October 14, 2025
Our guest speaker was Abby Foster who discussed the growing drug addiction crisis, particularly among young people and what her organization is doing to help address it.
No meeting this week!
Lots of great stuff going on in the Club, including the our next social on Oct 29. 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: &4u2!C1b
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Tyler Jones gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Randy Owen welcomed our visiting Rotarians and guests.
- Brooke Manheimer introduced our guest speaker, Abby Foster of WakeUp Carolina.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
October 28, 2025 | Issue 5182| President: Karla Combs
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 10/28 – NO ROTARY MEETING
- 10/29 – October Social: Red Palm Tavern
- 11/4 – John Boyleston, SCDOT
- 11/11 – Anita Huggins, Superintendent of Schools, CCSD (11am Board Mtg)
- 11/18 – TBD
- 11/25 – NO ROTARY MEETING (Happy Thanksgiving)
NEWS BRIEFS
Reminder … NO MEETING THIS TUESDAY, OCT. 28
We will NOT be meeting for lunch this Tuesday, October 28th. We look forward to having everyone back with us on November 4th.
Social at Red Palm Tavern
Our October Social will be held this Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Red Palm Tavern, 45 Romney Street from 5-7pm. To RSVP please click the Sign Up Genius link below to help us count preliminary attendance. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-59604126-october We look forward to seeing you there! Appetizers will be provided by the club.
Rotary Educator of the Month Program
This week marked the second installment in our project to recognize the Rotary Educator of the Month for Mitchell Elementary. The October recipient is Ebony Richardson, Child Development Teacher’s Assistant, and she was accompanied by Tracy Gordon, Mitchell’s Academic Engagement Specialist. Ms. Richardson is always willing to jump in whenever and wherever she is needed. She leads effective small groups and helps everyone with big emotions. She does so many little things which make each day run so smoothly.
Support the College of Charleston LIFE Program
Our Board has elected to fund and match up to $15,000 for a scholarship to a local Charleston student to attend the College of Charleston LIFE program that we learned a lot about during last week’s meeting. If you were unable to attend, I highly encourage you to watch the recording to see the amazing details about the program and the outstanding involvement our community has played in, and the benefits received as a result. Please see below for the PayPal link to make matching donations. Due to the specialized curriculum and teachers involved, this program is more costly than the standard tuition, but the need for these students to be a part of our community has never been greater. Please feel free to share this link with family, friends and co-workers so we can achieve our goal of funding a full-year tuition for a local student. https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=M2LTBDNNBNC8E
Continue to Support Polio and By Becoming a Polio Plus Society Member
All Rotarians are encouraged to continue to support Rotary International’s efforts to take action and end Polio for good. You can support our efforts to end Polio by becoming a Polio Plus Society member by donating $100 through this link https://raise.rotary.org/Sandy-Morckel/fundraiser987.
Club Seeking Outbound Exchange Student for 2026/2027 School Year
Our club is currently accepting applications to sponsor a local high school student for an outbound exchange for the 2026/2027 school year. The Rotary International Youth Exchange Program offers teenage high school students ages 15-19 an opportunity to make new friends, learn new ways of living, open themselves up to different ideas, a new culture, traditions, experiences, and to adapt and gain fresh perspectives while attending high school in another country and living with 2- 3 host families arranged through the local Rotary Club. Typically, the exchanges offer the same benefits to host families. The parents of sponsored outbound students for the exchange program will need to be one of the hosts for the Charleston Rotary Club’s sponsored inbound students (for 3-6 months), while their children are overseas on their exchanges.
- The students selected for sponsorship will go overseas in August 2026, for the 2026/2027 school year, attend high school and will be hosted by 2 to 3 families and the local Rotary Club in the host country.
- The Charleston area family of the sponsored student will need to be one of the hosts for our sponsored inbound student that will arrive in August 2026.
CCSD currently supports this program and is accepting inbound international exchange students at various Charleston County high schools for the 2025/2026 school year and has done so for many years. The following is a website link for additional link formation: Rotary International Youth / Student Exchange Information: Youth Exchanges | Rotary International . Interested students and families will need to complete an application, engage in an interview process, and attend online and in-person training before the exchange year begins in August 2026.
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!!
“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
Welcome New Members 
Drew McPhail and Lynn Burnett! And, a BIG Welcome Back to Leah Donaldson! All three of these members were inducted at our meeting on Tuesday. Drew is a former member of the Summerville Lunch Club, who will hold the classification of Medical/Chiropractic. He was introduced and sponsored by Mickey Renner. Lynn Burnett, who was sponsored by Jan Luth, was introduced by Jerry Kozel. She join us with the classification of Real Estate/Residential. And, former member of our club, Leah Donaldson, was introduced and sponsored by Rob Byko. She join us as a Corporate Associate member of the Charleston County Library and will hold the classification of Library/Admin. We are excited to have these new members join our Rotary family!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Riana Brennan
New Rotarian Riana gave us an introduction to herself. A native of Santa Cruz, Calif. and a junior chess champion and accomplished volley ball player (she played at CoC), she grew up in a Rotary family and had the ideals of service embedded in her early on. After college, she started a home care business and later sold it to a company where she still works, providing premium home based medical care . She enjoys outdoor activities, travel and contributing to community service, particularly through Rotary that has been a common thread in her life.
Birthdays
- 10/30 – Robbie Nichols
- 11/1 – Ricky Bailey, President-Elect Marion Platt, Kay Minson
WELLNESS TIP
Consume immunity-boosting foods
As the weather gets colder and flu season starts, it’s important for your immune system to be in tip-top shape. Eating healthy foods with vitamin C (like limes, oranges, and clementines) are key to fighting off infections. Garlic, ginger, spinach, and almonds are also big winners when it comes to boosting your health and immunity.
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]