June 27, 2007 Pres. Molly turns over the gavel to new Pres Beetle

Last Meeting
June 27, 2007

Reporter – Si Amick

President Molly opened her last official meeting followed by the invocation by Jim Gadsden and the Pledge of Allegiance. John Hanson introduced a host of guests including Beetle’s family which included his wife Debra, daughter Catherine and son James. In Lyman’s absence, Joel Collins delivered our Health and Happiness with a great courtroom story and we all agreed, the husband should be there for both events. Molly also announced we would be inducting 3 new members on July the 11th : Mr. Bill Brooks, Mr. Jeff Allen and Dr. David Isabell. Several birthdays were acknowledged, including Herb Harrison’s BIG “50”.

Molly opened her review of the past year from her hand written notes. Lightning hit her house and they were forced to spend the night in a hotel. She had her laptop, but no printer. Well Molly, the “old fashion” way worked fine, job well done and we are thankful your family is OK.

Dr. Lynn Campbell presented Glen Landry and the Irmo Little League’s Challenger Program with a check for $550.00. What wonderful program!

Eddie Robinson did a wonderful job with Paul Harris presentations to Catherine and James Bailey. This completes Beetle’s family, as they now have four Paul Harris fellows. What a commitment to Rotary!

Molly thanked all for a successful 2006-2007 year. Molly, thank you for your leadership and a successful year as marked by the following:
1. The establishment of an Interact Club at DJJ
2. Growth in the Dutch Fork Interact Club
· 2 college scholarships awarded
· “Alive at 25” sponsor that may have saved a young life
3. Dictionary Project
4. Harbison State Forest Project
5. Charity Golf Tournament and Art Auction
6. Great social events including Fall Oyster Roast, Christmas Social, and Summer Social at Pine Island
7. Scholarships for 2 elementary students to travel with the District Choir to Disney World
8. Home Works heater project
9. Awarded an Ambassadorial Scholarship
Note: This short list and does not include all the successful projects for 06-07.

Also presented were awards for perfect attendance: 1 yr. Jim Gadsden; 2 yrs. Patty Cavanaugh, Larry Stohs and Ginny Barr; 3 yrs. Beetle Bailey; 10 yrs. John Adair; 12 yrs. Lyman Whitehead; 16 yrs. Jeanette Coulter; and 18 yrs. Lynn Campbell. Molly asked all to stand and give a round of applause to each other for a successful year.

George McConnell then confirmed Beetle as President for the Lake Murray- Irmo Rotary
Club for the 2007-2008 Rotary year.

The meeting was concluded with Beetle’s first official act by presenting Molly with the Past Presidential pin and plaque.

We all will agree the 2006-2007 was another successful Rotary year.

Club officers and board members sworn in

New president Beetle gives outgoing President Molly a past Presidents' pin.
Past President Molly

Your new club officers
George McConnell, District President
Rotarian of the year, Rod Funderburk, with President Molly.

George McConnell swears in new club President, Beetle Bailey.

Lynn Campbell presents Glen Landry and the Irmo Little League Challenger Program with a check for $550
This is what you might look like after 18 years of perfect Rotary attendance.
Beetle Bailey presents Paul Harris fellows to Catherine and James Bailey. Also pictured - Debra Bailey and Eddie Robinson

Molly, Patty, Si, Judy, Larry

June 20, 2007

Lt. Scott Frier and Johnny Jeffcoat


Last Meeting
June 20, 2007

Reporter – Jeff Baldwin

President Molly opened the meeting followed by the invocation by Bob Berry and
the Pledge of Alliance. John Hanson introduced our visiting Rotarians and
guests. Lyman Whitehead provided Health and Happiness.

President Molly congratulated Beetle on his plans for next year, noting the
installation of Beetle and his new officers is next week. She also drew
everyone’s attention to the three proposed members in the Bulletin. Bob Berry
gave the quiz on The Rotarian Magazine, supplying all but one answer - not one
of our better showings. President Molly announced a total of $550 was donated
to the Irmo Little League’s Challenger program.

Johnny Jeffcoat introduced guest speaker, Lt. Scott Frier, Deputy Commander of
the Major Crimes Unit of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. He has over 20
years service in multiple roles with our Sheriff’s Department. He described
the Major Crimes Unit, covering its major areas including Violent Crimes,
Domestic Violence, Gang Investigations, Financial Crimes, Victim Assistance
and Arson. He discussed each area in depth, giving us an appreciation of the
scope of each and the impact of these crimes on the victim as well as the
community in general. In closing he described the close cooperation between
Richland and Lexington County Sheriff’s jurisdictions as well as the role of
the Lexington County Sheriff as the Director of Public Safety, permitting one
call for any type assistance needed.

