May 13 2009

It was a rather unusual wednesday. Instead of the usual Rotary club
meeting, the members attended pancake beakfast arranged by Emilie Keene.
This started about 6:30 AM and continued till 9:30 AM. Several Rotary
members and business people from the community came to the drive through
and purchased breakfasts and contributed to the fundraising efforts.
Some members assisted in preparing the breakfast boxes to carry. Others
served breakfast to Rotary members who elected to sit down and had a
dialogue while eating delicious breakfast. There was a radio station
announcer that invited several members to speak on different issues.
Many Rotary members discussed local issues in an informal relaxed way
which was quite refreshing.

May 6 2009

The Rotary Club of Lake Murray-Irmo

Minutes of Meeting
May 6, 2009



The invocation was given by Scott Mosely.

John Hanson introduced guest.

Lyman Whitehead asked if there were any birthdays or anniversaries.

Patty Cavanaugh made reference to the flyer “Pause for the Cause” that was distributed on each table.

John Adair stated that there will be two cart presentations today at the Chamber of Commerce, one for $100,000.00 and one for $150,000.00. John thanked all members for contributions to the cart fund. John also stated that Barbara Wilm was voted to be awarded the Vocational Distinguished Service Award for Community Service at last weeks meeting.

Emily King reminded all members that next weeks pancake breakfast is to be held between 6:30 am – 9:30 am. Emily stated that Rotarians would not be charged for their own breakfast, but encouraged Rotarians to pick up and sell tickets for this event.

Reid Danielson, Bill Danielson’s son, gave his classification speech. Reid stated he is a 2003 graduate of Dutch Fork High School. Reid also stated he attended Clemson University, against his father’s wishes, and pursued an architectural degree but during the process changed to finance and graduated in 2007. Reid stated he went to work for Meridian Bank after graduation. Reid stated that he is the “best fruit of his father’s loins” which is a direct quote from Bill Danielson. Reid also stated that he does not have much history which was disputed by Bill Danielson stating he could provide plenty of history on his son if Reid could not remember it. Reid stated that probably should not be done in this venue.

Si Amick also gave his classification speech. Si stated he joined The Lake Murray-Irmo Rotary Club in 1989 after being asked by Jim Jeffers to visit the club. Si stated he is the oldest of six children, grew up in Columbia, went to Christ School in Asheville, and graduated in 1980 from USC. Si stated he married his childhood sweetheart, Betsy, in 1980. Si stated in 1991 he established Data Com Systems, built a house on Lake Murray, and he and Betsy had their first child. Si stated they have two children, Allison and Paul.

John Adair introduced the guest speaker, Bob Crutchfield. John stated Bob is a member of The Columbia Rotary Club, serves on numerous boards, and is President of Crutchfield Associates, Inc.

Bob thanked John for the introduction and stated that it is rare for him to speak before a group of which he knows probably 35% of the people. Bob stated in 1986 he started Crutchfield Associates, which is an out-placement company. Bob asked the members what they would do if at 3:30 pm this Friday afternoon they were told that they no longer had a job. Bob stated that there are two to three things in life that he categorizes as “bumps in the road” and are as follows: loss of job, divorce, and loss of a loved one. Bob stated these are the things that make you stop and think about what is really important in your life and establish your true priorities.

Bob stated he spent 20 years working for the Sears Corporation of which part of that time he was a store manager in Brunswick, Georgia. Bob stated there was a time when a new store was being opened and he sent all of his assistant managers to that store and ran his current store by himself for an extended period of time. Bob stated during this time he worked six days a week from 6:00 am until 10:00 pm and decided this was not what he really wanted to do for the rest of his life. At some point he relayed this message to his boss and eventually he was “in transition”. Bob stated this is when you no longer have a job and are searching for what you would like to do. Bob stated at that time he went to work for Lucas Associates, a recruiting firm in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved his wife and children to the basement of his mother’s home in Atlanta. Bob stated this is when you realize whether your wife really loves you or not. Bob stated in 1986 he started a recruiting business in Columbia. In 1990 this business transitioned into an out-placement company which is now called Crutchfield Associates, Inc.

Again, Bob asked Rotarians what happens when you lose a job. Bob stated that when you lose a job you often start looking in the newspaper. Bob stated that 90% of all jobs are not located in the newspaper. He stated that approximately 70% of the jobs come through recruiters and approximately 5% are on the internet. Bob stated that 90% of the people find their jobs through people that they know.

Bob stated when you are “in transition” he suggests that you create a letter that you send to every acquaintance you know letting them know that you are “in transition”. Bob stated in this letter you simply let your friends know that you are in transition and ask them to help you if they have any information on any available jobs. Bob stated you will find out who your true friends are and some of them will give you a call and at that time may request a resume. Bob stated the second letter that you need to write is to companies that you think may have some possibilities and you should send the letter only to the CEO along with a resume. Bob stated that the out placement company can help you with this process and they will also send letters to people that they know.

Bob stated that age used to be a factor, however, it is not the factor that it once was. Bob concluded his talk stating “nothing is as bad as you think” and “nothing is as good as you think.” Bob stated that out placement can help people find out the things that they would like to do and then try to find a place for them to do it. After Bob concluded his talk, one question that was asked was “why do bosses lay employees off on Friday”. Bob stated there is never a good time to lay anyone off, however, people do go home after work every Friday and over the weekend are able to be with their friends and family which may help them to transition into what should be done on Monday. Bob stated if a boss lays an employee off on Monday, the only place they can go is to their attorney. Joel Collins raised an eyebrow at this and after that President Eddie adjourned the meeting.

