September 15, 2025
We heard from Doctor Marc Benard who runs Operation Footprint, which is a recipient of a International Grant from our club for facility in El Salvador. Marc is also a fellow Rotarian. Operation Footprint is a global humanitarian mission that for nearly 50 years has provided specialized medical care for emerging countries and under-resourced communities in India, Central & South America and elsewhere. Operation Footprint relies heavily on grants, including a large amount for Rotary, and has provided more than 3,000 orthopedic and reconstructive surgical procedures to those in need due to severe birth defects and conditions related to feet and legs, including the effects of polio and cerebral palsy.
Lots of great stuff going on in the Club and in the community and a couple of service opportunities coming up. Don’t forget our September Social on September 24 at Bay Street Biergarten and the Amore Healing Kitchen Garden Party of Sept. 27.
Check the Keyway for more info. 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: H4V?0YcQ
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Past President Paul Stoney gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Allison Sims welcomed our visiting Rotarians and guests.
- Jerry Kozel introduced our speaker, Dr. Marc Bernard, who discussed Operation Footprint. Operation Footprint was one of our club’s 2024/2025 International Grant recipients
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
September 23, 2025 | Issue 5177| President: Karla Combs
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 9/23 – Chris Crolley, Coastal Expeditions (11am Book Club)
- 9/24 – September Social; Bat Street Biergarten: 5:30PM
- 9/27 – “Garden Party” at Amore Healing Kitchen (A RCCF grant recipient) 11-1: see info below
- 9/30 – College of Charleston LIFE Program (11:15 am New Member Orientation)
- 10/7 – TBD
- 10/14 – 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.
Social This Wednesday at Bay Street Biergarten
Make plans to join us for our September Club Social at Bay Street Biergarten, 549 East Bay Street, THIS Wednesday night, 5:30-7:30pm. We have reserved the extended front patio which includes corn hole and ping pong. There will be appetizers and members will be responsible for their own beverages. There is parking on-site. Please click the Sign Up Genius link below, if you plan to attend. We do need to give the venue an attendance estimate. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-58589242-september
Garden Party at Amore Healing Kitchen
Amore Healing Kitchen us excited to invite all Rotarians to its Garden Party on Sat. Sept. 27 11-1. We’ll have food for sale, vendors, “ask a gardener”, and community. 🙂 Says Amore Director Maria Kelly: “We’d love to see you, as this garden is the fruit from our Rotary grant! It is still a work in progress but we have some beautiful herbs, flowers, and baby trees planted and thriving. ” C’mon out and see the impact of our RCCF grants!
Children’s Book Donations Being Accepted during September
Our Rotary Club is partnering with the Charleston Library Society (“CLS”) for their new Book Drop Program. For the month of September, our Club will be accepting donations of new and gently used books for children aged 0-5. We will be accepting donations at our regular Tuesday meetings for the remainder of the month. The CLS Book Drop Program is aimed at enhancing early literacy opportunities for children who may not have access to age-appropriate books. The CLS Book Drop Program will be placing these books in Mini Free Libraries throughout the Charleston area that are designated as literacy deserts by community partners.
CCSD Invites Rotarians to be a “Principal for an A+ Day”
As a valued member of our school community, we invite you to sign up to be a Principal for an A+ Day on Monday, September 29, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and step into the fun, fast-paced world of school leadership! From morning greetings to connecting with students, staff, and families, you’ll experience it all—while building meaningful relationships across our schools through the CCSD LOCAL program!
How it Works:
- Express your interest in serving
- Get matched with a school
- Sit back, relax, and enjoy (4) four fun-filled hours in our schools planned just for YOU!
Check out highlights from last year’s PFAD and get ready for a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s more than a day—it’s a chance to make a lasting impact. We hope you will join us! For additional questions, please contact the CCSD LOCAL Team at [email protected] or (843) 937-6303.
Club Service Team Needs Meeting Day Volunteers
We are always looking for Greeters, Invocation & Pledge presenters, as well as volunteers to introduce our visiting Rotarians & guests at weekly meetings. Please contact Club Service Chairman, Sgt. Cody Callerman at [email protected] if you would like to volunteer at a weekly meeting.
Chess Club Needs Volunteers
Be A Mentor is a Charleston-based non-profit that partners caring adults with local youth to build supportive, one-on-one relationships that inspire growth, confidence and brighter futures. Through this program, Rotarian Cody Callerman has started a youth chess club to help students develop critical thinking, patience and a sense of community. Please contact Cody Callerman at [email protected] if you would like to be on our club’s Chess Team!!
New Member Orientation – Sept. 30th
The next new member orientation session is scheduled for Tuesday, September 30th at 11am. All new members who have not attended a previous session are encouraged to attend. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our club, our Rotary District and Rotary International. It is also a requirement on the New Member Check List.
“Birthday” Blue Bucket Donations
President Karla plans to announce all monthly member birthdays at the first meeting of every month. Blue Buckets will for the first meeting of the month will be “Birthday” buckets and all donated contributions the first meeting, 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. On the other Tuesdays of the month during July and August, Blue Bucket donations will go to the Kerrville, Texas Rotary to support flood disaster relief in their area.
July – December Dues 2025 Past Due
July-December 2025 dues invoices have been distributed via email and are now considered PAST DUE. Past due statements were emailed this past week to all those who haven’t made a payment. Payment is due promptly and partial payments are accepted. 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
Get Well Wishes
Our thoughts and prayers are with long-time Rotarian, John Bleecker, who is now recovering at home after spending some time in the hospital with COVID and pneumonia. We wish John a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back at Rotary soon!
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
- Lynn Burnett – sponsor: Jan Luth; classification: Real Estate/Residential
- Leah Donaldson – sponsor: Rob Byko; classification: Library/Admin (former member)
- Drew McPhail – sponsor: Mickey Renner; classification: Medical/Chiropractic
In the event you know Lynn, Leah or Drew, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideals of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian Denise Kaufmann gave us an overview of her company Team Logic IT, a full service IT service providers who specializes in supporting Microsoft and other networked and connected environments in businesses, as well as ensuring top notch security in IT operations. Her teams manages services provide 24×7 support for all sorts of businesses and has a team of highly skilled engineers who can help install and support anything related to internet, IT, IoT, networking, and telecom services.
Birthdays
- 9/23 – Jennifer Flanagin
- 9/24 – Past President John Tecklenburg
- 9/25 – Barb Walters, Hazel Shore, Anthony Libardi
- 9/26 – Past President Paul Stoney
- 9/27 – Past President Dan Ravenel
- 9/28 – Amy Page, Sarah Beardsley
- 9/29 – Catherine Jones
WELLNESS TIP
Spend Time Outdoors
Take advantage of the cooler September weather by spending time outside. Outdoor activities can improve mental health, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being. Whether it’s hiking, walking your dog, or simply enjoying nature, aim to get outside regularly.
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