President Molly closed the meeting by announcing the long awaited arrival of
the new name badges - note the bar code on the bottom of the badge, yes Big
Brother will be tracking you.

June 13 2007

Last Meeting
June 13, 2007

Reporter – Greg Downs

President Molly called the meeting to order. Chris Joye provided the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Lyn Richards delivered Health & Happiness.

A rundown on our June 6th Summer Social/barbecue at Pine Island was given.

At our May 30th meeting, Glen Landry, Executive Director of the Irmo Little League had mentioned the need to recruit $500 sponsorships for the League’s Challenger Program. At the beginning of meeting, we held just over $250 toward such a sponsorship. A special bucket was then passed around for donations.

Joel Collins introduced our guest speaker, Gregg Morton, President of Southeastern Division of AT&T. Gregg graduated Clemson University in 1978. He opened by giving an update on his daughter, Katie.

Gregg recently spent time in Washington, DC office for AT&T. Gregg’s message partially entailed the recent merger of BellSouth and AT&T. He also described the many competitors now in the communications industry and the upcoming product lines in television, internet and telephone. Gregg spoke about the conflict involving “Net Neutrality” and the idea of government vs. private management of the internet. Gregg’s assistant, Henrietta Baskins, helped him in his presentation.

By end of meeting, our goal to raise a full $500 for sponsorship for Challenger Program was met and surpassed!

President Molly adjourned meeting.

Note from Pres Molly - Ambassadorial Scholarship Success

See below - a memo from RI regarding the Ambassadorial Scholarship Programs and the Universities that partner with local Rotary Clubs to produce candidates. I attribute the success of our own USC's candidates to the in-depth partnership our own club has built and the time, attention, coaching and guidance our club members - specifically Rod Funderburk and George Staples - have provided these students! Congratulations!!! Your hard work (and your contributions, Rotarians, to the Foundation) has given many young people incredible opportunities!! This - to me - is what Rotary is about! GREAT JOB!!

Molly

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Renée Stephenson, Educational Programs (847) 866-3314 or click here for information

DATE: 24 May 2007



New class of Rotary Scholars selected to spread goodwill and understanding

(EVANSTON, Ill. USA-) – More than 850 university students from 50 countries have been selected to receive a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship. The program, designed to promote international understanding and goodwill, is one of Rotary’s leading efforts to bridge cultures and promote peace around the world. The students will study abroad during the 2007-08 academic year.

The scholarships give students the opportunity to study in one of the almost 170 countries where Rotary clubs are located. While abroad, Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars speak to Rotary clubs and districts, schools, civic organizations, and other forums where they act as “ambassadors of goodwill” in addition to providing community service.

Through scholarships totaling approximately US$15 million, recipients from some 60 countries studied in more than 80 nations in 2006-07.
The top five alma maters of the 2007-08 Ambassadorial Scholars are:

1. University of South Carolina (9 scholars)
2. Northwestern University, University of California-Berkeley (8)
3. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (7)
4. Georgetown University and University of Florida (6)
5. University of Georgia, Brown University, Stanford University, College of William and Mary (5)

The Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships program is the world’s largest privately-sponsored international scholarship program for university-level studies. Focused on humanitarian service, personal diplomacy, and academic excellence, the program has sponsored more than 38,000 Rotary Scholars abroad since it began in 1947. The program’s alumni include Paul Volcker Jr, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Philip Lader Former Ambassador to the UK, David Mulford, US Ambassador to India, and Roger Ebert, popular Film Critic.

For additional information visit: http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/index.html

Rotary Summer Social June 2007

We gathered with St. Andrews Rotary at beautiful Pine Island and enjoyed an evening of fun, fellowship, and bar b que.

May 30 2007

John Wilkins with Glenn Landry - Executive Director Irmo Little League Challenger Program

Last Meeting
May 30, 2007

Reporter – John Wilkins

President Molly opened the meeting. Blount Shepard gave a wonderful invocation, as he always does when called upon. Lyman Whitehead provided us some Health and Happiness and had everyone laughing.

