November 14, 2023
Our meeting this week recognized Veterans’ Day and all the great men and woman who have served our country. A special honor guard presentation by the Charleston County Sheriff Department kicked off our meeting and we welcomed former Marine John Warren, a successful entrepreneur and book author who shared his thoughts on applying Marine Corps values to business. We will celebrated the 248th birthday of the United States Marine Corps (formed by an act of the Continental Congress on November 10, 1775).
To access a recording of this meeting, go here.
Passcode: Y&=@H2oB
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- The Honor Guard from the Charleston County Sherriff’s Office led by Captain Fletcher Ferguson presented the colors.
- James Dusenberry gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Kathleen Stevens welcomed all visiting Rotarians & guests.
- Health and Happiness was presented by President Cleave.
- Skip Fink, Chair of our Veteran’s Committee, introduce our guest speaker, John Warren, who is a successful entrepreneur, Marine, and political activist. He discussed applying Marine Corp. values to business.
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MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
November 21, 2023 | Issue 5109 President: Cleave Ham
UPCOMING EVENTS
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- 11/21 – NO MEETING (Thanksgiving)
- 11/28 – Robert Boyles, DNR
- 12/5 – Jonathan Diorio, College of Charleston. Tech investor
- 12/8 – Salvation Army Bell Ringing
- 12/12 – Holiday Luncheon @ Hall’s
- 12/14 – Ansonborough House Holiday Lunch
- 12/19 – NO MEETING (Holidays)
- 12/26 – NO MEETING (Holidays)
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NEWS BRIEFS
Reminder … Guest RSVP Protocol
If you are planning to bring a guest to Rotary, please 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.
Special Dietary Requests
If you have a special dietary request or need, be sure to let Carroll know in advance of a meeting. She will work with the staff at Hall’s to ensure that you are prepared a special plate that meets your restrictions. Please do not enter the kitchen area to make a last minute special request.
No Meeting on November 21 – Happy Thanksgiving
We will not meet on Tuesday, November 21. We hope everyone enjoys this special time with family and friends.
Blue Buckets – Holiday Gratuity for Servers (Dec. 5th last day to donate)
You can support our servers/kitchen staff at Hall’s Signature Events by making a CASH donation in the Blue Buckets during our meetings on 11/28 and 12/5. All BLUE bucket donations at those two meetings will be collected and given as a holiday gift to the wonderful staff at Halls’s to show our appreciation for all they do for us each Tuesday.
Change in Membership Status Deadline (IMPORTANT)
If you plan a change in your club member status by January 1, 2024 to Excused, Leave of Absence, E-Member or if you are planning to resign, please notify Carroll in writing NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1st. All membership changes will need to be reviewed and approved by the Board at the December 5th meeting. Membership changes will affect your January-June dues statement, which will be distributed in mid-December. Our club is required by Rotary International to pay semi-annual dues for all members on the club’s membership list as of January 1. If you resign after the December 1 deadline, you will be responsible for paying the Rotary International dues which the club pays for you on January 1. If you have any questions, contact Carroll.
Holiday Luncheon at Hall’s – RSVP BY DEC. 5TH
Our Annual Holiday Luncheon will be held at Hall’s Chophouse (434 King Street) on Tuesday, December 12th at 12:00noon (doors open at 11:30am).
Senior Holiday Giving
We are gearing up for our Annual Senior Gift Giving for the residents of the Ansonborough House. We are again very proud to have the opportunity to make sure all 80 residents of the Ansonborough House have a wonderful holiday. This year we will be hosting a luncheon for the seniors on December 14 and giving each resident a holiday card with a Harris Teeter gift card inside. We need 8-10 volunteers to help with the card stuffing immediately following our Holiday Luncheon on 12/12 (1:30-2:30pm), as well as 8-10 volunteers to help host/serve the lunch from 12:30pm – 2:30pm on 12/14. If you would like to help with this project, please reach out to Sandy Morckel at smorckel@gmail.com or Karla Combs sclowcountrylady@gmail.com
Salvation Army Bellringing
Our long-standing holiday tradition continues! We will be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army on Friday, Dec. 8 from 10am-6pm. We will have two stations. A sign-up opportunity will be emailed to all members soon. Be on the lookout for it as we need lots of volunteers! This a fun, festive way to serve our community!
