June 17, 2025
Thanks to Rotarian Marion Platt for taking the podium today to offer his insightful, passionate and inspiring talk on the homeless situation in Charleston and the role his Star Gospel Mission is continuing to play (or more than 100 years) to address the challenges. Marion believes homeless is a solvable problem, not by trying to brush it away with tactical removal practices but by addressing the core issues of housing, employment physical & mental health issues, and he argues that is take a collaborative approach across government, non profits and commercial businesses. His vision is to extend the “hospitality culture” of Charleston to all residents, regardless of their means. Thanks for all you do, Marion.
Don’t forget Rotarians can join our own Sandy Morckel as she gets installed as our new District Governor on June 28 – details below.
A special thank to outgoing President Robert Sullivan for the outstanding job guiding our club in 2024-25. After a fantastic year of meetings, projects, programs, membership growth, fundraising and more he is ready to pass the torch to Karla Combs – job well done Robert and thank you for your service.
Remember to bring school supplies to any meeting in July to support of Back to School Drive for the kids at Windwood Farm To make a donation, go here.
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: 3D#g90W7
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Clara Heinsohn gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Barb Walters welcomed and introduced our visiting Rotarians and guests.
- Health and Happiness was presented by President Robert.
- Paul Attaway introduced fellow Rotarian Marion Platt, who is Executive Director of Star Gospel Mission. Marion discussed homelessness in Charleston and Star Gospel Mission
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
June 24, 2025 | Issue 5171 President: Robert Sullivan
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 6/24 – No Rotary
- 7/1 – No Rotary
- 7/9 – President/Board Transition Happy Hour 5:30-7:30 @ Hall’s
- 7/15 – TBD
- 7/22 – TBD. Sign to make a donation to Windwood Farm and bring the items to the meeting
NEWS BRIEFS
IMPORTANT …. Upcoming NO Meeting Dates
We will NOT be meeting for lunch this Tuesday, June 24, July 1 or July 8. We hope you’ll join us for the End of the Year/President Transition Social on WEDNESDAY, July 9 from 5:30-7:30pm at Hall’s Signature Events. Enjoy this time off from Rotary and have a wonderful 4th of July holiday!
District Governor Installation Luncheon – Sandy Morckel
Join us in celebrating one of our own Past Presidents as she is installed as the NEW District Governor on Saturday, June 28th! The luncheon will be held at Hall’s Signature Events from 11:30-1:30pm. The cost is $60 per person. Registration deadline is June 21 and is available on DACdb.
Operation Gratitude
Thanks to everyone who turned up to help with one of our favorite program. Operation Gratitude, nationwide program that facilitates donating items and writing letters to express gratitude for all who serve.
Board Transition Social – WEDNESDAY, 7/9
To celebrate the end of this Rotary Year and the beginning of our new Rotary Year, a Happy Hour Social from 5:30-7:30pm is scheduled at Hall’s Signature Events on WEDNESDAY, July 9 in lieu of our normal lunch meeting that week. 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!
July – December 2025 Dues Invoices Emailed
July-December 2024 dues invoices have been distributed via email. All members should have received an invoice. If you didn’t receive an invoice, please contact Carroll. Payment is due promptly within 30 days. Please note that payments can easily be made 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.
RCCF Grants Awarded
On behalf of our club and the RCCF Committee, Past President and RCCF Chair Rob Dewey recognized our final three Spring RCCF Grant recipients.
Jennifer Harris attended on behalf of Communities in Schools. Our donated funds were used to fund a pizza dinner and bus transportation for 10 students from North Charleston High School’s jazz band to perform at CISSC’s annual “thank you” event at The Jasper. This event brings together CISSC staff, community donors, corporate partners, school district officials and some of the students served to celebrate the progress they’ve made together to increase access to services for low-income communities. Past President David Burt sponsored this grant.
Holy City Well Being was represented by fellow Rotarians Marcus Stevenson and Karen Parson. Our club’s donation will support the purchase of food for 36+ at-risk youth, who attend the Career & Wellness Teen Summit. The summit is a transformative event designed to empower teens though education, inspiration and holistic development. It is a full day of exploration into career pathways and mental wellness strategies. Karen Parson sponsored the grant.
Sylvie Baele attended on behalf of Second Chance Bikes. Our donation will fund the purchase of 150 bicycle locks to be distributed with all “Change a Tire, Change a Life” program bikes when recipients do not have the means to purchase a lock. This grant was sponsored by Jan Luth. We congratulate these outstanding local organizations and were pleased to support their efforts to help others in our community.
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 continue to highlight members twice a month. Members who are interested in being spotlighted should let Julianne Farnsworth know of your interest and she will assign you a date. 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 2025/2026 Theme: Unite for Good
The 2025-26 presidential message, announced at the 2025 Rotary International Assembly in February, will remain Unite for Good, which calls on Rotary members to be a force for unity in a world increasingly divided by politics, geography, and ideology. Through service projects, Rotary brings together people of every background — across races, religions, and professions — in a shared mission to do good in their communities.
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
Thanks to Outgoing Board Members
A BIG thank you to our outgoing Board Director, Alan Burgreen! Alan has served 2 awesome years as our Club Service Board Director. Past President Cleave Ham, who has served our club in many capacities, including a Board Director, President-Elect and our Club President in 2023-2024, also steps off the Board. We have accomplished a lot during their term and appreciate their dedication and commitment to making our club “even better”!
Rotary International Convention in Calgary
The Rotary International Convention is this coming week in Calgary, Canada. Our club will be represented by President Robert Sullivan, President-Elect Karla Combs and Past President and Incoming District Governor Sandy Morckel. We wish them all safe travels and look forward to hearing about the convention when they return.
Welcome New Member
Welcome to our newest Rotarian, Allison Sims, who was inducted into our club this past Tuesday. Her sponsor Chris Olson was unable to attend our meeting on Tuesday, so Harry Staley stepped in and introduced Allison to the membership. She will hold the classification of Real Estate. We are honored to have Allison 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:
- William Howle – sponsor: Baxter Hahn; classification: CVB
- Holton Siegling– sponsor: Lewis Edge, classification: Ministry
- Randy Owens – sponsor: Sandy Morckel; classification: Health/Home Care
- Leonardo Reeder – sponsor: Jason Noble/Paul Stoney; classification: Real Estate
In the event you know William, Holton, Randy or Leo, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideas of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian Meredith Mule from Beacon Point Advisors spoke about legacy and financial planning, emphasizing leaving assets to heirs or charity while minimizing taxes. She mentioned managing over $43 billion of bandwidth and her role as a park commissioner appointed by Governor McMaster.
Birthdays
- 6/26 – Fred Holbrook
- 6/27 – Rudy Thomas
- 6/29 – Dan West
- 7/2 – Past President & DG Sandy Morckel
- 7/3 – Chappy McKay
- 7/4 – Hugh Lane
- 7/7 – Chip Wyatt
- 7/11 – Megan Fink
- 7/13 – Heidi Finniff & Carroll Schweers
- 7/15 – Stephen Moody
- 7/18 – Jerry Kozel
- 7/21 – President Robert Sullivan
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
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