The June 6th Summer Social was announced and members were encouraged to check the blog for information concerning the event. It was also announced that there would be no morning meeting on Wednesday June 6th because of the Summer Social. President-Elect Beetle Bailey has scheduled the 2007- 08 Club Assembly for 6/13/07 at Carrabba’s. We were very excited to have three new prospective members in attendance this week!

Our guest speaker, Glen Landry, President of Irmo Little League, was introduced by John Wilkins. We learned that Irmo Little League is completely run by volunteers. We also learned that there were 377 players in the standard leagues and 30 players in the Challenger Division. Some of the changes that have been implemented since Mr. Landry took over last spring are; 100% background checks for volunteers, restored fields, and the Challenger Program. Mr. Landry became emotional when discussing the Challenger Program which is for children with mental and physical challenges. Irmo Little League hopes to expand the Challenger Program to 4 teams next year from 2 this year. They also plan to redo the canteen and put in sidewalks for the guests at the park. Mr. Landry closed his presentation with several questions from club members.

The meeting was adjourned by President Molly following the donation of a few Happy Dollars.

May 23, 2007

The meeting was called to order by Bettle Bailey. Jeff Baldwin gave the invocation. John Hanson announced that we had no guest. Due to not feeling well, Lyman Whitehead had to leave early but he left his task of Health and Happiness in the capable hands of Lyn Richards who did a marvelous job (GO…….).

John Adair announced that he had a birthday. Lynn Campbell gave the Rotary Magazine quiz for the month and unfortunately, we did not pass.


Ginny Barr introduced our speaker, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. Ginny informed us that Sheriff Lott does not like long introductions nor does he do power point presentations. Sheriff Lott spoke of how the criminal justice system was failing in his opinion. He feels that the system is measured by the number of individuals who are placed in jail rather than looking for ways to prevent crime through youth prevention programs. He believes that victims and the community here to fore have not been properly represented when crime is committed.

Sheriff Lott, Ginny Barr, Chip Lyerly

Sheriff Lott stated that law enforcement generally is reactive to crime rather than proactive in preventing crime. He also feels that once an individual is placed in the “System” that rehabilitation is difficult thus he has a strong opinion of developing and implementing prevention programs. The Sheriff shared that 5 high schools in Richland County this past year had established arbitration boards which would hear a case against a student and make a decision on the case that would best result in protecting the community and providing a more proactive approach to situations that could prevent other criminal activity. Next year all high schools in Richland County will have arbitration boards.



Lott feels that these type proactive solutions can be effective not only from preventing crime but also be more economic. He stated that it currently is costing $50,000 annually to have an individual in a corrections institution.



A number of questions were asked of the Sheriff. He was surprised that no one asked about the second largest cash robbery in United States history that recently took place in Richland County. He concluded that they had recovered most of the money but there was still a sizeable amount that had not been located yet.

May 16, 2007

Last meeting
May 16, 2007

Reporter – Noveita Roe

President Molly Cousins called the meeting to order. Barry Johns gave the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. John Hanson welcomed our visitors and guest. We had several Interact students visiting and were very glad to have them participate. Lyman Whitehead provided our Health and Happiness, with Carey Hite assisting.

Chris Joye and Harry Hafer provided an update on Harbison State Forest Park project. Special thanks to the Interact Club members who participated!

June 6th is the date of our Summer Social at Pine Island and we will not have a regular meeting that morning. We will meet at Shelter #9 at 6:00 p.m. Please mark your calendar.




Chip Huggins and Nathan Ballentine were our guest speakers. Chip spoke about the Court of Appeals race. He stated the person who wins this race will probably be our Chief Justice. He talked about bills that have been passed in the House to help reduce taxes and have been sent to the Senate. The cigarette tax will help reduce grocery tax. Income tax is being reduced from 7% to 6.8%. The coastal insurance bill will help reduce insurance rates and give tax breaks.


Nathan spoke about a school bill that passed. Students can take a class online if their school does not offer the class. There are a lot of rules and regulations that go along with the bill to be certain the students are actually doing the work. Nathan had concerns that students without laptops have the same capabilities of taking these courses, as those students who do.

Nathan and Chip closed their presentation by taking several questions from members. Chip thanked Johnny Jeffcoat for his services as a Lexington County Councilman. Both Chip and Nathan thanked our club for the hard work and community services we provide.

Larry Stohs announced the birth of his new grandson and donated five Happy Dollars.

With no further business, Molly adjourned the meeting.

