March 31, 2026
We welcomed Jon Olson, Chief Legal Officer at Blackbaud, one of the outstanding tech business success stories of the Charleston area and a true example of a company committed to Service Above Self. He gave an overview of the history and growth of the company, powered by the innovative and impactful technology empowering more than 40,000 non-profit organizations around the world. The company’s solutions, supported by a worldwide employee base of 3,000 employees around the world, are increasingly leveraging the power of AI to help community-driven organizations strengthen themselves. Jon also mentioned the commitment by Blackbaud to give back to the communities it serves, citing both the impressive corporate and employee participation levels in giving programs, projects, and organizations it enables.
Lots going on in the coming months, including our big Spring Boil & Build outing and fundraiser on April 23, plus Fans in the Stands, the Duck Race and more. 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 replay of the meeting on Zoom, go here
Passcode: w7QX.PVS
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Paul Attaway gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Owen Clary introduced our visiting Rotarians & guests
- Our guest speaker, Jon Olson, Chief Legal Counsel for Blackbaud, was introduced by fellow Rotarian Harry Staley.
- MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
April 7, 2026 | Issue 5188| President: Karla Combs
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 4/8 – Bikes for Africa Collection w/CofC, 2-5pm, Rivers Green Park
- 4/14 – Laura Pelzer, Charleston Library Society (11am Board Mtg)
- 4/21 – TBD
- 4/23 – Spring Social/Fundraiser @ Charleston County Park. Go here.
- 4/25 – Charleston Miracle League “Fans in the Stands” Go here
- 4/28 – TBD
NEWS BRIEFS
Reminder … NO MEETING THIS TUESDAY, APRIL 7
We will NOT be meeting for lunch this Tuesday, April 7. We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and enjoys this special time with family and friends!
Bikes for Africa Collection Date: April 8
The College of Charleston in cooperation with our Rotary Club is collecting used bikes (in any condition- parts will be used) to fill a shipping container being sent to South Africa. We are halfway to our goal of collecting 500 bikes to match last year. See below for collection drop-off site and details. Please also share the attached flyer with your friends and coworkers.
- Location: Rivers Green Park: 71 Coming Street, Charleston SC 29401
- Date/Time: Wednesday, 4/8 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM
Boil & Build Social: April 23
Our spring social and fundraiser event is off and running. Please plan on joining us on April 23rd at James Island County Park for a great afternoon/evening of low country food, fellowship, and a chance to win one of three great getaway trips through our raffle.All the funds go to supporting our Charleston Rotary Foundation fund, which provides needed resources to great non-profits all around the Lowcountry
Be a “Fan in the Stands” & Support the Charleston Miracle League: April 25
Mark your calendars to come show your support the Charleston Miracle League by being “Fans in the Stands” at their games on Saturday, April 25 from 10am-12noon. This will be a special day as CCSD Special Needs Teachers of the Year from all 3 School Levels will also be recognized. Let’s show our support for these exceptional educators! To sign up, click the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A4AA2AA7F5C52-63190580-fans
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/ !
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.
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
Our thoughts and prayers are with District Governor-Elect Herman Dixon, who had a serious bike accident, and is currently hospitalized.
We are pleased to welcome our newest Rotarians! President Karla formally inducted Chris Geel, Mena Hanna, and Rachel Coker at the meeting held this past Tuesday. Chris Geel was introduced and sponsored by Jerry Kozel and will hold the classification of Law/Personal Injury/Family. Sarah Beardsley, together with Steve Dopp, introduced and co-sponsored Mena Hanna and Rachel Coker, who join us as Corporate Members under the classification of Festival/Management. We welcome these new members into our Rotary family.
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
- 4/7 – Past President Alex Dallis
- 4/12 – Evan Carl
- 4/13 – Mackie Moore
- 4/14 – Michael Smith
- 4/15 – Wills Denton
- 4/19 – Chito Walker, Bill Raver
- 4/20 -Eric Farr, Sam Skardon, Allison Sims
WELLNESS TIP
Make half your plate veggies
A simple hack for healthy eating (and portion control) is to make half your plate veggies at each meal. The veggies pack in essential vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients important for health and longevity. And, because they’re rich in fiber, they help to aid digestion (aka keep you regular!) and keep you feeling full longer.
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]