Local Organizations Award RCCF Grants
On behalf of our club and the RCCF Committee, Past President and current RCCF Chair, Lisa Van Bergen, presented 5 local organizations with RCCF grant checks this past Tuesday.
Charleston Legal Access was represented by Lana Kleiman. Our club’s donation will fund an upgrade to their phone system that has been in use since 2016. This will enable them to have fewer dropped calls, clients will now have the ability to send requests via text and better transcription services will be available. This grant was sponsored by Past President Alissa Lietzow.
Charleston Pro Bono was represented by Sydney Ford. Our club’s donation will assist with the funding to provide translation services to their clients who are victims of human trafficking. This grant was sponsored by Past President Digit Matheny.
First Tee-Greater Charleston was represented by Bucky Dudley. Our club’s donation will provide 25 children in the Charleston area with First Tee programming scholarships for 2024. The children receiving scholarships are facing financial hardships. This grant was sponsored by President-Elect Robert Sullivan.
Helping & Lending Outreach Support (HALOS) was represented by JR Carter. Our club’s donation will purchase car seats, cribs and beds (critical goods) for children being raised by a grandparent or other relative (kinship care). This grant was sponsored by Secretary Debbie Barton.
Reading Partners was represented by Dyrell Clark. Our club’s donation will purchase books that will be distributed to students participating in the “Take Reading with You” project. All children participating in the in-school tutoring program are eligible to receive up to 25 books per year. This grant was sponsored by Clara Heinsohn.
We congratulate all RCCF grant recipients and appreciate all their organizations do to assist those in need in our community. We were able to grant 7 different local organizations during the Fall grant cycle.
Board Nominating Information – Election Day is Tuesday, 12/5
In line with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Rotary Club of Charleston, the secretary shall supply each member in good standing with a roster giving the names of those members who are eligible to serve on the Board of Directors. The below list reflects those eligible members who have agreed to serve, if elected.
The By-Laws were revised in June 2017 and state that to be eligible for election to the Board of Directors, a selectee, must be a member in good standing of the Rotary Club of Charleston (with no current dues delinquencies) and must be a member of the Rotary Club of Charleston for at least twelve (12) months as of October 1 of the year in which the election is to occur and met all requirements of a Blue Badge member. Additionally, the selectee must have exhibited regular and reliable attendance of at least 70% (including make-ups) over the past twelve (12) months and must not have served on the Board in the prior twelve (12) months unless otherwise permitted herein. A member must also have actively participated in a committee of the Club, as determined by the nominating committee. If elected, a member must agree to become a sustaining member of the Rotary Foundation and agree to attend at least one of the following District meetings: District Convention, District Assembly or District Foundation Meeting.
The list of eligible members shall be presented to the members of the Club who shall by ballot each indicate their first through fourth preferences from the below list of eligible members to serve on the Board of Directors for the coming year. Each member, in attendance at the annual meeting, or by proxy previously submitted, shall have four (4) votes to elect the four (4) new Board Members. The annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 5th.
Rotary members who are to remain on the Board of Directors during the 2024-2025 year are: Cleave Ham (Past President), Robert Sullivan (President), Marion Platt, Travis Ronk, Karla Combs, and Alan Burgreen. Outgoing members are: Paul Stoney, Amy Riley, and Michael Smith. Dan West is currently serving on the Board but eligible for election to a full term because he is currently completing the remainder of a 2022-24 term for a prior Board member, who resigned in December, 2022).
Nominating Committee
The following members have been assigned by President Cleave Ham and Nominating Chairperson Paul Stoney to the Nominating Committee: Past President Rob Dewey, Past President Lisa Van Bergen, Stefany Ceccato and Kelsey Willey.
