October 1, 2024
We welcomed Walt Green and Mark Pyles who are the organizers of the Charleston Investment Symposium. It’s an event to be held October 25 that is connected to the Student Investment Fund program at the Business School at the College of Charleston,. We learned how that program uses real-world investing to teach student and prepare them for careers in finance. The Symposium is open to the public and features a great lineup of economic thought leaders talking on timely topics in layman terms. The symposium is a great way to gain insights into key trends and policies shaping our personal and national economic futures.
Rotarians who register for the symposium receive a $50 discount. The normal registration fee is $200. By using the special promo code: COFCROTARY…you can resister for $150. For more information and to register, go here.
Lots going on this Fall in Rotary with volunteer opportunities, events and more great speakers. Read on in The Keyway!
To join an upcoming meeting by Zoom use this link and the passcode: Rotary
To see a recording of this this week’s meeting, go here.
Passcode: 1yEItH!1
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Past President Digit Matheny gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Sarah Beardsley welcomed and introduced our visiting Rotarians and guests.
- Health and Happiness was presented by President Robert.
- Leslie Fellabom introduced our speaker, Walt Green, who discussed the College of Charleston Investment Symposium. Rotarians who register for the symposium receive a $50 discount. The normal registration fee is $200. By using the special promo code: COFCROTARY…you can resister for $150. Rotarians can register by going to this link …. https://www.charleston.edu/investment/
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
October 8, 2024 | Issue 5144 President: Robert Sullivan
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 10/8 – District Governor Mary Gasque, District 7770
- 10/15 – NO MEETING
- 10/16 – (Service Project) Oyster Reef Fabrication, 9am-12noon
- 10/22 – Sara Moriarty, Chas. Literary Festival
- 10/29 – TBD
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 and sign in at the Membership Table.
NO Meeting on October 15
IMPORTANT: The club will NOT meet for lunch this Tuesday, October 15th. Enjoy your week off from Rotary and we look forward to seeing you back on Tuesday, October 22.
Bike for Africa Update
Thanks to all those Rotarian volunteers who assisted with the bike collection for Bicycles for Humanity-Charleston. In total, our Charleston area Rotary Clubs collected 225 bikes for the project this past weekend! Thanks to Cody Callarman for spearheading this project and to all all the Rotarians from our club and the other areas clubs who donated and helped organize the pickup.
Next Bike Collection will be 11/29 (Friday after Thanksgiving), so if you have a bike to donate, we will have six Collection sites throughout the Lowcountry for you to drop off your bike.
Social & Sculpture Unveiling
A fun gathering at Marion Square and the Francis Marion Hotel this past week as we unveiled another element of our signature Rotary Foundation at the corner of Calhoun and King Streets. Sculptor Scott Penegar helped take the wraps off his latest commissioned work, revealing a sculpture of a mother raccoon and her babies. This sculpture will complete the fountain at Marion Square. Thanks to Rotarian Steve Dopp for hosting a Happy Hour social afterwards at the Francis Marion Hotel.
The latest installation continues a 30-year journey since the Rotary Club of
Charleston first raised funds to build the Rotary Marion Square Fountain to the City of Charleston in honor of its 75th anniversary in 1995 under the leadership of Past President Dan Ravenel. In honor of its 100th anniversary in 2020, under the leadership of President Sandy Morckel, the Rotary Club of Charleston raised the funds to commission Penegar to finish the fountain with local indigenous animals, including several species of birds, otters, frogs, a beaver and a fox. This last sculpture, a raccoon family, supported by past President Patterson Smith, sits atop the final pedestal in the water and bring the Rotary Marion Square Fountain design to completion.
The support between the Rotary Club of Charleston and the City of Charleston stems back to the late 1930’s when Marion Square had become an eyesore. Under the leadership of Rotarian Jack Krawcheck, Chairman of the club’s Civic Welfare Committee, Rotary worked with the City of Charleston and Charleston County, as well as a number of other entities and private businesses, to “beautify” Marion Square and to make it more welcoming to the public.
Club members raised $10,000 and the City contributed $5,000 to install new flagstone pathways around the park in July 1949, followed by the planting of 10,500 new shrubs around the perimeter of the square. In December of 1949 they installed sixteen new benches and reactivated the old artesian fountain near Meeting Street, which had been neglected for many years. In 1951, the Rotary Club of Charleston helped the city install electric wiring throughout the park, and Marion Square was illuminated at night for the first time. In March of 1952, Rotarians paid for the installation of sixteen new streetlamps in the park, specially-made reproductions of the Antebellum gas lamps that were rapidly disappearing from Charleston’s streets. Finally, in the late winter and early spring of 1954, the Rotary Club literally rolled out the final phase of their “beautification” campaign. Working again with the city, the county, and local contractors, they oversaw the grading and sodding of Marion Square.
The crisscross, diagonal pathways that now lead pedestrians to a small circle in the center of the park were created during the final days of this work in the spring of 1954 and have endured ever since. In short, the Charleston Rotary Club raised the bar of public expectations for Marion Square, and their work inspired further improvements in more recent years.
