February 2, 2021:
Our own Owen Clary entertained the club with tales of his 40+ years touring the world and enjoying the hospitality of Rotary wherever he went. Owen’s travelogue is an impressive one, having visited clubs in dozens of countries and making great friends along the way. Owen owes his Rotary perfect attendance to perfecting the art of the ‘make up’ which he used often during his Rotary career. Also, this week: some new volunteer opportunities are highlighted in this week’s newsletter, including the District-wide vaccination program and the club’s next Adopt-A-Highway clean-up effort.

Our own club member, Owen Clary, gave a very enjoyable presentation at our luncheon Tuesday on “Rotarying Around the World.”
Owen has a Bachelor’s degree from Furman University and a Master’s degree from USC and has been a Rotarian for 45 years and is a 7 time Paul Harris Fellow. He was a Lieutenant in the Coast Guard and taught history at the Coast Guard academy and has been an administrator with Aiken County Schools.
Owen joined the Rotary in 1974 and after soon after (4 days after induction) left for a 77 day “delayed Honeymoon Trip” but had to make up his Rotary meetings on the trip in order to not be tossed out of the club. He attended his first Rotary Club outside of his home club at the Rotary Club of Rio in Brazil. Next they flew to Johannesburg, South Africa stopping in

Oudtshoorn, the “Ostrich capital of the world.” He attended the Rotary meeting and was invited to tour an Ostrich farm where his wife participated in an Ostrich race. Next stop was the island of Mauritius where they were having their district convention in Port Louis. They next flew to Perth in West Australia and attended a Rotary Club at Wild Ketchum being the first American to attend there. Next was Accolade, then Sydney Australia, whose meeting lasted 4 and a half hours. Next they went to the Island of Fiji where they saw fire walkers and heard that Nixon had resigned the Presidency then to Honolulu, HI where they received a bottle of water with a pearl in it as was customary for Rotary visitors. Then to San Francisco and Mexico City returning to his home club 77 days later but forgot to attend his home club meeting putting his perfect attendance at 44 years instead of 45 years!
He has done makeups in some of the oldest clubs including Club number 1 and 2 in Chicago and San Francisco respectively. Other makeups have included London, Berlin, Bogota, Wausau, Frankfurt, Cape Town and Singapore. Owen included interesting anecdotes about many of his visits and encourage everyone to watch this fun presentation.
Go here for a recording of the meeting.
Submitted by Dan Baus, Chairman, Keyway Committee
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Silva Goxhaj gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Past President Paul Stoney welcomed all visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Lisa presented Health and Happiness.
- President Lisa introduced fellow club, Owen Clary, as our guest speaker. Owen joined us for a fun presentation on “Rotarying Around the World”.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
February 9, 2021 | Issue 4994 President: Lisa Van Bergen
COMING EVENTS
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- Feb. 9 – 11 am Board Mtg
- Feb 9 – Elliott Summey, Charleston International Airport
- Feb. 13 – Adopt-A-Highway, Bee Street & Lockwood
- Feb. 16 – Sharon Hollis, BCDCOG on “LCRT Updates” (ZOOM)
- Feb. 23 – Helen Hill, The Impact of Covid-19 on Tourism
- March 2 – Chief Luther Reynolds, CPD Leadership Development Institute
- March 9 – Todd Lant, Blackbaud
NEWS BRIEFS
COVID: In-Person Reminder
As we go back to attending meetings in person, we wanted to again share the below from the District. Members are asked to keep this in mind.
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 a warning that maybe they should limit their contact with others until it is proven that they are not infected.
Rotarian/Non-Rotarian Volunteers Needed To Assist With COVID Vaccine Rollout


Charleston 50
The Charleston 50, a special group of generous supporters who contribute $500 annually to the Rotary Club of Charleston’s community grants program, is almost 50% filled! What a great opportunity to continue our decades-long tradition of grant-making while also building brand awareness and visibility before a group that values local businesses, generous leaders, and community-minded professionals. This group receives exclusive benefits, and all funds will support local charities. Your donation is 100% Tax-Deductible. The group will never exceed 50 donors, and this is your opportunity to join the inaugural class of The Charleston 50! Memberships will be accepted until 50 are obtained, and benefits continue through June 30, 2021. At that point Year Two will start!