April 29 2009

Lake Murray-Irmo Rotary Meeting Minutes for April 29^th, 2009

President Eddie Robinson brought the meeting to order. John Hanson recognized visitors. President Robinson introduced his wife Cynthia, and mother Mozell Robinson. Lyman Whitehead provided the club with health and happiness. His joke about a lie detecting robot was an amusing start to the day. President Robinson then gave an update on Bill Kopelman saying that Bill was responding favorably to his treatment and asked that the club keep Bill in our thoughts and prayers. The meeting was then turned over to Emily Keene and Maria Hargrave for an update on the pancake breakfast. The breakfast will be held May 13^th at the Seven Oaks Park location. Tickets will be available for sale soon, as will signs to be posted inside business locations to advertise the event. The fundraising committee challenged the club members to try and sell at least five tickets a piece for the event which will help support our club and our community. John Adair addressed the club regarding the vocational distinguished service award. The nominees were: Doug Trevette of Trevette Mailing Service, Dr. Robert Callis of Lexington Family Practice, Dr. Jon Pitner of Pitner Orthodontics and Barbara Wilm of Lexington Medical Center. The club then voted via ballots at each table. The winner will be announced during next weeks meeting. Blount Shepard gave the club a review of the previous weekend’s highway cleanup. Ten to fifteen bags of trash were removed from the Farming Creek Rd.. Blount also recognized the bravery of several first time shad roe and oyster gravy eaters. Zeke Riddle even claimed to like the stuff. President Robinson called Patty Cavanaugh to assist him in the induction of the club’s newest Paul Harris Fellow. Mozell Robinson, President Robinson’s mother, was recognized for her years of service to the community educated children as a public school teacher. After the induction, President Robinson allowed time for Happy Dollars.

John Adair introduced the speaker, Lou Nolan. Lou is a member of the Five Points Club in Columbia. She has served as her club’s president and is currently the Assistant Governor-elect for Area 2 of District 7770. She is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and Sustaining Member. Lou is also on the Board of the Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust, or better known as the CART Fund. Lou spoke about the origin of the CART Fund, its mission and the current state of the Fund. She began with a story to illustrate the effects of Alzheimer’s. She spoke of a pair of sisters, one whom had been diagnosed at a relatively young age with the disease. The woman had trouble remembering dates and times, then the names of relatives, and eventually found it difficult to recognize her own husband. Lou explained that for adults between sixty and seventy years old, most will experience some degree of normal memory loss. Those that seem to have a more extreme case should seek medical help and undergo a memory test. Alzheimer’s can affect a person at any age but is seen more frequently in older individuals. In 1995, researchers discovered one of the most aggressive genes related to Alzheimer’s disease. In that same year, Robert Ackerman led the Sumter, SC Rotary Club in organizing and starting the CART Fund. The idea was that Rotarians empty their pocket change as a donation to the Fund to support research. The program has grown from the Sumter club and has been adopted by each Rotary district in North and South Carolina and Georgia. The money collected is used to support Alzheimer’s research through a single grant awarded each year to various approved medical research programs. The grants are awarded through an association with the American Federation for Aging Research who reviews grant proposals and recommends the best ones to the CART Fund. Lou added that 99% of the money donated goes directly to research. To date, the grants total $2.3 million to various research centers. As for the results of the grants Lou offered this example. The University of Texas – Medical Branch received a grant from CART to study testing of blood and spinal fluid for markers of Alzheimer’s. The tests were originally unsuccessful but the researchers did discover a new protein linked to the disease. The discovery aided in the development of a new brain scan technique that allows researchers and doctors to recognize the early development of Alzheimer’s “tangles” in the brain.

Meeting adjouned.

By Reid Danielson

President Eddie with his mother and new Paul Harris Fellow, Mozelle Robinson. Also Patty Cavenaugh.

April 22 2009

Lake Murray/Irmo Rotary Meeting
April 22, 2009

The meeting was called to order at 7:45 AM by President Elect Ginny Barr. The invocation was given by Skey Caskey. Darren Bouknight introduced the guests including Ron Altoff from the ST. Andrews club and Roy Caney from Ascensions. Lyman Whitehead brought laughter from the group with his health and happiness message for the day. Lynn Campbell did an excellent job of reviewing the Rotary magazine with the members and reminded folks that April was Magazine Month. Members were encouraged to make the Rotarian a “must read”.

John Adair reminded members that next week we will be selecting the recipient for the “Distinguished Service Award for the Community” and nominations are still be accepted. Beetle Bailey announced that the Federation for the Blind was having a barbecue fundraiser and he had tickets available to the event.

President Elect Barr informed the members that Ben Herritage had resigned his position on the Board for next year as Vice President due to family reasons but would continue as a member. The Board of Directors, in compliance with the Constitution and Bylaws, selected Jeanette Coulter to be the Vice President.

George Staples and a friend of his, Dr. Stuart Hamilton and their spouses toured South Africa last October and utilized the Friendship Exchange program where they were hosted in Rotarian homes. Dr. Hamilton gave an excellent presentation on their tour and shared some fabulous photographs. The Spring Valley Club and our Rotary Club have joined forces and have pledged $2,000 toward a matching grant to assist the people of South Africa.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 AM.

Respectfully submitted


Judy Johnson, reporter