July 23, 2025
We welcomed Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie to our club. He gave us an update on the activities under his jurisdiction as the Sheriff’s Department works across the county to make the Lowcountry a safer place. Sheriff Ritchie talked about his background in the military, local police in Mount Pleasant, and in politics as a member of Mount Pleasant town council and how the relationships he has built over his career have served him well in helping the various police, legal, government and service organizations work together in a more collaborative way. Thanks you for all you do, Sheriff Ritchie.
We also enjoyed a colorful Member Spotlight talk from long-time Rotarian Owen Clary. Check the video for this one!
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: 0NRCL!*Y
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Zach Serrins gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Jennifer Flanagin welcomed our visiting Rotarians and guests.
- Past President Rob Dewey introduced our guest speaker, Charleston County Sheriff Carl Richie.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
July 292, 2025 | Issue 5173 | President: Karla Combs
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 7/29 – District Governor Sandy Morckel (Sign to make a donation to Windwood Farm and bring the items to the meeting)
- 8/5 – NO MEETING
- 8/12 – Morgan Crapps, Redwood Materials
- 8/19 – Tyler Jones, Chas. Edge Collective, College Sports & NIL
- 8/26 – Eric Bland, Murdaugh Case & Leadership
- 9/2 – NO MEETING (Labor Day Holiday)
NEWS BRIEFS
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.
School Supply Donations for Windwood Farm
As a kick-off to our new Rotary year, we will be collecting school supplies for Windwood Farm, whose caseworkers are working with approximately 80 kids in the community. Windwood Farm serves boys aged 6-16 who 1.) have experienced prior abuse and neglect, and are in the custody of SC Department of Social Services, or 2.) are experiencing behavioral issues without abuse or neglect and are in their parents’ custody. Below is a link to the Signup Genius which lists the items Windwood is seeking for donation. Please review these items and sign-up for the item(s) you would like to donate. We will be collecting these items at our regular Tuesday meetings so please bring them with you; should you have items to donate but are not able to attend a Tuesday meeting, please reach out to me directly to coordinate pick-up. If another Rotarian has signed up for item(s) you would like to donate, please do not hesitate to sign-up for the same item, as duplicate donations will still be used given the needs of the children. Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-57539963-windwood
Global Grant Scholars
Our club is pleased to be sponsoring two candidates for a Rotary Global Grant Scholarship this year. Global Grants are for graduate students studying abroad in one of Rotary’s areas of focus:
- Promoting peace
- Fighting disease
- Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
- Saving mothers and children
- Supporting education
- Growing local economies
- Protecting the environment
Scholarships last from one to four years and can include an entire degree program. Global grant scholarships are funded using District Designated Funds (DDF), cash, and directed gifts and endowment earnings. The Foundation will provide an 80% World Fund match for all DDF contributions.
Rhiannon Wilkinson and Lucy McArthur were selected as candidates by our club this year and have been frequent visitors to our luncheons. Karen Clark, Debbie Barton and members of the International Committee has been preparing them for the District interviews, which will take place the weekend of August 8th in Columbia. Both of these ladies are outstanding representatives of our club and community. We wish them all the best during the interview process.
“Birthday” Blue Bucket Donations
President Karla plans to announce all monthly member birthdays at the first meeting of every month. Blue Buckets will now be “Birthday” buckets and all donated contributions, unless otherwise announced, will go to support BabyBLOOMS, which is a program at the Ronald McDonald House Charleston. This new program offers support and resources designed to strengthen and assist families as they journey from the hospital to home. Through weekly learning and activity sessions, BabyBLOOMS seeks to enhance the parenting experience using evidenced-based practices, while creating an opportunity to enrich bonding, infant care, and development.
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.
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 Jason Noble, jnoble @primefinancial.com
MEMBER NEWS
Congratulations to Rotarian Dan Curia who was awarded the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs 2025 Career Fire Chief of the Year. See below article here.
New Members
President Karla inducted our first new members of this Rotary year this past Tuesday. Randy Owen, who is former member of the West Ashley Rotary Club, was introduced and sponsored by Past President & District Governor Sandy Morckel. He will hold the classification of Health/Home Care. Jan Luth introduced and sponsored her good friend, Hazel Shore. Hazel Shore is retired and looks forward to getting involved in the club and serving our community. Holton Siegling, who is a long-time Rotarian and a former Rotary Past President, was introduced and sponsored by Lewis Edge. He will hold the classification of Ministry. We welcome these new members into our Rotary family.
Paul Harris Fellow
Rotary Foundation Chair, Heidi Finniff, recognized Skip Fink with a PHF + 6 this past Tuesday. We appreciate Skip’s continuous dedication and support of our club, Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian Owen Clary, who has 50 years of service under his belt (including 49 with perfect attendance) gave us a colorful account of his life’s journey. While he has a razor sharp memory, it doesn’t hurt that he’s been journaling every day of his life since he was 13, accumulating hundreds of journals that contain his thoughts and observations throughout his well traveled adventures. Owen, whose family has been in South Carolina for more than 300 years, dating back to their migration as Huguenots from France (where there is a town that bears the family name), shared a number of anecdotes and learnings that we can all benefit from. Thank for your remarkable service Rotarian Owen, and for the entertaining talk.
Birthdays
- 7/31 – Richard Kelly
- 8/1 – Jeremy Cook
- 8/3 – Julianne Farnsworth
WELLNESS TIP
Lighten Up Your Plate
Summer is full of fresh fruits and vegetables at their peak. Take advantage of seasonal produce like berries, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes. These foods not only taste great but also provide hydration and important nutrients. Keep meals light and balanced to avoid that sluggish mid-afternoon feeling.
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