June 18, 2024
Richele Taylor of the SC Medical Association gave us an overview of the history and the important role that that organization plays in ensuring excellent health care and supporting health practitioners in our state. Ongoing training, certification and administrative support four our health care workers is a critical aspect of a health care infrastructure.
It was the last official meeting of our Rotary year and President Cleave’s last stand at the podium. He recognized achievements of the club over the past year and thanked our members. In turn, the club gave Cleave a standing ovation for his outstanding leadership.
No meeting this week (or next) and will gather Tuesday evening, June 25, at 5PM for our annual board transition event at Hall’s Events at Five Faber.
For a recording of this week’s meeting, click here
Passcode: nH?uPL1L
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Clara Heinsohn gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Julianne Farnsworth introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Cleave presented Health & Happiness.
- President Cleave introduced Richele Taylor, CEO of the SC Medical Association.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
June 25 2024 | Issue 5132 President: Cleave Ham
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 6/25 – Transition/End of Year Happy Hour (5PM)
- 7/2 – No Meeting – Happy Fourth of July
- 7/9 – Club Assembly
- 7/10 – “Skyline Social” and RCCF Fundraising Event, “Cheers with a view, and FUN’-raisin’ too”; MPS Architecture firm, Morrison Yard, 850 Morrison Dr., Suite 600, 5:00-7:30 pm. More info here
- 7/16 – Matt Martin, Federal Reserve
- 7/23 – Margaret Seidler
- 7/30 – TBD
NEWS BRIEFS
Board Transition Social – This Tuesday, 6/25
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! The RSVP deadline was this past Friday. If you are planning to attend and did not RSVP, please contact Carroll.
No Meeting on Tuesday, July 2 – Happy July 4th!
The club will NOT meet for lunch on Tuesday, July 2. We hope that you will have a safe and happy Fourth of July week and enjoy the time off to celebrate with family and friends.
SKYLINE SOCIAL & FUNDRAISER FOR RCCF – Cheers with a View and “FUN-raising Too!
We hope you will bring a guest (or two) and join us on Wednesday, July 10th from 5:00-7:30pm at Morrison Yard, 850 Morrison Dr., Suite 600 as we kick start our year with a fundraiser. This special event is being hosted by our fellow Rotarian, Katherine DeMoura, at McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture at Morrison Yard and promises to be an evening of fun and fellowship with your fellow Rotarians and guests, while enjoying an incredible view of Charleston and raising funds for the great works of our Club via the RCCF. 100% of the funds raised by this event will support community impact activities and philanthropy by RCCF.
There are several ways that you can get involved and support this event and the RCCF:
- Become a “Charleston Champion” – multiple RCCF sponsor levels (e.g., Gold-$500, Silver-$250, and Bronze-$100 levels);
- Donate an item(s) or service of value which would be attractive to our participants as part of raffle and game prizes, possibly a silent auction
- Attend the event, bring a guest(s), and participate in these “FUN-raising” activities
For more information, how to donate, donation forms, etc., please click on the Fundraising and Giving page on our website.
Please RSVP to attend using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-50107563-skyline
PolioPlus Society Members Recognized
In 1985, Rotarians made a promise to the children of the world: to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. At that time, 125 countries on 5 continents were plagued by polio, with over 350,000 children, nearly 1,000 children every single day, being paralyzed by or succumbing to the polio virus.
Since then, Rotarians have raised over $2.1 billion for this noble cause, providing polio vaccines to more than 3.5 billion children. Today, only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, remain polio-endemic, and the World Health Organization estimates that over 19 million children are now thriving, who otherwise would have been paralyzed by polio, thanks to Rotary’s polio eradication program.
The PolioPlus Society was created to encourage Rotarians to commit to a minimum annual donation of $100 to the PolioPlus Fund until polio is entirely eradicated. Members receive a special society pin.
Eradicating polio is Rotary’s number one priority. Polio primarily affects children under the age of 5, and there is no cure; immunization is the sole prevention. Rotary has raised approximately 10% of the eradication costs since 1985, with a challenge from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to raise $50 million annually for polio, matched by $100 million, totaling $150 million.
After the last case of paralysis, 450,000 children worldwide must be immunized annually for an additional three years to ensure total eradication of the polio virus. We’re very close to this goal, with only a few reported cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
President Cleave recognized our club’s PolioPlus Society members this past Tuesday with their PolioPlus Society pin and certificate. We appreciate their continuous support of the Rotary Foundation and PolioPlus.
- John Bleecker
- Alex Bourland
- Owen Clary
- Tamara Curry
- James Dusenberry
- Cleave Ham
- Sandy Morckel
- Patterson Smith
- Samuel Steinberg
- Paul Stoney
Canning Proctor, Joe Maas and Lisa Van Burgen also achieved Polio Plus status and will be recognized at a future meeting
Membership Committee – Year in Summary
As President Cleave has emphasized throughout the year, we are all members of the Membership Committee. 2023-24 has been a successful year where we have seen club grow from 160 to 171 people. We are now the largest club in our district. You brought over 95 prospective members to lunch and 29 people joined. And because “life happens”, we, unfortunately, lost 18 of our valued members, which is typical of an organization our size. There are currently several membership applications in the pipeline and we may lose a few more before the end of June, but, nevertheless, it has been a very good year for Membership.
Many of you took advantage of the Membership / Paul Harris Points promotion this Spring. We are happy to report that the club was able to award 3800 points for bringing prospective members to lunch and/or having them submit an application. Due to these points, two of our current members were able to achieve the next Paul Harris Fellowship level. This reminds us of the important work that The Rotary Foundation does and how we can support it.
Membership is not just about numbers. New members bring energy and fresh ideas to our club. They are our future leaders.
Lastly, thank you to Michael Smith and the entire membership committee who worked tirelessly on Recruiting, Onboarding and Retention. A job well done!
Volunteering = FUN-Raising Project
The Rotary Club of Charleston has partnered with EPI to assist in staffing for our first ever, year-long FUN-Raising Project!! This is a great opportunity to attend fun events, support our local sports teams, AND raise funds for our club to facilitate all the wonderful grants we have seen presented in the last few weeks. The volunteer opportunities for the next couple of months are now posted. Check back often has there will be more opportunities available as the CofC basketball schedule is coordinated with EPI. Please contact Karla Combs with any questions, sign up below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-50046538-epifunraising
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!!
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 Rotarians – Merriweather Mule’, Harrison Boals and Bryan Pribula!! Merriweather was sponsored and introduced by Past President Alissa and will hold the classification of Financial Advisor. Harrison and Bryan are joining us as Corporate Members with the classification of Construction/Commercial Roofing. Michael Smith introduced Harrison, who is the Primary Member, to the club this past Tuesday. We look forward to Bryan being introduced in the coming weeks. We are honored to have these new members join our Rotary family!
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
Elijah Melendez – sponsor: Marion Platt; Classification: Non-Profit/Exec.
David Osborne – sponsor: Rob Dewey; classification: Law/General
Heidi Finniff – sponsor: Michael Smith; classification: Banking/Business
In the event you know Elijah, David or Heidi, 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
- 6/27 – Rudy Thomas
- 6/29 – Dan West
WELLNESS TIP
Put a banana on it.
A diet rich in potassium can help offset some of sodium’s harmful effects on blood pressure. Add bananas to everything from breakfast cereal to nighttime desserts to PB&J sandwiches. While you’re at it, squeeze in more sweet potatoes, tomatoes and oranges.
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