December 6, 2022
Our speaker this week was Josh Watts of MedTrust.
This was our last meeting for the year and we’ll take a break until January 3. We’ll see many of you at the Holiday Luncheon at Hall’s and don’t forget the Ansonborough House gift giving event (see below for more info).
Finally a fond farewell to President Virginia who is being transferred to a new role by her bank in Asheville. She hands the reins over to Past President Paul Stoney who has generously agreed to serve out the rest of the year as Club President. Thanks to both of you for your service to our club.
Joshua Thomas Watts is the Founder for MedTrust Holdings, Inc and served as CEO from 2012- until June of 2021. MedTrust is a SC based ambulance provider serving more than nine hospital systems in SC, GA, and FL as well as numerous other post-acute providers.
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Cody Callarman gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Brian Itzkowitz introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests.
- Health and Happiness was presented by President Virginia.
- President Virginia Lawrence introduced our speaker, Josh Watts of MedTrust.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
12/13/2022 | Issue 5075 President: Virginia Lawrence
COMING EVENTS
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- 12/9 – Salvation Army Bell Ringing 10- 5 (sign up here)
- 12/13 – Holiday Luncheon @ Hall’s
- 12/15 – Holiday Senior Giving Luncheon @ Ansonborough House (sign up to help)
- 12/20 – NO MEETING
- 12/27 – NO MEETING
- 1/3 – Mayor John Tecklenburg, State of the City
- 1/ 10 – New member orientation (11am)
- 1/17 – Discover Rotary (11:30AM)
- 1/31 – January Social (tbd)
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NEWS BRIEFS
Holiday Luncheon at Hall’s – THIS TUESDAY at 12noon!
Our holiday luncheon is this Tuesday at Hall’s Chophouse, 434 King Street. Reservations are now CLOSED for this event. This is a popular event and we will have a large crowd, so arrive early for fellowship and to be seated. Doors will open at 11:30am with lunch being served around 12noon. There will be a cash bar for those who want a festive beverage to celebrate the holidays. As a reminder, there is no charge for Rotarians. Spouse/Guest is $40 paid by CASH or CHECK at the door.
No Meeting on Dec. 20 or Dec. 27 – Happy Holidays
We will not meet on Tuesday, December 20 or Tuesday, December 27. We hope everyone has a happy holiday season and enjoys this special time with family and friends.
Operation Warm – Thanks!
A big thank you to Garrison Rudisill and all the volunteers who helped to distribute coats to students at our partner school, Mitchell Elementary, this past Friday. This is a project we do annually through Operation Warm to provide warm coats to children in need. This year we were able to distribute 215 coats to students. This couldn’t be done without your generous support of the RCCF, which funds the purchase of these coats every year.
Senior Holiday Giving
We are gearing up for our Annual Senior Gift Giving for the residents of the Ansonborough House. We are again very proud to have the opportunity to make sure all 80 residents of the Ansonborough House have a wonderful holiday. This year we will be hosting a luncheon for the seniors on 12/15 and giving each resident a holiday card with a Harris Teeter gift card inside. We need 8-10 volunteers to help with the card stuffing immediately following our Holiday Luncheon on 12/13 (1:30-2:30pm), as well as 8-10 volunteers to help host/serve the lunch from 12:30pm – 2:30pm on 12/15. If you would like to help with this project, please reach out to Sandy Morckel at [email protected] or Tiffany Vanek at [email protected].
Rotary Foundation Year End Giving Campaign NOW In Progress!
Matching Points Campaign will last until December 31, 2021. Gifts of $100 to $500 will be matched by the District (7770). If you would like to become an instant Paul Harris Fellow for $500, the district will match your donation. Please reach out to Karl Riner to participate or for more information. You can also donate to Rotary’s efforts to end polio now: https://endpolio.org/donate.
Membership Drive this January
Announcing our January Membership drive. This is an effort to help strengthen and expand our membership through our best resource: you, our current members!- 75% of new members learned about the club from one of our members, and
- 50% of prospective members who attend a weekly meeting decide to join
Reminder… Guest RSVP Protocol
If you are planning to bring a guest to Rotary, please let Carroll know by no later than Monday at 5pm. There is some preparation that needs to be done for all guests prior to the meeting.
Special Dietary Requests
If you have a special dietary request or need, be sure to let Carroll know in advance of a meeting. She will work with the staff at Hall’s to ensure that you are prepared a special plate that meets your restrictions. Please do not enter the kitchen area to make a last minute special request.
Youth Exchange Candidates Needed for 2023-2024 School Year
Do you know a high school student that would be interested in a year abroad as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student? Our District needs your help in finding candidates for the 2023-2024 school year. Preliminary Applications are being accepted now. Please pass this along to interested students, families, churches and neighbors so these students don’t miss this opportunity. All Rotarians’ children and grandchildren are eligible for Rotary Youth Exchange. If you have any questions, please contact Lou Mello, District Youth Exchange Chair, at [email protected] or 843-437-9084.
Youth Exchange Students Need Host Families
Our club is hosting two youth exchange students this school year. Jenny, who is from Taiwan, and Lula, who is from France. Both students are staying with their first host family. All members will have an opportunity to meet our students as they will be attending club meetings, events and service projects throughout the year.
IMPORTANT!!!! We are still looking for local families to host both female exchange students for a period of 3-5 months in 2022/2023. This is a great opportunity to volunteer and change the life of a young person and expose yourself and your family to a different culture! All of the prior students have been wonderful and a delight to get to know!
Both of our exchange students will attend the same high school locally for the entire year, so it is important that the host families are in the same school area (and it is convenient to travel to and from). They will be attending the Charleston Charter School for Math & Science located at: 1002 King Street, Charleston SC 29403.
