May 21, 2024
Our very own Dr. Marion Platt took to the podium this week to give us an inspiring and motivational talk about service. Drawing upon his life-changing experience in the military, followed by career dedicated to to service with the Salvation Army and now leading the Star Gospel Mission, Marion talked to his Fellow Rotarians about the importance of commitment and focus in everything we do. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, insights, and energy, Marion!
No meeting this in honor of Memorial Day. Check out upcoming service projects in this week’s Keyway
For a recording of this week’s meeting, click here
Passcode: A.M^Qm^8
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Kay Fuller gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Jennifer Flanagin introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Cleave presented Health & Happiness.
- Chrissy Copple introduced fellow Rotarian, Marion Platt, who gave an outstanding presentation on community engagement.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
May 28, 2024 | Issue 5129 President: Cleave Ham
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 5/28 – NO ROTARY (Happy Memorial Day!)
- 5/30 – (Service Opportunity) CPD Open House 5-8pm
- 6/4 – Mayor Cogswell, City of Charleston (RSVP by 5/28)
- 6/8 – (Service Opportunity) Rise Against Hunger
- 6/11 – DJ Hampton, Trident United Way
- 6/18 – Richele Taylor, CEO of the SC Medical Association
- 6/25 – Transition/End of Year Happy Hour (5PM)
NEWS BRIEFS
RSVP Required for June 4th Luncheon – Mayor Cogswell
Our next Rotary luncheon will be Tuesday, June 4th. We are honored to have Mayor Cogswell as our guest speaker. Due to space constraints, RSVPS are required to attend this luncheon. Reservations are now open to Rotary Club of Charleston members ONLY through Tuesday, May 28th. Please click on the link provided below to RSVP.
If there is still space availability after this deadline, we will open reservations and club members will be able to RSVP for one guest on a first come, first serve basis. Please do not email me to “hold” a spot open for a specific guest. I will send out another email on Wednesday, May 29 and if there is space available, you will be able to register at that time.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-49821526-june
No Meeting on May 28 – Happy Memorial Day!
The club will NOT meet on Tuesday, May 28. We hope everyone has a happy and safe Memorial Day!
Volunteer Opportunity at CPD Open House on May 30
Exciting volunteer opportunity for Rotarians and fun for the whole family on May 30, 5pm – 8pm. Sign up below, and RSVP for the event is available as well!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-49667963-charleston
We would like to cordially invite you to Open House! Gather your family and friends and visit the Charleston Police Department!
We will welcome visitors Thursday, May 30th from 5:00-8:00pm at 180 Lockwood Boulevard.
This family event will feature department tours, vehicle displays, interactive activities, bicycle giveaways, face painting, corn hole, a live DJ, and the opportunity to interact with police officers. There will also be free hot dogs, chips, and drinks.
Rise Against Hunger – Volunteers Needed
On June 8, we are partnering up again with the Rotary Club of Charleston-Breakfast and Rise Against Hunger to pack meal kits that will be distributed all over the world, including the Congo, Cambodia, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Liberia, Nicaragua, Romania, Uganda, Vietnam and more. This is a great time of fun, fellowship and competition as we try to break our record from last year in the number of kits we can pack!! Sign up below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-49551770-rise
Children Clothing Drive – Lowcountry Orphan Relief
At our recent care packing event at the Lowcountry Orphan Relief Center we learned there are several items that are very low in stock or completely out. Below is a list of items given by the director as their Urgent Wish List. Please bring any donations you may have to our weekly meetings for the remainder of May and all of June, and we will deliver them. Don’t forget, LOR assembles 500 of these care kits for foster kids being placed in new homes EVERY MONTH, and they provide a few weeks of clothing, toiletries, etc. giving the children something of their own and taking some pressure off the new families.
Short Sleeve T-Shirts (Sizes 2T-5T)
Shorts (3T-5T Boys & 5T Girls)
Pajamas (5T Boys & Girls)
Underwear (2T/3T & 5T Boys & Girls)
Socks (4/5T Boys & Girls)
The clothing items can be gently worn, but the underwear and socks need to be new. Books are also appreciated as each child gets 4 age/ grade appropriate books!!
District 7770 Golf Tournament
Mark your calendars and join fellow Rotarians on Thursday June 20th at Charleston National Golf Club for the 4th Annual RNGI Golf Tournament!
It’s a great course, and we guarantee you will have a day full of fun and fellowship, lots of food and drinks too!!
Charleston National Golf Club is a uniquely beautiful Rees Jones design just north of the city of Charleston in suburban Mt. Pleasant. The course is carved along the intracoastal waterway, through natural wetlands and lagoons and through a pine and oak tree forest. The result is a championship caliber golf course with some of the best views on the southeastern coast. Charleston National was originally designed to be an exclusive private country club in the manner of Augusta National.
Please share the attached information to your golfing and business friends. We need players, raffle prizes and all types of sponsors. You can get all the information and sign up details online by clicking this link. https://www.rnginvitational.com/copy-of-sponsorships
Board Transition Social – Mark Your Calendars
To celebrate the end of this Rotary Year and the beginning of our new Rotary Year, a Happy Hour Social from 5-7pm is scheduled at Hall’s Signature Events on Tuesday, June 25 in lieu of our lunch meeting that day. There will be a “brief” meeting, but mostly it will be a fun time to celebrate the year, ring in the new Rotary year and catch up with our Rotary friends. We hope you will plan to bring your spouse or guest and join us!
Change in Membership Status Deadline
If you plan a change in your club member status by July 1, 2024 to Excused, eMember, Leave of Absence or if you are planning to resign, please notify Carroll in writing NO LATER THAN June 7th. Any change will affect July billing. Also, if you are on our membership list as of July 1, the club pays Rotary International and District dues for you. If you have any questions, contact Carroll.
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, mikesottak@gmail.com, or Rob Byko, rob@bykorealty.com
MEMBER NEWS
Welcome to our newest Rotarian …. Wills Denton! Wills was introduced and sponsored by Baxter Hahn. He joins us under the classification of Commercial/Banking. We are honored to have Wills join our Rotary family!
Congratulations to Baxter Hahn on his upcoming wedding! We wish he and his bride a life-time of happiness!
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
Merriweather Mule – sponsor: Alissa Lietzow; Classification: Financial Advisor
Harrison Boals – sponsor: Michael Smith; classification: Construction/Roofing (Corp Primary)
Bryan Pribula – sponsor: Michael Smith; classification: Construction/Roofing (Corp Assoc)
In the event you know Merriweather, Harrison or Bryan, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideals of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian: Christopher G. Olson 
JOINED: June, 2022
SPONSOR: Patterson Smith, Harry Staley
CLASSIFICATION: Franchise Owner, Fast Food
PROFESSION: Franchise owner
Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past: YMCA, Clemson SC; Elder at Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, Clemson SC
SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I am a retired lawyer, former county court Solicitor, father of 2, grandfather of 3, husband of one.
Birthdays
- 6/8 – Travis Ronk, Duncan Grant
- 6/10 – Nick Galizia
WELLNESS TIP
Develop a green tea habit.
Especially if your favorite drink is soda. Researchers have found that people who consumed sweetened beverages were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, while some studies suggest green tea might promote cognitive functions.
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 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: Cleave Ham
Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, carrollschweers@gmail.com
Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029, Charleston, SC 29413-1029
Copyright 2018, Rotary Club of Charleston. All rights reserved