SCORE Oyster Reef Fabrication Service Project
On Wednesday, October 16 from 9am-12noon, join the SCORE team and Casual Crabbing with Tia to construct Modified Wire Reefs (MWR) that will be an alternative substrate for oyster larvae to land and grown on. Rotarian volunteers will help to cut, bend and fasten galvanized wire to form a reef structure using power tools. Volunteers must wear closed toe shoes. Safety gear, bug spray, water and other needed materials will be provided. Sign up by using the Sign-Up Genius link that was emailed to members or contact Cody Callarman at [email protected].
Be “Spotlighted” at a Meeting
The Rotary Club of Charleston will be highlighting a member of the club twice a month through June of 2025. Members who want to be spotlighted need to let me know of your interest and I will assign you a date. At the assigned meeting, you will have approximately 2 minutes to tell the Rotary Club membership about yourself. You can use visual aids and/or just talk about yourself. Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to “spotlight” you and your personal and professional achievements. Contact Julianne Farnsworth at [email protected] if interested or for more information.
Rotarians Against Human Trafficking (RAHT)
One of Rotary’s big initiatives this year is to combat human trafficking. It’s a prevalent, but also oftentimes unspoken issue. Past President Alissa Leitzow is the RAHT Ambassador for our club, so please reach out to her for more information on how to get involved. [email protected]
Youth Exchange Students Have Arrived
Our club is hosting two inbound Rotary Youth Exchange students this school year – Apollo Ghang and Isaure Sabotier-Rives. Both students have arrived in Charleston and are getting acquainted with their host families. They started school this week at Charleston Math & Science. We are looking forward to meeting both students at upcoming meetings. And, remember…. if you and/or your family are taking a fun outing consider including the students in your plans.
EPI Volunteers & Fundraising for the RCCF
Our Rotary Club is collaborating with Event Partners, Inc. (“EPI”), which is an organization based in Charleston, established in 2005, serving partner organizations throughout the United States with event staffing solutions and consultation services in the sports and entertainment industry. EPI has a Group Fundraising Program, whereby organizations like our Rotary Club can raise money by providing our members opportunities to volunteer to staff multiple types of events, such as “Collegiate Athletics and Championships, Professional Sports, Music Concerts and Festivals, Races and Local Events”, with fees for their service paid to RCCF; examples of types of events in our area include Charleston Battery Soccer, Riverfront Park Festival, Spoleto Festival, CSU & Citadel football, Charleston Classic Basketball Tournament, and CofC basketball (about 15 home games).
This is a year-long fundraiser for our club and a fun and easy way for our members to help our club raise funds for RCCF on their own time, by volunteering for a variety of positions at events, such as ticket scanners, parking directors, etc. and can include friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and such.
For more information and Sign Up Genius, please click on the below link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-50046538-epifunraising
Please direct any questions to Karla Combs, Pres-Elect and 2024 Fundraising Chair, who is spearheading this fundraising effort for our club.
Volunteering at Voting Polls
Our Club will be volunteering to work at voting polls in Charleston County and we are have some shifts remaining to fill one polling location. Our “wages” will go directly to the Rotary Club of Charleston Fund to support our many grants, scholarships and projects throughout the year. The shifts are 6am – 2pm and 12pm – 8pm or you can choose to work a full shift. We would like to have an even number of split shifts, so our Club can provide volunteers for a full shift, as it is a tremendous help in scheduling other poll workers. If you desire to work a full shift, please RSVP for the morning and afternoon shifts separately. Locations and assignments will be given prior to Election Day. Please email Karla at [email protected] if you have any questions.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-50869677-election
Rotary International 2024/2025 Theme: Create the Magic of Rotary
This year’s Rotary Presidential Theme is “The Magic of Rotary”. You will see the themed banner hanging on the podium every meeting. Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick encourages members to recognize and amplify the organization’s power to save lives. Clubs are encourage to celebrate the magic of Rotary that is created with every project completed, every dollar donated, and every new member of Rotary.
July – December 2024 Dues Invoices PAST DUE
July-December 2024 dues invoices are now considered past due. If you have not made payment, please do so promptly. If you didn’t receive an invoice or have misplaced, please contact Carroll. Also note that payments can be paid on-line by either credit card or bank transfer. Members just simply need to click on the “pay now” button on their invoice. If you prefer to pay by check, please mail to PO Box 21029, Charleston, SC 29413.
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
Thanks to all those Rotarian volunteers who assisted with the bike collection for Bicycles for Humanity-Charleston last Sunday. There will be future collection days scheduled – keep collecting those used bikes!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian: Richard Parker
JOINED: February, 2022
SPONSOR: Dan Ravenel
CLASSIFICATION: Hotel Management
PROFESSION: Owner, The INN on Folly Beach
Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past:
Habitat For Humanity Built a house through and with my company. Homeless Events/Oak Grove United Methodist Church – Decatur, Georgia
SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF:
I am certified in the “5 Voices” (based on Myers-Briggs) which quickly identifies your natural strengths and weaknesses
Birthdays
- 10/8 – Dan Curia, David Cole
- 10/9 – Past President Cleave Ham, Kate Marra-Grant
- 10/13 – DJ Hampton
WELLNESS TIP
Dine with your family
Fall is a perfect time to slow down. It’s also a great time to regroup as a family and reconnect over dinner. Families who dine together tend to eat more nutritious meals. It also strengthens family relationships and can even help fast eaters slow down and appreciate food more.
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: Robert Sullivan
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