May 20, 2025
We honored our top educators and students this week with the annual CCSD Teacher of the year Awards and Rotary Service Above Self Scholars. We were honored to have CCSD Superintendent Anita Huggins join us to help recognize these outstanding member of our local academic community.
A reminder that we are off for Memorial Day this week. More great speakers on tap as we wind down the Rotary year. Check the Keyway from important meeting and events information.
To join an upcoming meeting by Zoom use this link and the passcode: Rotary.
To see the video of this week’s meeting, go here
Passcode: l!cnb74^
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Joshua Davis gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Joe Maas welcomed and introduced our visiting Rotarians and guests.
- Health and Happiness was presented by President Robert.
- Marion Platt introduced our special program this week. The CCSD Teacher of the Year and Finalists, as well as our Rotary Service Above Self Scholars were recognized. We were also pleased to be joined by CCSD Superintendent Anita Huggins, who gave us a brief update on CCSD.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY May 27, 2025 | Issue 5169 President: Robert Sullivan
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 5/27 – NO ROTARY – Happy Memorial Day!
- 6/3 – Ed Sutton
- 6/10 – TBD
- 6/17 – TBD
- 6/19 – June Social. Red Palm Tavern; 5:30-7:30 (sign up here)
- 6/24 – No Rotary
- 7/1 – NO ROTARY
- 7/9 – President/Board Transition Happy Hour 5:30-7:30 @ Hall’s
NEWS BRIEFS Reminder … No Meeting Tuesday, May 27
We will NOT be meeting for lunch this Tuesday, May 27th. We hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy Memorial Day with family and friends. We look forward to seeing you at our next luncheon on Tuesday, June 3.
Nominations for Community Impact Recognition Award for a Community Leader
Our Club’s Awards Selection Committee, chaired by Pres-Elect Karla Combs, is currently accepting nominations from our Club members for our annual Community Impact Recognition Award for a Community Leader. The Community Impact Award – Community Leader is given annually by the Rotary Club of Charleston to a community member who exhibits “Service Above Self” in their daily activities, models the Rotary 4-Way Test* in their life and profession, and exemplifies the ideals of the Rotary Vision: “Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.” Please help the committee by filling out the nomination form with someone in our community who you feel meets these criteria and deserves to be recognized by our club. The nomination form was emailed last week and will be available at weekly meetings. If you have any questions or need the form, please contact Karla Combs at [email protected]. Please note that the nomination form is due by Saturday, May 31.
District Golf Tournament – POSTPONED
After thoughtful consideration, we’ve decided to postpone the 5th Annual Rotary District 7770 National Golf Invitational. With the end-of-year Rotary season packed with events and commitments—and the current economic climate—we felt it was best to hit pause and refocus our efforts for an even stronger return in 2026. To those of you who already signed up: We’re incredibly grateful for your support, and full reimbursements are on the way—you’ll see those processed ASAP. We’re already planning ahead to make next year’s event even more impactful, and we can’t wait to see everyone back on the course in 2026.Stay tuned for updates—and thank you for standing with us in Rotary’s mission to serve. Any questions, please feel free to contact Past President & Assist. DG Digit at [email protected]
Last Call for January 2025 Dues Payments
We still have a few members who have not paid January 2025 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 2025 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.
Change in Membership Status Deadline
If you plan a change in your club member status by July 1, 2025 to Excused, eMember, Leave of Absence or if you are planning to resign, please notify Carroll in writing NO LATER THAN June 9th. 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. Members who resign after July 1 will be required to pay dues. If you have any questions, contact Carroll.
Youth Exchange Information / Host Families Needed for 2025/2026 Rotary Year
The Rotary Youth Exchange program offers teenagers ages 15-19 an opportunity to make new friends and learn new ways of living, to open themselves to different ideas, a new culture, traditions, and experiences, and to adapt and gain fresh perspectives while in the U.S., attending high school and living with 2- 3 host families. The exchanges offer the same benefits to host families. I have been involved with the program for the past 8 years and can attest to the wonderful opportunity it has presented to both the students and their hosts.
- This year’s student is a 17-year-old girl from Verona, Italy.
- She will attend the Charleston Charter School for Math & Science (bus routes to and from cover a wide geographic area)
- We are in need of a family to host her for at least 3-4 months beginning in August, when she arrives and before school starts. We also need one or two other families to host her for the remainder of the school year for 3-6 months.
- Host families will need to complete an online application and some online training modules as well as attend one in-person meeting with other host families and the Youth Exchange Officers & Counselors (my role) from our Rotary District this summer in either June or August.
Please contact Karen Clark if you would like additional information about the program, have questions and/or if you would like her to contact others directly to discuss this hosting opportunity. Also, if you know of any local students who may be interested in being sponsored for an outbound exchange in another country. Thank you for your consideration and for sharing this information with your families and others you know that may be interesting in hosting (they do not have to be Rotary members)!
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]
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.
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: New Instagram Account
We now have anew Instagram account! Please follow us on @charlestonrotaryclub. Thanks To Charlie Jablon for setting this up. Continue to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, too. 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] Charlie Jablon [email protected] and Michael Smith [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:
- Allison Sims – sponsor: Chris Olson, classification: Real Estate
- Zachary Serrins – sponsor: Cody Callarman; classification: Bottling
- Mac George – sponsor: President Robert; classification: HVAC/Commercial
In the event you know Allison, Zachary or Mac, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideas of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian Brooke Manheimer was in the spotlight recently and gave us some background on her life journey. She has been in our club for about three years. A native of Salisbury, NC and UNC graduate. She has been married for 21 years and has three sons (16, 14 12) and two dogs. She has enjoyed a diverse career, following getting her degree as a dietician, with career stops in pharmaceutical sales. (for Pfizer for ten years ) and them moved into waste management sales selling dumpsters, and now sells for a mechanical contracting company that sell the ‘brains’ and infrastructure for commercial buildings.
Birthdays
- 5/30 – Past President Lisa Van Bergen
- 5/31 – Charlie Jablon
- 6/2 – Elijah Melendez & Brian Itzkowitz
WELLNESS TIP
Sleep more, weigh less. The more hours you’re awake, the more time you have to nosh. Lack of zzz’s can also mess with your hormone levels.
OTHER AREA ROTARY CLUBS
Mondays
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. https://www.cainhoyrotary.com
Wednesdays
Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Mt Pleasant Presbyterian 302 Hibben St
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