If you are interested in hosting one of these students for a couple of months, please reach out to either Karen Clark [email protected] or Richard Sidebottom [email protected].
Please note that host family or couple needs to have the desire to provide the following:
- Love as a family member. The student will be a part of the family not a guest.
- Transportation– The student will not be allowed to drive while in the US.
- A Bed-The student does not have to have his/her own room, but we do ask that they have their own bed.
- Food– We ask that you provide food for the student, including lunch while at school. Again, treating the student as you would your own.
If you are able to volunteer for this opportunity, please go to http://yehub.net/SC1-hfapp and complete the online Host Family Application. We need to line up our first host ASAP.
This can be done on your smartphone, tablet or PC. You will also need to consent to a background check as part of this process. Please note the following:
✔ You will need two references (emails, street addresses & phone numbers for each)
✔ Also, to include photos of your home including: student bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, family room, exterior of home & a casual family photo (smaller sizes work best) in the application.
✔ Please review the attached checklist for an overview of the process and timeline.
✔ Once you complete the application, we can schedule a time for me to visit you and your family at your home to go over some additional information and also address any questions or concerns you may have.
Rotary Youth Exchange Dates to Remember
2022
- June: Training- Host Families & YEO/YEC in Charleston
- August : Inbound Student Orientation Training Weekend- Charleston, SC
- December: Disney World Trip! Mandatory for all Inbounds
2023
- March: District 7770 Rotary Conference, Columbia, SC
Support The CART Fund
It is easy for club members to make individual contributions and support The CART Fund electronically. The CART Fund has 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.
MEMBER NEWS
The Board confirmed Cleave Ham as the club’s President for 2023-2024 and elected Robert Sullivan as President-Elect for 2023-2024. Congratulations to both Cleave and Robert! We all appreciate their dedication and willingness to lead our club in the coming year!
President Virginia has been transferred by her bank to Asheville starting in the new year. This is unfortunate for our club, but a positive move for her and her husband. Past President Paul Stoney has agreed to step up and serve as our club’s President through the end of Virginia’s term. Virginia will be joining us at our Holiday luncheon and then again at her final meeting in-person on January 3. She will continue to join us on ZOOM from Asheville as an eMember the remainder of this Rotary year.
Congratulations to Kelsey Willey, who was recognized this past Tuesday for 4 years of Perfect Attendance. Her years of dedication to Rotary and attending weekly meetings is to be commended.
Paul Harris Fellows Recognized
Continuing the legacy of our founder, the Paul Harris Fellow program recognizes individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The honor was established in 1957 to show appreciation for contributions that support our Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant.
Our Rotary Foundation Chair, Karl Riner was honored to recognize two members with Paul Harris Fellows this past Tuesday.
- Jay Gibson – Paul Harris Fellow
- Past President Sandy Morckel – PHF + 3
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
James Dusenberry – sponsor: Michael Smith; classification: Banking/Commercial
Whitney Schillerstrom – sponsor: Heidi Finniff; classification: Banking/Business Dev.
In the event you know James or Whitney, please tell a member of the Board how he/she will serve the ideas of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS
Rotarian: Sara Dolan
- JOINED: June 2022
- SPONSOR: Baxter Hahn
- CLASSIFICATION: Dance
- PROFESSION: Tour Director
- CURRENT PROFESSION: Dance Makers, Inc.
- Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past: Water mission – involved since 2013, Camp Happy Days – involved since 2021
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I am entering my tenth year with my current employer
Rotarian: Katherin DeMoura
- JOINED: July 2022
- SPONSOR: Kerby Teller
- CLASSIFICATION: Architect/Business Development
- PROFESSION: Regional Business Development Leader
- CURRENT PROFESSION: McMillan Pazdan Smith
Architecture - Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past: Was an
active member of Rotary while living in Pickens, SC from 2009-2013. Just participated on a team with Kerby Teller for LLS – Man and Woman of the Year. Our team raised more than $130K for LLS research. - SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: Began my career as a City
Manager in Pickens, SC right after grad school, spent five years learning there
and was heavily focused on physical aspects of community building. This is
eventually what lead me to work for McMillan Pazdam Smith and help
communities as they plan for their capital needs. On a personal note, I grew up
in Maine, but got to SC via Clemson as soon as I could to warm up.
Birthdays
- No birthdays this week
WELLNESS TIP
Take Time to De-Stress
Let’s face it, the holidays can be stressful. Taking time for yourself is not a selfish act. Self-care will help you treat others and yourself better, and you will likely be able to make more rational decisions when you are not feeling stressed out. Try exercising, meditating, taking a warm bath, or going for a walk. You also could reduce the pressure of gift-giving and do a white elephant gift exchange or plan a family outing.
Letting others know that you need some time for yourself is perfectly reasonable. Explain that you will feel much better after some time to de-stress and offer to participate in a social activity once you return.
AREA CLUB MEETINGS
Mondays
https://www.cainhoyrotary.com/
Summerville – Oakbrook: 7:30 a.m., Monday, Westcott County Club, 5000 Wescott Club Drive, North Charleston
North Charleston: 12:30 p.m., Monday, Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd, North Charleston, SC
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
Cainhoy: 6PM, on the first and third Tuesday of the month, King’s Cross Church, of Clement Ferry Road
Wednesdays
Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Mt Pleasant Presbyterian Church. 302 Hibben St. 29464.
Summerville: 1pm-2pm on 1st & 3rd Wednesday. Hilton Garden Inn-Homewood Suite/Lowcountry Conference Center, 406 Sigma Drive
Thursdays
North Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Marriott Hotel, 4770 Goer Drive, 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: Virginia Lawrence
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