3/21: Henry Blackford: Vision to Learn

March 21, 2023

Fellow Rotarian Henry Blackford gave us an overview of the successful Vision to Learn program and how it is helping kids with vision limitations and issues overcome their learning challenges by simply getting their eyes tested and, more often than not, being given the needed eye glasses to be able to see properly. Henry heled launch this national program’s South Carolina efforts and it has been a tremendous success, including at 14 schools in the Lowcountry.

 

Rotarian Henry Blackford helped start SC’s program for the national Vision to Learn program.

To see a recording of this week’s meeting, go here
Passcode: t1!sCYCu

In Other Meeting News  

  • James Dusenberry gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.  
  • McCain Kerr introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests. 
  • Health and Happiness was presented by President Paul.
  • Steve Dopp introduced our speaker and fellow Rotarian, Henry Blackford, who discussed Vision to Learn.    

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY

3/28/2022  |  Issue 5084 President:  Paul Stoney

UPCOMING EVENTS

      • 3/28 – No Meeting
      • 3/29 – March Social. Bedford Falls (RVSP here)
      • 4/4 – Jefferey Jennings, Volvo (Meeting at High Cotton)
      • 4/11 – Barbara Melvin, 11am Board Mtg.
      • 4/18 – Youth Exchange Students
      • 4/25 – NO Meeting – Social Event

 

NEWS BRIEFS

NO Meeting on Tuesday, 3/28 – Join us at Bedford Falls on 3/29

We will not meet this Tuesday, March 28.  We will instead gather for our March Social at Bedford Falls at 430 Meeting Street on March 29. We have several tables reserved and happy hour specials will be running from 4pm-7pm. Parking will be available next door at Fetter Healthcare and across the street. RSVP Here

 

IMPORTANT:  Meeting Location Change for April 4

Our next Rotary luncheon on Tuesday, April 4th will be held at High Cotton, 199 East Bay Street.  Please park as you normally would and walk up the Faber Street alley and across the street to High Cotton.

 

Teachers of the Month Recognized

We are midway through the second semester of the school year and our club again has placed our support of education in the forefront of our projects by recognizing the February and March Educators of the Month at Mitchell Elementary. February’s honoree is Leigh Williams who teaches second grade. Ms. Williams is always helpful to her fellow educators and, with the creativity she puts into ensuring that her students get the most out of class, she deserves recognition every day. She has formed amazing relationships with the scholars in her care. The March Educator of the Month is Darvin Harvey who, as the music teacher, works hard to prepare special programs for the
students. He goes above and beyond in connecting with his students and is always the first to help when behavior concerns with scholars arise. He wears so many hats that there is hardly a school function that does not benefit from his can-do attitude.

 

Community Impact Award Nominations

As announced at our luncheon meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 22, each year our Rotary Club presents Community Impact Recognition Awards to deserving individuals who make a significant difference in our community, making it an even better place to live. Thus far this year, such have already been presented to persons in the Charleston Police Dept. and the Charleston Fire Dept.. In June, we will be presenting such an award to a person in the community who fulfills certain specified criteria. 

Nominations: Our Club’s Awards Selection Committee requests nominations from any member of our club who wishes to submit a candidate for this award. The deadline to submit nominations is April 30, 2023.

How to submit a nomination: Nomination forms will be distributed to our Club members by email (“fillable pdf”). Paper copies will also be available at our Rotary luncheon meetings. The forms can be returned to Carroll Schweers at [email protected] or returned by hand to Carroll at the front desk at a Tuesday Club luncheon meeting.

Criteria for a Nominee (indicated on the Nomination Form): The Community Impact Award – Community Leader is presented annually by the Rotary Club of Charleston to a community member who exhibits “Service Above Self” in their daily activities, models the Rotary 4-Way Test in their life and profession, and exemplifies the ideals of the Rotary Vision: “Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

Selection Process: The Awards Selection Committee will review nominations for this award, and the recipient will be selected by majority vote of this committee. 

Questions or comments: Contact Awards Selection Committee Chair Cleave Ham at [email protected] or by phone at 843-729-6128 (text or call)

 

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. This is especially important for our next meeting on January 3 when we expect a large turnout. Please RSVP any guests by Monday Jan 2 at 5PM

 

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. 

 

March Social. March 29 at Bedford Falls

Plans for our March social have been announced. We’ll gather at Bedford Falls at 430 Meeting Street on March 29. We have several tables reserved and happy hour specials will be running from 4pm-7pm. Parking will be available next door at Fetter Healthcare and across the street. RSVP Here

 

March Community Service Project – One80 Place & Move Kits

This month’s Community Service project is an easy one for everyone to support!   One80 Place is a local organization with a mission to prevent AND end homelessness through “Housing First and Rapid Re-Housing” practices.  Our club is collecting items for Move Kits that help their clients make a new house feel like HOME!!  Click the link below for a list of the items needed to make 2 kits for One80 Place.  Feel free to select more than one item or multiples of an item and then bring them to an upcoming meeting or our social at Bedford Falls. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABAD28AAFBCE9-one80 

 

 

Opportunity to Do Good in Ukraine

We have a unique opportunity to do some incredible good in the world. 

A very small Rotary club in New Jersey that has delivered three ambulances to Ukraine where they are saving lives on the front lines of that war.  The originator of the project is speaking at our District Conference.  He met a Ukrainian doctor at the International Conference in June and asked the doctor what they needed.  When he said that Ukraine needed ambulances, the project began.

