10/17: Mayoral Candidate Forum – Rotary Club of Charleston

October 17, 2023

We hosted a lively forum with the candidates for the Mayor of Charleston which will be decided in the upcoming election. Thanks to all the candidates who offered their views on the most pressing issue our city faces, and thanks to David Burt for his excellent moderating skills!

To access a recording of this meeting, go here

Passcode: C&4Wi4bv

IN OTHER MEETING NEWS

Clara Heinsohn gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
President Cleave welcomed all visiting Rotarians and guests.
Health and Happiness was presented by President Cleave.
Past President David Burt served as moderator for the Charleston Mayoral Forum. We were pleased to have the following candidates for Mayor of Charleston in attendance – William Cogswell, Mika Gadsden, Debra Gammons, Clay Middleton, and Peter Shahid. John Tecklenburg was unable to attend, but was well represented by his son and fellow Rotarian, Joseph Tecklenburg.

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
October 24, 2023 | Issue 5105 President: Cleave Ham

UPCOMING EVENTS

- - 10/24 – Larry Wagoner, Polio Survivor; WORLD POLIO DAY
  - 10/24 – 11am New Member Orientation
  - 10/26 – Halloween Howl with CPD 5-8pm
  - 10/31 – Josh Dix, Government Affairs Director at Charleston Trident Association of Realtors
  - 11/7 – Chas. Police Department
  - 11/9 – Operation Gratitude (Volunteers assemble care packages going to veterans & first responders)
  - 11/14 – Veteran’s Day/USMC B’day – John Warren (11am Board Meeting)
  - 11/21 – NO MEETING (Thanksgiving)

NEWS BRIEFS

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.

Red Badgers – New Member Orientation this Tuesday!

New Member Orientation is THIS Tuesday, October 24th at 11 am, in the room where we meet for lunch each week. Past President Lisa Van Bergen will be presenting. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our club and how it fits into the global Rotary organization. And it’s a great way to make progress on your checklist to ultimately get a blue badge. If you can’t make it, the following New Member Orientation is scheduled for Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

Halloween Howl Service Project (DATE UPDATE)

Charleston Police Department’s Halloween Howl is this Thursday Oct. 26 (NOT 10/21) and we need volunteers for the welcome table, treats, car vote counting and general helpers. So, if you signed up for Saturday, 10/21, please jump on and change your RSVP below. If you can make it on the correct date of Thursday, 10/26 5-8pm jump on and sign up now on the link below! We also have one more meeting to bring in candy as well, so if you forgot your candy, please bring it to our luncheon this Tuesday. Feel free to call or email Karla with any questions and forgive her error.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-45069622-halloween

Dictionaries handed out to students at James Simons Elementary

This past Wednesday was Dictionary Project Day at James Simons Elementary School. Thank you to Karl Riner, our Club’s Dictionary Project Chair and Rotary Foundation Chair, for arranging this event. Tamara Curry and President Cleave assisted Karl to provide a total of 40 dictionaries to the school, giving a personal dictionary to each of the 3rd grade students. This project is supported through your donations to the RCCF.

Board Nominations

Past President Paul Stoney and the Board nominating committee will begin reaching out to those club members who are eligible for election to the 2024-2025 Board. Board Director positions are two year terms. If you are contacted by the committee, please consider volunteering our time and talents to serve our club as a Board Member.

CONTRIBUTE TO ROTARY’S FIGHT TO END POLIO WORLDWIDE; note World Polio Day is Oct. 24

- Your contribution is tripled!
  - For the funds we raise via Rotary for polio efforts, including vaccination, eradication and surveillance, up to $50 million are matched 2 to 1 by the Gates Foundation, so this becomes $150 million, which is the RI Polio Plus budget each year (don’t want to leave matching funds “on the table”)
- Ways to contribute:
  - Run with Bernie – contact our Club’s Team Captain Alex Bourlandat Alex@AuctionByPearce.com to participate or sponsor
  - Direct contribution to Polio Plus
    - Polio Plus Society
      - Agree to give recurring $100/yr to Polio Plus
      - Contact Alex Bourland, Sandy Morckel, or me if you are interested in donating to this
    - Online donation to Polio Plus at https://www.endpolio.org/donate or via “My Rotary” (https://my.rotary.org/en/donate )
      - Either way, please make certain that you identify that you are a Rotarian in this Club (automatically ID’s this if you sign into your “My Rotary” account; if donating as a guest, make certain to enter the club info where indicated)
  - Also, please let Alex Bourland know if you contribute online or otherwise, since we are tracking donations leading up to World Polio Day on Oct. 24.

Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI)

RLI is a series of three class sessions, Parts I, II, and III, for Rotarians to learn more about Rotary and develop leadership skills. These classes are offered in-person or virtually with Zoom.

Here is a quote from RLI on its mission: “The purpose of the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is to strengthen your club and strengthen your life. Rotary provides an opportunity for all of us to provide service to our community and throughout the world (Service Above Self). With that service comes a learning experience in the areas of leadership, team building, planning, marketing, communication and organization. RLI provides an opportunity to enrich that learning through sharing experiences and ideas with other Rotarians throughout the region.”

Upcoming Part 1 virtual sessions occur over 2 days and you must attend both days to receive credit:

October 24 & 25 (5:30-8:30 pm each day)
November 6 & 8 (5:00-8:05 pm each day)

Signup in DACdb > District Files > Calendar > look for RLI, Virtual dates

More information on the program and session dates can be found at: https://midatlanticrli.org/ 0r contact Jerry Kozel, [email protected]

Get Involved on a Committee!

At our Rotary Club Assembly meeting on Tuesday, July 11, our Club committee chairs gave excellent presentations about their committees and their plans for this Rotary year. Their enthusiasm and leadership for their committees was apparent to all! We are grateful to them, as well as to all of their subcommittee chairs and committee members who help accomplish their committees’ goals on behalf of our Rotary Club.

Other members can also sign up to explore and potentially help with Club committees as well, as follows:

Click on this link to a “Google form”, and follow the prompts to input your name, contact info (email and cell phone), and check-off committees of interest. Committee Chairs are indicated for each committee.
When completed, click “submit”.

This information will be shared with the Club’s committee chairs

To watch the recording of Tuesday, July 11 meeting and the committee chair presentations, please use this link (the Club Assembly portion of the meeting begins at about the 12:20 mark): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/UsVssdFBsyCBl1wG8EQYdKuOHj7WSsKSppoqQmN3WGMpDQP55eABw3NOjagrXExB.NgmO3b0fbeq50lBAPasscode: 2pb8KYP#

If you attended the Club Assembly on Zoom, or watch the meeting recording, please let Carroll know and she will give you “attendance credit”.

We look forward to your participation and engagement!

Outbound Youth Exchange Students Needed for 2024-2025

The District needs your help in finding potential Outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Students for the 2024-2025 exchange year. They ask that you share information with local school guidance and foreign languages teachers, church youth groups, friends, neighbors, etc.

The District will start accepting preliminary applications now from the students via the Rotary Sponsor Club only. In order to make it much easier on the Clubs in terms of finding host families, the following rules are in effect immediately.

The rules going forward for Outbounds and Clubs:

Outbound Preliminary application must be submitted by the Sponsor Club.
Outbound must secure three Host Families for the Inbound student and have at least 2 before the District Interviews in January.
Parents of Outbound must Host an Inbound (unless this would create a hardship, we will decide as a committee)
Sponsor Club of Outbound must accept an Inbound student.

July-Dec 2022 Dues Are Past Due – Credit Card/Bank Transfers Accepted On-Line

July-December 2023 dues invoices have been distributed and are now more than 60 days past due. Past due notices were sent out before Labor Day and payment is due promptly. As a reminder, we are 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 feature makes those of you paying by credit card or bank transfer easier. We also continue to also accept payments by check.

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

Proposed New Members

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

Marcus Stevenson/Karen Parson (family membership) – sponsor: Digit Matheny; Classification: Mental Wellness

Evan Carl – sponsor: Jerry Kozel; Classification: Construction

In the event you know Marcus, Karen or Evan, please tell a member of the Board how they will serve the ideals of Rotary.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Rotarian: Jerry Kozel

JOINED: March 13, 2023
SPONSOR: Jan Luth
CLASSIFICATION: Mediator
PROFESSION: Retired
Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past: Member of Cary-Kildare Rotary Club 2012-2014, Southern Pines Rotary Club 2015-2023, Member Board of Directors of Western Wake Farmers Market
Something Unique About Yourself: Our grandson, Eddie, was born in April and that was a big incentive in our decision to move to Charleston.

Birthdays

Oct. 28 – Jennifer Brinson

WELLNESS TIP

Consume immunity-boosting foods

As the weather gets colder and flu season starts, it’s important for your immune system to be in tip-top shape. Eating healthy foods with vitamin C (like limes, oranges, and clementines) are key to fighting off infections. Garlic, ginger, spinach, and almonds are also big winners when it comes to boosting your health and immunity.

OTHER AREA ROTARY CLUBS

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 1^st & 3^rd 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: Cleave Ham

Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, [email protected]

Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029, Charleston, SC 29413-1029