Please download and complete the attached Pledge Form, and return it via email to Phoenicia Miracle at [email protected].
As benefits (through June 30, 2021), each Charleston 50 member will annually receive:
- Their logo or name on the website with a hotlink
- Recognition at a meeting (Recognize two at a time)
- Right of first refusal for 2021-22
- a Charleston 50 lapel pin
- A frameable certificate for office
- A decal
- Permission to use The Rotary 50 on their website and email
- Automatic enrollment in and recognition at other Rotary events
- Name association with every good deed Rotary funds
- Special event post-Covid
RCCF Grant Applications Being Accepted Through March 1
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 March 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].
Adopt-A-Highway in February
Volunteers are needed for our next Adopt-A-Highway service project on Saturday, February 13. The plan is to meet at Bee Street & Lockwood at 10am and being the pick up about 10:15am (after brief introduction — vest, gloves, bags distribution). The plan is to focus on the west end of the street and go toward east as there is more debris on that side because of MUSC. This is a wonderful opportunity to help keep our community beautiful! It is also outside and allows for plenty of social distancing. Please email Stavros Triantafyllidis at [email protected] for more information or to volunteer.
Waves for Women Volunteer Opportunities
We heard from Erin Jones, who runs the Waves for Women program, an effort to use the experience of surfing to help women suffering from various types of trauma. The organization is seeking volunteers to become a valued member of the organization and will promote physical and psychological wellness in women. Among the benefits:
- You will enable us to reach a broader audience so that more women will have access to affordable wellness services.
- You will have the opportunity to feature your company or volunteer profile in our monthly newsletter and our social media pages.
- Giving your time and energy to help others enhances mood and provides a heightened sense of meaning/purpose.
Specific opportunities to help include:
Fundraising committee:
- Assist with event planning
- Build corporate fundraising campaign
- Connect with local businesses or philanthropic organizations
Marketing committee:
- Build social media campaigns to more effectively target potential donors.
- May assist in overseeing marketing interns
Technology:
- Assist in the development of donor/consumer management database to more effectively track participants, donors, and volunteers
Volunteer Management:
- Respond to volunteer inquiries through follow up phone calls/emails
- Match volunteer interests and experience with volunteer committee opportunities
Participant intake:
- Follow up with potential participants by email (or phone) to provide program information
- Track participants’ intake documentation and follow up to ensure all waivers and assessments are completed
In-person opportunities during surf clinics
- We are looking for volunteers to assist on the day of the actual surf clinics (typically Saturday mornings from 7:45-10:15 beginning in April or May). *Please note that most of our in- person volunteer positions are for female volunteers only at this time due to the sensitive nature of participants’ traumatic experiences.
If you are interested or would like more information on volunteer opportunities, please contact Erin Jones, LISW-CP, Director of Waves 4 Women, at scwaves4women.org or 843-367-1044. Website: www.waves4women.org
February Social at Tradesman Brewing Company
All members and their guests are invited to join us for our monthly Happy Hour on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 5 – 6:30 pm. This month we will be visiting Tradesman Brewing Company, 1647 King Street Extension. This is another wonderful outdoor venue and will be a great opportunity to catch up with fellow Rotarians over a cold beverage. If you know that you are planning to attend, please RSVP to the Evite, so we can have a rough idea of how many people to expect. An RSVP is not mandatory, so if you find at the last minute you can join us, please do!
PR Committee Seeking Volunteers
Our club’s PR Team is looking for additional members to join their committee. Specifically, volunteer photographers are needed to take photos at our meetings. If you are interested in serving on the PR committee and helping in this role, please email Mike Sottak at [email protected]. Fancy cameras are not required, an iPhone will do! It would be wonderful to have a couple of volunteers alternating the weekly duty.