May 9, 2007

Charles Bierbauer with Chuck Larsen
Photo by John Adair

Lake Murray-Irmo rotary Meeting Minutes May 9, 2007
Reporter - Herb Harrison

President Molly called the meeting to order. John Hanson introduced our guest which included a number of Interact Club Members and a special guest of Dr Carey Hite, Bill Brooks, who received a $500 scholarship in 1952 from the Bradenton FL Rotary club which enabled him to attend the Citadel. Mr. Brooks is a prospective member - and reads our blog. Lyman Whitehead once again counseled us on marriage with wisdom and inspiration. Beetle Bailey announced he officially retired May 8. Other announcements included our upcoming social June 6 and that our District 770, is close to raising the $1,000,000 goal for the Rotary Foundation. President Molly encouraged all to contribute to assist in attaining our goal. Harry Haefer is organizing and leading our clubs volunteers on the Harbison State Forest trail work project. President Molly mentioned it was five years ago that we began Happy Dollar and she was the first to contribute, celebrating the fact she had quit smoking. Congratulations Molly, with five years you may now qualify for UPNS life insurance rates!

Chuck Larsen introduced our speaker, former CNN correspondent Charles Bierbaur who is now Dean at THE University of South Carolina (’s) College of Mass Communications. Mr. Bierbaur spoke on several interesting subjects. First he asked “how do you convey what you do at USC?” Surveys conducted found that when asked about USC three out of four thought of the other USC. We are in a global age where USC needs to project itself to this global audience. Mass communication includes the College of Library and Information Science. They embrace traditional journalism as well as mass communication mediums such as the internet. He mentioned anyone can be a journalist however they attempt to teach professionalism and ethics in journalism. Journalism is frustrating due to the fact we are grounded in the first Amendment, 43 plain spoken words with broad implications. On the national stage Russia is pulling back from its recent reforms restricting the media by regulating what they are allowed to say. Nationally the Virginia Tec tragedy and how the media reacted illustrated in his words how the nature of media is changing. The media can become focused somewhat like a Cyclops without very good peripheral vision, focused on one event. Mentioning the manifesto released by NBC he discussed the responsibility of the media asking how the media discerns what information should be released and what should not. In politics he said it was interesting how politicians and media come together. The politician wants the media to get his message out with good publicity but the media will also look for bad news and inconsistencies. In closing he asked considering the number of sources and wealth of information from the internet, u-Tube and many other venues are we getting the right kind of information with sufficient quantity and quality.

President Molly adjourned our meeting after Mr. Bierbaur fielded several questions.

Your CART Fund at work

The CART fund board of directors awarded a $250,000. grant to the Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville, Fla. Representing the clinic and receiving the CART Fund check was Dr. Todd Golde. Dr. Golde leads and directs the work of the clinic’s Alzheimer’s research laboratory. John Adair and his wife Ellen participated in the event by photographing various Rotary leaders with Dr. Golde. Over 35,000 Rotarians from several states contribute weekly to the CART Fund. It was a proud day for every Rotarian.

  Group photo of district 7770 leaders with Dr. Golde
  $250,000. check
 

John & Ellen with Dr. Golde

May 2 2007

Irvin Ott, our reporter, reports that his dog ate the report of our last meeting. Highlights of the meeting (best I can remember): We presented our Rotary Scholarships of $4000 each to Eric Morabito and Lauren Martinez. Eric and Lauren and their parents joined us for breakfast. Our speaker was Dr. David Isbell, a cardiologist who gave a presentation on the latest wizardry available to diagnose heart disease. The meeting concluded with “happy dollars” (I think). Anyone with other highlights please send them to the rotarywebslave.



President Molly, Lauren, Sara and Manny Martinez
President Molly, Eric, Mark and Sally Morabito

Our speaker David Isbell, M.D.

President Molly

Adopt a Highway April 28 2007

We began our morning early with a traditional Blount Shepard breakfast of oysters, grits, and shad roe. Interestingly Kelly Payne and the Interact Club missed that one (not old enough to develop the taste) - but we had doughnuts for them. President Molly not wishing to appear ungrateful polished off a doughnut or two. After the breakfast we donned our gear, found Kelly and the Interact Club and began our clean up of Farming Creek Road. It was such a beautiful morning it hardly seemed like work, and thanks to all the help took only about half an hour to finish. From there it was on to Irmo Town Hall to help with a clean up project.