May 7, 2024
Our Rotary International Youth Exchange Student Malour Dhyr gave us a great presentation on her native Denmark, and her year of living in Charleston as part of our program. Malou participated in a range of activities as a student at Charleston Math &Sciences high school and enjoyed travel to New York, Washington DC, Disney Land and even Hawaii. Thanks for spending a year with us Malou and stay in touch!
For a recording of this week’s meeting, click here
Passcode: u07!%ftA
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Rob Dewey gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Evan Carl introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Cleave presented Health & Happiness.
- Karen Clark introduced our speaker, Malou Dyher, our Club’s Youth Exchange Student from Denmark, who joined us to tell us about her experiences during this Rotary year.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
May 12, 2024 | Issue 5127 President: Cleave Ham
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 5/14 – CCSD Teacher of Year; Rotary Service Above Self Scholars
- 5/21 – Marion Platt (New Member Orientation 11 AM)
- 5/28 – NO ROTARY (Happy Memorial Day!)
- 6/4 – Mayor Cogswell, City of Charleston
- 6/8 – (Service Opportunity) Rise Against Hunger
- 6/11 – TBD
- 6/18 – Richele Taylor, CEO of the SC Medical Association
- 6/25 – Transition/End of Year Happy Hour
NEWS BRIEFS
Reminder … Guest RSVP by 5pm on Monday
If you are planning to bring a guest to Rotary, it is important that you 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. Guest fee is $30 paid at the door. First-time prospective members are free.
Club “Shots a 3 Pointer” in District Membership Challenge
During the Spring District Assembly last week, we are happy to report that our club received a trophy for the District 7770 “2024 March Membership Madness, Shot a 3 Pointer”. We were one of the Clubs in the District which had at least Net + 3 Membership increase for March-April (we achieved Net + 4, with 5 new members and one transfer to another Rotary Club during this
time frame). CONGRATULATIONS to all of our Membership Team, led by Committee Chair Michael Smith.
Membership is also a collective club effort – as we say, “every member is on the Membership Committee”– and therefore it is impossible to mention all of the members to thank for helping our Club achieve this award recognition; Special mention of our Recruitment Team, Jerry Kozel and Jennifer Flanagin, for this particular project; not meant to exclude the vitally important contributions to Club membership from members serving on the Red2Blue and Retention Teams throughout the year
Also special thanks to all members who are introducing prospective and new members new members to our Club, and to the members joining our Club– during this District challenge those sponsors, and associated new members, were: Jennifer Flanagin (Drew Faw), Jerry Kozel (Steve
Latteri and Sarah Beardsley), Channing Proctor (Tucker O’Brien), Sandy Morckel and Robie Scott (Jane Horetsky).
Club Membership Challenge Continues
As a reminder, the District’s March Membership Challenge is over, but our club’s internal membership challenge is continuing through May!
Our club will be using existing Paul Harris Fellow points to reward current members who bring prospective members to our weekly luncheons and who join our Rotary Club. A current member, who brings a prospective member to a luncheon, will receive 100 Paul Harris Fellow points. If a current member has one of their prospective members submit an application to the
club, they will receive 250 Paul Harris Fellow points. Paul Harris Fellow Points equal one point per dollar and are added to a member’s current Rotary Foundation donation total (i.e. If you have donated $750, 250 points will get you to $1000 or a PHF.)
This promotion will be held from March 19 – May 31, 2024. We encourage all members to bring a potential member to Rotary over the next two months and let’s finish the year strong!
Club Receives District 7770 PR Award
Our Club received the “Rotary District 7770 Public Image Award Large Club Category; For the most Creative, Innovative, Imaginative, and Prolific Presentation of Rotary’s Public Image for 2023/24”. CONGRATULATIONS to all of our Public Image Team, led by Committee Chair Mike Sottak. This is indeed a collective club effort, and as Mike Sottak points out, “Everyone helps
with Public Image!” It is therefore impossible to mention all of the members to thank for helping our Club achieve this award; Special mention of such members as Rob Byko; Lewis Edge; Michael Smith (who helps with social media); and of those social media supporters who always amplify our posts
(for example, Karl Brady, and Past Presidents Sandy Morckel and Digit Matheny)
RCCF Grant Recipients Recognized
On behalf of our club and the RCCF Committee, Past President and Past RCCF Chair David Burt recognized four local organizations with RCCF Grants this past Tuesday.
