Visiting Furman Paladins Country -- The Rotary Club of The Foothills

I had the pleasure of visiting the Rotary Club of The Foothills just before departing for the Rotary Zone 33-34 Zone Institute in Reston, Virginia. Kathy elected to teach her Calculus students for two days this week since we will be in Reston for the remainder of the week. We will depart for Reston tonight after the final Membership Seminar is completed at the Innovate Building in Greenville.

President Robyn Harmon, an attorney by education and now a professional volunteer, and her board were well prepared for the district governor visit and have exciting plans for the 2011-12 year. Furman University has a clear presence in this club! The Rotary Club of The Foothills is involved in the Rotary Reader program in a local Title 1 elementary school, provides supplies to the Crossroads Group Home, and supports the local YMCA. The club has plans to increase membership by 3 members this year and increase their Rotary Foundation donations. I was also impressed by their desire to increase publicity of the club's service projects.

I was pleased to recognize Helena Travis as the club's Notable Rotarian. Helena has been a member since 1989, a Charter Member and Past President. She now serves as the club's Fundraising and Social Chair. She always leads by example. Her family’s business purchases the nuts used for club’s major fundraiser that allowed the club to make donations to four community organizations. She dealt with her husband’s major illness last year. The nomination stated that she is “a real force to be reckoned with in the club and community” and an inspiration to other club members. She has hosted a grand evening for the Club at her home, the "Hugo" party (named because the club was founded the year Hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina, and a major club event was scheduled for the evening that the hurricane came aground). 

The Rotary Club of Greater Greer -- On fire for Rotary!

I came to Greenville to participate in the Health and Happiness Hour for Greenville Metro Clubs on Monday night, October 17th and had a great time meeting many loyal Rotarians at the Blue Fish Grill near Woodruff Road. PDG Myles Golden and PDG George Fletcher invited me to dinner after the Health and Happiness Hour, and we had a great time talking about various issues, the great time enjoyed during my official club visits, and our recent Afghanistan trip. Terry and Pam Weaver were gracious in allowing me to stay in their home overnight, and I was only 0.7 miles from the Thornblade Club where the Rotary Club of Greater Greer was meeting today. The club meets at 7 AM, so I was up early to prepare for the meeting and find the Thornblade Club since PDG George Fletcher mentioned that this was a difficult location to find. The GPS did indicate the club location, but all I could see were large houses that could have easily been a club. Fortunately I did eventually find the actual Thornblade Club building and toured a good portion of the building before finding the actual meeting room. 

President Wanda Moore did a great job directing the club meeting and was truly excited about my visit today. I was thrilled to be able to induct 6 new members to the club today. Wanda would like to see her club's size double this year, and she is well on her way. The club has ambitious plans to expand membership, increase scholarships to local high school students, participate in the Friends of Lake Robinson Day of Celebration, and continue supporting the literacy and agricultural work in Haiti. The Greater Greer Rotary Club is the #1 club in our district for per capita donations to The Rotary Foundation (over $500 per capita!), and I was excited to hear about how they have created a culture of giving to the foundation. Rotarian Tom Faulkner, partner to PDG Becky Faulkner, is the club's Foundation Chair and he believes in The Rotary Foundation. Tom has led efforts to install water systems in El Salvador and promote the good work of the foundation. This club that had 11 members at the beginning of this year is growing rapidly and on fire for Rotary. I can't tell you how thrilling this is for a District Governor! Wanda sent me a very nice note thanking me for inspiring their club, but I believe they inspired me more! As I told the Greater Greer Rotary Club, their size is relatively small now, but they are making a huge difference in their community and our world. Look for great things to happen with this club. President Elect Benjamin Buck is a young and enthusiastic Rotarian who understands social media and how to appeal to the younger generation. The club's future is bright, and we can all learn something from such great clubs. 

I was honored to recognize Tom Faulkner as the club's Notable Rotarian today. Tom has been a member since 1986 and has served as a Charter Member and Past Club President. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, Sustaining Member, Benefactor, and member of the Paul Harris Society. He has perfect attendance since 2003 and is a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute. Tom's classification is housing development. I see Tom as a leader who has motivated his club members to donate very generously to The Rotary Foundation and be actively engaged in the club's activities.