The Medford (NJ) Sunrise Rotary Club found good used ambulances in Germany. Rotarians from Obernburg, Germany mechanically checked out the vehicles, provided medical and firefighting supplies to help fill each ambulance, and took the New Jersey drivers from Frankfurt to the dealership many miles away. They were perfect partners in service!  The New Jersey Rotarians drove the ambulances across Germany and Poland to the Ukraine border.

Enter the third partners: the Rotary clubs in Lviv, Ukraine. These were the local Rotary heroes. They advised what medical supplies were most-urgently needed and looked all over the country to determine where each ambulance was needed the most.  The Ukraine Rotarians delivered the ambulances directly to the front-line cities where they were immediately put into use saving lives.

Only Rotary could take a chance meeting between two Rotarians and turn it into an international project across three countries that is saving lives every day!

District 7770 is going to do the same thing, utilizing the Medford Sunrise Club and its 501(c)(3) Foundation and its ambulance coordinator.  We plan to raise at least $10,000 and that will be matched by the generous contribution from a Rotarian.  This will give us the funds to purchase the ambulance.  We plan to partner with District 7670 in western North Carolina who also will raise money that will fund supplies and incidentals necessary for the ambulance.  Our District Governor, Bob Gross, and his western North Carolina contact will join the New Jersey Rotarian to fly (at their own expense) to Germany to pick up the ambulance.  They will drive it across Germany and Poland and will deliver it to Ukraine Rotarians at the border.  Then they will fly home.

District Governor Bob is looking for 100 checks for $100 each (or more) made out to the Medford Sunrise Rotary Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) organization.  If you are interested in contributing, please give Carroll your check made out to Medford Sunrise Rotary Foundation and she will mail all checks to Bob.  Checks need to be received by March 30. 

If you would prefer to make your donation on-line, below is the payment link:

https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7AJQUT7RKPS52

 

January – June 2023 Dues are Past Due

January – June 2023 dues payments are now considered past due. Past due notices were emailed on 1/31.  If you received an email, please be sure to take care of making payment. We have made it even easier to pay!  We have upgraded our software and added a new component to our invoicing. We are now able to accept credit card and bank transfer payments on-line.  Members just simply have to click on the “pay now” button on their invoice and make payment.  We hope this new feature will make those of you paying by credit card or bank transfer easier. We will continue to also accept payments by check.  If you have any questions about your dues, please contact Carroll. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

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

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 the below members with Paul Harris Fellows and Multiple Paul Harris Fellows this past Tuesday and to thank them for their service to our club:

  • Megan Fink – PHF
  • Brian Itzkowitz – PHF
  • Bob Leventhal – PHF
  • Will Ralston – PHF
  • Karl Brady – PHF +1
  • Rob Byko – PHF +1
  • Howard Chapman – PHF +1
  • Kurt Seguer – PHF +1
  • Cleave Ham – PHF +2
  • Skip Fink – PHF +3
  • Brian Johnson – PHF +4
  • Jeanne Jamme – PHF +7
  • Mike Sottak – PHF +7

 

Proposed New Members

The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:

Josh Burrill – sponsor:  Will Ralston; classification: Solar Energy

Vanessa Denney – sponsor: Rob Dewey; classification: Education/District/Administration

Maggie Dangerfield – sponsor:  Rob Dewey; classification: Education/District/Communications

Brooke Manheimer – sponsor:  Katherine DeMoura; classification:  Waste Mgmt Services

Chandler Martell – sponsor:  Jan Luth; classification:  Real Estate/Residential 

In the event you know any of these proposed members, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideals of Rotary.

 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Rotarian:  Lewis Edge

  • JOINED:  April 2022
  • SPONSOR: Rob Dewey
  • CLASSIFICATION:  Retired
  • PROFESSION: Published writer/photographer
  • CURRENT PROFESSION: Retired
  • Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past:Member of Rotary Club of Opelika, Alabama, Served as a Cubmaster in Hopewell, NJ, President of Sunday school class, church Deacon, President of Lawrence Township, NJ Rotary Club, President of Valley Forge Military Academy Parents’ Association, President of Community Guidance Center of Mercer County, Inc., President of the Rotary Club of Princeton, NJ, member of Hopewell Township, NJ Zoning Board of Adjustment, Rotary International District 7510 Communications Officer (2008-2017) and Webmaster for District 7510 and the Rotary Club of Princeton, NJ, Rotary Recipient of Rotary Foundation District Service Above Self Award and seven Paul Harris Fellows; from the Rotary Club of Princeton, Member/Webmaster of Johns Island Rotary Club, Rotary District 7770 Paul Allen Ten Star Rotarian.
  • SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF:As an FCC licensed Broadcast Engineer, I designed, managed and completed the construction of five radio stations before I was thirty years old.

 

Birthdays 

    • March 28 – Samuel Steinberg
    • April 2 – Mary Peters
    • April 3 – Tamara Curry
    • April 7 – Alex Dallis
    • April 10 – Robbie Wachman

 

WELLNESS TIP

Take an evening stroll.

The cold, dark winter nights are behind us! Warmer temperatures and longer periods of sunshine make it easier than ever to take up a walking habit. Fitting in a post-dinner stroll can improve your digestion and lower your blood sugar before bed, not to mention that it’s valuable time to spend with family and limit blue light exposure before sleep!

 

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

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, Hibben Methodist Church, 690 Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant

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 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: Paul Stoney

 

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