Cindy Hay Johnson attended on behalf of Camp Happy Days. Our club’s donation will be used to purchase sunshades that will cover the outdoor patio outside of their new office. The shades will provide a shaded area for children where they can rest and hydrate away from the sun and heat. Cancer treatments put children at higher risk for dehydration and makes them more susceptible to sun exposure.
The Humanities Foundation was represented by fellow club member, Jane Horetsky. The club’s donation will purchase computers for the computer lab at Archer School Apartments, which offers affordable housing for seniors 55 and over in downtown. Peter Singletary joined us on behalf of Hunter’s Helping Hands. Our donation will fund the processing of 15 deer, which will provide 3,000 meals to Charleston area residents experiencing
hunger.
We enjoyed having Past President and Honorary Member Sue Sommer-Kresse join us to accept the check for Lowcounty Ovarian Cancer Alliance. Our club’s donation will fund 30 “Bags of Hope” which will be distributed to lowcountry women diagnosed with ovarian cancer or other
gynecologic cancers. Each bag contains a blanket, insulated tumbler, two pairs of socks, a journal, a hand-knitted cap, stress ball, foods, candy and tea recommended for patients and information about ovarian cancer.
Peter Singletary joined us on behalf of Hunter’s Helping Hands. Our donation will fund the
processing of 15 deer, which will provide 3,000 meals to Charleston area residents experiencing
hunger.
We congratulate these outstanding local organizations and were pleased to support their efforts to help others in our community.
Mitchell Elementary Educators of the Month Recognized
We draw to a close the 2023-2024 school year with another recognition of educator excellence at Mitchell Elementary this month. Caroline Sammons, Child Development Teacher, is the Educator of the Month for April. Ms. Sammons makes learning fun and it is always a joy to visit her classroom. She is always on top of the academic and emotional needs of her scholars and spends time building relationships with families, communicating constantly. For May the Educator of the Month is Sara Thompson, First Grade Teacher. Ms. Thompson is consistent, supportive and positive no matter what the circumstances. She implements the curriculum with fidelity and integrity and pushes her students to meet high expectations. She is involved in
several programs at Mitchell including Leader in Me and the School Improvement Council and she helped start the Speedy Sharks Running Club.
Last Call for January 2024 Dues Payments
We still have a few members who have not paid January dues (and you know who you are!), please be sure to take care of making payment as soon as possible. This Rotary year is quickly coming to an end and July-December 2024 dues statements will be issued next month. If you have an outstanding balance and have recently received a past due notice or been contacted by
club leadership, please make good on your payment by the end of May.
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, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected]
MEMBER NEWS
Congratulations to fellow Rotarian Barb Walters, who officially retired last Friday. We look forward to seeing her more at Rotary!
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidate has submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
Michael Priutt – sponsor: Eric Farr; classification: Media/Magazine
In the event you know Michael, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideals of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian: Itriss J. Jenkins
JOINED: September 12, 2022
SPONSOR: Steve Dopp
CLASSIFICATION: Law/Judge
PROFESSION: Lawyer/Magistrate Judge
Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past: One80 Place Board member (2020-present), Preservation Society of Charleston (2020-present), Royal Foundation Board Vice Chair, Children’s Museum Board (2018-2020), Carolina Voyager Charter School Board (2015-2016), City of Charleston Short- term Rental Task -force, Ebony City Soccer Club Coach (2015-2019), Deacon Royal Baptist Church (2017-2022).
SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: Blessed with wonderful children NaZyia (13) and Nyla (11)
Birthdays
- 5/14 – Trey Lucy
- 5/16 – Billy Cooke
- 5/18 – Peter Hearne, Colleen Moring
- 5/19 – Steve Dopp
WELLNESS TIP
Eat more plant-based foods
You probably already know that eating nutritious food makes you feel better. As an overarching concept, healthy eating habits can feel a little vague.
So let’s be specific:
Work to get more plants onto your plate. A plant-based diet helps
you maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels and reduces your risk for some chronic conditions. Plants are full of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients we need to keep our bodies working optimally.
Try to incorporate more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes into your daily meals.
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, [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.