March 25, 2026
This week, our own Dave Echols, general manager of the Charleston Riverdogs, gave us an update on the upcoming season for our hometown favorites. Dave talked about the business of minor league baseball, how well the Riverdogs have done in the recent past, and his goal to make every game, an entertaining experience for the fans. It’s truly one of the highlights of any visit to Charleston and a great outing for families who live here all the time. Come out and catch a Riverdogs game this year at The Joe. And a special treat this season will be an appearance by the Savannah Bananas, an extremely popular twist on traditional baseball that is entertaining fans everywhere.
Lots going on in the coming months, including our big Spring outing and fundraiser on April 23. Check out the Keyway for upcoming events and schedules.
To join an upcoming Zoom meeting, use this link and the passcode: Rotary.
To see a reply of the meeting on Zoom, go here
Passcode: cB7x.0vk
Passcode: CY^LEFS3
-
- Julianne Farnsworth gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Sean Holleran introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests.
- Fellow Rotarian and guest speaker Dave Echols, General Manager of the Charleston Riverdogs, was introduced by Nick Pavia and provided an informative presentation regarding the team and the forthcoming baseball season.
- MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
March 31, 2026 | Issue 5187| President: Karla Combs
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 3/24 – Dave Echols – Charleston Riverdogs
- 3/31 – Jon Olson, BlackBaud
- 4/1 – International Grant Applications due
- 4/3 – NO MEETING
- 4/14 – Laura Pelzer, Charleston Library Society (11am Board Mtg)
- 4/21 – TBD
- 4/23 – Spring Social/Fundraiser @ Charleston County Park
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 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 and sign in at the Membership Table.
Adopt a Duck
Our Rotary club is teaming up with the Daniel Island Rotary Club for this year’s Duck Race on May 31. You can support both our club and the RCCF by adopting one or more ducks. To participate, simply click the link: https://charlestonduckrace.com/participating-clubs/historic-rotary-club-of-charleston/ ! 
Zoom Volunteers Needed
We are in need of some additional folks to help out with the Zoom/AV duties at our weekly meetings. As you know, Zoom is a great platform to allow members to participate in meetings even if they can make it IRL (that’s in “in real life” for anyone over the age of 25). And we are a bit shorthanded at the moment It doesn’t require any more skills than what you’ve probably developed using Zoom in other aspects of your working or personal life, and the club provides all the gear need, including a PC. The current Zoom team of Mike, Marion and Mark M will help train you. If you can pitch in about once a month to support this important aspect of our weekly meetings, please contact [email protected] or see me at a meeting.
Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight provides you with the opportunity to share your background, work and hobbies with our membership. It’s a great way for other members to learn more about you. You can be a long-time club member or a new member to participate. Please review the available slots below and sign up to secure your spot. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-60923410-member
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 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.
“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.
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 a new 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
Paul Harris Fellows Recognized
This past Tuesday, our club’s Rotary Foundation Chair, Heidi Finniff, was honored to recognize several Rotarians with Paul Harris Fellows.
- Angela Craig – PHF
- Dave Echols – PHF +1
- Jerry Kozel – PHF +2
- Rob Byko – PHF +5
Former President and current District Governor Sandy Morckel received the PHF + 6 award at the District Conference held last weekend. We appreciate these Rotarians for their ongoing support of our club and the Rotary Foundation.
District Conference Support
This past weekend, our club had strong participation at the District Conference in North Charleston. We want to commend the members who contributed to making the 2026 District Conference a successful event.
- District Governor: Sandy Morckel
- Main Sponsor: Jason Noble/Clear Picture Financial
- Club President: Karla Combs
- Speakers: DJ Hampton, Trident United Way; Marion Platt – Invocation & Introduced DJ; John Bleecker – Polio Survivor
- Aide/Host to RI President’s Representative: Past President Cleave Ham
- Sergeant-At-Arms Committee/Raffle: Digit Matheny, Robert Sullivan, Nick Galizia, Sean Holleran
- Registration Volunteers: Karen Clark, Barb Walters, Clara Heinsohn, Denise Kaufman, Hazel Shore, Carroll Schweers
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Mike Sottak
Long-time Rotarian Mike Sottak shared the highlights of his life journeys over the years, traveling to different places, traveling and living in different places, and enjoying some very interesting locations in the Caribbean, Europe, and throughout the U.S. Mike has been a Rotarian for 23 years and is a past president of his former club.
Birthdays
- 4/3 – Tamara Curry
WELLNESS TIP
Take 10 Minutes to Yourself
It may not be a long time but just having some quiet time to do what YOU want, instead of what others want you to do, can help you recharge your batteries.
OTHER AREA MEETINGS
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: Karla Combs
Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, [email protected]