://act.alz.org/charlestonwalk 
2. Start fundraising and spread the word.
We’ll provide tips and coaching every step of the way, including easy ways to raise funds online and at home.
3. Join us on Walk day which is November 7th – everywhere.
Take part in an interactive online experience, walk in your community and visit the planted Promise Garden, which is view only.

Alzheimer’s isn’t waiting. Neither are you.
No matter where you are, you can walk.

http://act.alz.org/charlestonwalk

July Dues Now Past Due  

If you haven’t already, please be sure to pay your July-December 2020 dues.  Statements were distributed via email the last of June and are now considered past due.  As a reminder to those with an outstanding balance, a statement was emailed this past week. Please note that we have expanded our payment options and you now have the ability to pay via ACH and PayPal. Also of note, a 3% convenience fee is added to all credit card dues payments. 

The below policy was approved by the Board this past Spring and went into effect on July 1, 2020.  Our club’s operating budget depends on members paying their dues as we incur various expenses based on our membership count and we cannot continue to pay for Rotarians, who do not fulfill their commitment of paying semi-annual dues.

Failure to Pay Dues Policy (effective 7/1/20)
“Any Rotary member with dues past 90 days must either pay in full or develop a payment plan, which includes making a minimal payment. If this is not in place by 120 days, then membership in Rotary will be terminated. If a member wishes to return, they must pay all outstanding dues prior to resubmitting an application.”

Another IMPORTANT change …. When we start meeting in-person in September, meal fees will increase to $30 for both excused members and guests. We will also ask that meal fees (Excused & guests) be paid at the door. We will no longer bill.

 

Important COVID-19 Message from the District

We wanted to share the below from outgoing District Governor, Johnny Moore. This will be part of our club’s COVID procedures going forward. We do not have any scheduled in-person Rotary gatherings until August, but please keep this in mind when we begin in-person meetings.

It has come to my attention that we need to set some ground rules for dealing with Rotarians who contract COVID-19 and how we deal with this in our clubs.  First, for the Rotarians themselves. We MUST maintain absolute confidentiality for ANYONE who tests positive for COVID-19 unless they give us permission to share their information.  That said, we MUST also ask, even require, that any Rotarian who has been to an in-person Rotary meeting or other function and later suspects they have COVID-19 report this to their Club President as soon as possible.  This could be due to being in close contact with a person who tests positive or that they show symptoms. And, they absolutely must let the Club President know immediately if they test positive.  Then, keeping confidentiality, the Club President MUST let all who attended that event know that there was someone at the event or meeting who came down with symptoms or tested positive.  This will, at least, give all those notified the option of being tested immediately.  And, it gives them warning that maybe they should limit their contact with others until it is proven that they are not infected.

With the increased number of cases being reported, this becomes even more critical to the health and welfare of our fellow Rotarians and their families.  Please, join me in helping stop the spread of this nasty bug.  If we are all vigilant and responsible, it can and will make a difference.

Official Rotary Club of Charleston Statement on Racial Inequity and Business Support

The Rotary Club of Charleston Board of Directors has adopted an official statement on Racial Inequity and Business Support in light of the recent unrest in our community and across the nation and the world. Rotary International had adopted an official statement on June 1, and we felt it was important for our Rotary Club to take a stand to condemn racial injustice and also show support for our small businesses who were affected during the recent rioting. While this has been a very challenging year for our community and our members with this pandemic and the resulting economic effects, we feel hopeful that a shift is occurring for the pandemic that has plagued our country for 400 years. In both our words and our actions, we have a chance to be a part of changing our future to one that allows all of our citizens to have a chance to live up to their fullest potential. With all the amazing and transformative impact the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston has had on our community and milestones that we have celebrated throughout this 100th anniversary year, you can be proud to be a part of an organization that lives up to our vision of uniting to create lasting change in our world, our communities and in ourselves.

The statement in its entirety can be found on the lead page of our club’s website.

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.

Contribute to The CART Fund On-Line

It is now easy to contribute and support The CART Fund electronically. The CART Fund has just rolled out a new portal www.mycartfund.org, which you can easily access. As a Rotarian and a DACdb user, you automatically have an account already set-up in your name. Your user name and password are the same as it is for the DACdb.

Our Club is on Social Media

Members are encouraged 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

Congratulations to Starvros Triantafyllidis who was interviewed in the Green Sports Blog about the work he is doing at The Citadel. Read the full article here.

Welcome to our newest Rotarian, Jacob Humiston! Jacob was introduced and sponsored by Heidi Finniff and will hold the classification of Military/Government Contracting.  A fun fact we learned about Jacob during his induction is that he is newly engaged! Congratulations to Jacob – we are thrilled to have him join us as a member!

Get well wishes to Amy Chico, who had surgery this past week! Our thoughts and prayers are with her for a speedy and full recovery.

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!

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

    • Rotarian:  Jacob Humiston
      • JOINED: August 25, 2020
      • SPONSOR: Heidi Finniff
      • MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: New Member
      • CLASSIFICATION: Military/Government Contracting
      • PROFESSION: Program Manager, Phase II Staffing & Contracting, LLC
      • SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: In college, I cycled for the University of Nebraska, and during non-collegiate season I had individual sponsorships by GoPro and SpyOptic.

Birthdays

    • Sept 1 – Barbara Walters
    • Sept 4 – Charlie Patrick
    • Sept 4 – Conrad Festa

By the numbers

    • Attendance on August 11, 2020:  44
    • Not in attendance:  Allen, Altman, Baggs, Baus, Berry, Bickley, Brack, Burgreen, Chico, Clark, Coe, Coghill, Cole, Cook, Coxe, Crain, Crouch, DeGraff, Diminich, Dopp, Drafts, Echols. Fellabom, Fink, Frume, Galizia, Gill, Giovanniello, Goxhaj, Holmes, Husser, Jamme, Jones, Jones, Kaynard, Kohli, Lietzow, Loredo, Lucy, Minson, Morelli, Moring, Morse, Oswalt, Patrick, Ravenel, Raver, Riner, Rust, Savage, Seguer, Shahid, Sidebottom, Smith, H., Smith, M., Smith, P., Staley, Strickland, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Tecklenburg, Joseph, Teller, Tonney, Vanek, Walters, Webb, Weston, Williams
    • Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP

Stavros Triantafyllidis, who is our club’s new Wellness Chair, has compiled a Wellness Guide for our Rotary club.  In upcoming issues of The Keyway, you will find some illustrations, innovative ideas and tips for exercise at home. The information provided was inspired by the Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) at The Citadel.

SAFETY TIPS

Be visible!

      • If you plan to exercise outdoors early in the morning or late in the evening it is essential that you wear reflective clothing and bring a flashlight or headlamp.
      • If you plan to walk your dog, make sure they are wearing something that will alert them to motorists.
      • When walking or running without a sidewalk, walk against the flow of traffic.
      • When riding a bike, ride with traffic.
      • Sidewalks are not designated for wheeled traffic. Please be mindful of pedestrians if using a path to maintain your safety while riding your bike.
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: Lisa Van Bergen
  • 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