Ambassadorial Global Scholars – Volunteers for Selection Committee
The International Committee of our Club sponsors a college student in their pursuit of a $50,000 graduate-level scholarship through the Rotary Foundation’s Ambassadorial Global Scholars program. Over the next couple of months, we will vet a number of students and choose an applicant to compete with other scholars from our Rotary District. Chloe Tonney is our wonderful Rotarian who heads up this effort and is currently seeking applicants from the area’s colleges and universities.
Our Club has not had a winning applicant in the past few years but I have a feeling this year is our year! We are seeking volunteers to serve on our selection committee for our scholar and help prep our scholar for the broader competition.
If you have an interest in helping us out, please email Joseph Tecklenburg at [email protected]
Support The CART Fund
It is easy for club members to make individual contributions and support The CART Fund electronically. The CART Fund has 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.
Support the Rotary Foundation
The District 7770 Million $ Campaign and dinner will be held on May 5th 2021 at the Francis Marion Hotel. Our own Sandy Morkel is the Chair for that event. $10,000 spread over 3 years or a Bequest gets you an invite.
And do not forget your opportunity to be recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. Eighty-five dollars a month gets you there. Please reach out to Karl Riner, Club Foundation Chair, to sign up or ask questions.You can also donate to Rotary’s efforts to end polio now: https://endpolio.org/donate.
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 pictures 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 sent to Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected].
MEMBER NEWS

With much sadness, we announce the passing of former club member, Fred Sales. Fred was a dedicated Rotarian for 15 years. He was a multiple PHF. He served many years on our Keyway committee as a writer and as our club historian and photographer. He loved Rotary and was always the first to arrive to get that prime seat to enable him to take the best photo of our presenters. He resigned in January 2019 as he relocated to Florida with his wife, Ann, to be closer to his children. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ann and his family. Fred will be greatly missed.
Welcome to our newest member, Joel Cardwell. Joel was introduced and sponsored by Past President Sandy Morckel. He will hold the classification of Real Estate. We welcome Joel into our Rotary family!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian: Joel Cardwell
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- JOINED: 2/2/2021
- SPONSOR: Past President Sandy Morckel
- MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: New Member
- CLASSIFICATION: Real Estate
- PROFESSION: Broker Associate, Brand Name Real Estate
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I won first place in the City Paper photo contest in 2006, and have had my photos published in virtually every local newspaper and magazine in Charleston. I have one of the best collections of Charleston photography around, have had my Charleston photos installed in two local hotels, and sold photo CDs in the visitor center gift shop, the airport gift shop and the aquarium gift shop in the past. I frequently participate in fundraising silent auctions by donating my Charleston photography and photography services to help local nonprofits raise money. You can find my photo galleries on Facebook, or Instagram.
Birthdays
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- 2/14 – Harry Staley
- 2/15 – Nick Wackym & Owen Clary
By the numbers
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- Attendance on January 26, 2021 (In-Person and Zoom): 55
- Not in attendance: Allen, Baus, Berry, Bini, Brack, Clark, Coe, Cole, Cook, Coxe, Crouch, DeGraff, Diminich, Donaldson, Dopp, Drafts, Echols, Fason, Fellabom, Fink, S., Finniff, Galizia, Gill, Hanger, Holmes, Husser, Jones, C., Jones, Z., Kaynard, Lietzow, Lucy, Minson, Moore, Moring, Oswalt, Palmer, Patrick, Phipps, Plotner, Ravenel, Raver, Rust, Savage, Seguer, Shahid, Smith, H., Smith, M., Smith, P., Staley, Strickland, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Teller, Wackym, Webb, Weston, Wieters, Woodell
- Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP
Take a probiotic daily
Maintaining a healthy gut has significant impacts on digestion, skin health, immunity, mental health and more. Taking a daily probiotic with a glass of water each morning is one of the simplest things.
ARE 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: 7:30AM Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, 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: 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