Members Eligible and Willing to Serve:
- Rob Byko
- Cody Callarman
- Karen Clark
- Sarah Dolan
- Julianne Farnsworth
- Eric Farr
- Nick Galizia
- Mike Sottak
- Barb Walters
- Dan West
Get Involved on a Committee!
At our Rotary Club Assembly meeting on Tuesday, July 11, our Club committee chairs gave excellent presentations about their committees and their plans for this Rotary year. Their enthusiasm and leadership for their committees was apparent to all! We are grateful to them, as well as to all of their subcommittee chairs and committee members who help accomplish their committees’ goals on behalf of our Rotary Club.
Other members can also sign up to explore and potentially help with Club committees as well, as follows:
- Click on this link to a “Google form”, and follow the prompts to input your name, contact info (email and cell phone), and check-off committees of interest. Committee Chairs are indicated for each committee.
- When completed, click “submit”.
This information will be shared with the Club’s committee chairs
To watch the recording of Tuesday, July 11 meeting and the committee chair presentations, please use this link (the Club Assembly portion of the meeting begins at about the 12:20 mark): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/UsVssdFBsyCBl1wG8EQYdKuOHj7WSsKSppoqQmN3WGMpDQP55eABw3NOjagrXExB.NgmO3b0fbeq50lBAPasscode: 2pb8KYP#
If you attended the Club Assembly on Zoom, or watch the meeting recording, please let Carroll know and she will give you “attendance credit”.
We look forward to your participation and engagement!
July-Dec 2022 Dues Are Past Due – Credit Card/Bank Transfers Accepted On-Line
July-December 2023 dues invoices have been distributed and are now more than 60 days past due. Past due notices were sent out before Labor Day and payment is due promptly. As a reminder, we are able to accept credit card and bank transfer payments on-line. Members just simply have to click on the “pay now” button on their invoice and make payment. We hope this feature makes those of you paying by credit card or bank transfer easier. We also continue to also accept payments by check.
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
Members are encouraged to follow all of our social media channels 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, mikesottak@gmail.com, or Rob Byko, rob@bykorealty.com
MEMBER NEWS
Our thoughts and prayers are with Robin Freer, who has been hospitalized this past week. We wish him a speedy and full recovery.
Proposed New Member
The following membership candidate has submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
Tom Feeney – sponsor: Michael Smith; classification: Banking/Commercial. In the event you know Tom, please tell a member of the Board how he will serve the ideals of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rotarian: Elizabeth Lynn
- JOINED: February 21, 2023
- SPONSOR: John Tecklenburg
- CLASSIFICATION: College Planning
- PROFESSION: Knowledge About College, Johns Island
- Community Service Organizations, Current Activities or Activities/Volunteer Work in the Past:Low Country Marine Mammal volunteer, El Sisstemo Musical Minds Board member, Therapeutic Horsemanship volunteer and Board Member.
Birthdays
- Nov. 21 – Graham Kennedy & Clara Heinsohn
- Nov. 22 – Jay Gibson & Alissa Lietzow
WELLNESS TIP
Slow Down and Savor
This is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your holiday meal without going overboard. Just by eating slower, you’ll consume fewer calories. If you eat too fast, you can easily eat past the point of fullness. However, eating slowly gives your brain time to signal from your stomach that it’s full.
Slowing down also gives you the chance to appreciate the food before you. So eat slowly and really taste the food instead of wolfing it down. Put your fork down between bites and savor each mouthful of food. Enjoy all the delicious things you are eating.
OTHER AREA ROTARY CLUBS
Mondays
https://www.cainhoyrotary.com/
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
Wednesdays
Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Hibben Methodist Church, 690 Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant
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: Cleave Ham
Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, carrollschweers@gmail.com
Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029, Charleston, SC 29413-1029
Copyright 2018, Rotary Club of Charleston. All rights reserved