Finishing out the week in Laurens

We enjoyed a short 40 minute drive through Clinton and Waterloo to Laurens. President Angela Marlett and the board met in the Mayor's Office for Laurens. The club is proud of their friendly fellowship, great programs, networking, and weekly meals. Club members read to elementary school children each week (Rotary Reader's Program), participate in Adopt a Highway, and fund several scholarships for Lauren's County residents going to Piedmont Technical College. I had a little fun with PDG King Dixon today when he came in during my presentation. King had a meeting at his bank today, and they had already talked about what a great job he does with the Happy Bucks portion of the program. King also promotes The Rotary Foundation, and the results are excellent. The board hopes to pursue great publicity of club and other Rotary events. 

We had a fabulous pasta meal prepared by a Rotarian chef in the club. I was pleased that the club provided a check for the Haiti Literacy Project and actively works with the Good Shepherd Free Medical Clinic. They provided me with a t-shirt from the town's major event for the year, Squealin' on the Square, a major BBQ event that brings in over 20,000 people to the town each year. My presentation went very well today with no demons loose in the computer! I enjoyed meeting with PDG King Dixon and some other friends in the club including Rich D'Alberto, CEO of the Laurens County Health Care System. 

I was pleased to recognize Price Kennedy as the club's Notable Rotarian. Price has been a member since 2003 and served as the 2009-10 Club President. He is a Paul Harris Fellow and RLI graduate. Price exemplified Service Above Self by developing detailed manuals for each Officer and Chairperson for each of our five committees to ensure goals were met. He also tackled an attendance issue present for some time and enforced RI attendance requirements. As a result of his efforts the club's attendance percentage is now much higher, and he qualified the club for the Governor's Award and the Presidential Citation. The club also donated $2,000 to Polio Plus, co-sponsored a Matching Grant project in Honduras, and was awarded a District Simplified Grant for assistance with the Dolly Pardon Imagination Library in the Laurens area. Price also developed a membership plan to enlist new club members after some left due to attendance policy enforcement. Price, thank you for all that you are doing for Laurens, District 7750, and our world!

Reaching out to the mountains of Pickens

Kathy and I had an enjoyable 1 hour and 40 minute drive to Pickens, a thriving community north of Greenville. President Brian Dooley was dressed in his finest tuxedo t-shirt and was excited about the good work of the club in their community. The board was pleased with the great fellowship, fun activities, and projects conducted by club members. I was very impressed with their great meal of pulled pork and chicken BBQ, some of the best I have ever consumed! 

The club sponsors a Spaghetti Dinner and silent auction to benefit the only children's home in Pickens County that is in dire need of an upgrade. The club has also been a co-sponsor of a Matching Grant water project in El Salvador. This year the club plans to update town limit Rotary signs and install a pedestal clock in the new downtown park. 

Linda Cassell was recognized as the club's Notable Rotarian. Linda has been a member since 1992 and is a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow. She has written and secured several district simplified grants that have gone to help with an ongoing water project in El Salvador and also in building a playground for Mary's House, an abused women's shelter in Pickens County. Linda is always full of optimism with respect to Rotary and truly exemplifies Service Above Self.

I will always remember the Pickens Rotary Club is the place where my PowerPoint presentation did some really strange things. When I wasn't pushing any buttons on the presenter, my presentation would suddenly skip back to the beginning. A few slides were in different locations than usual, and some slides simply didn't show up. Fortunately I have this presentation down and could move ahead without seeing the slides. I am convinced that someone was doing another presentation in the building with a presenter on the same frequency or some demons were pushed to my computer and presenter!

Overlooking a cloudy Greenville area from the Greenville Evening Club

Knowing that we would be meeting with the Rotary Club of Greenville Evening at the Commerce Club, Kathy decided we needed to go back through Greenwood en route to Greenville so she could dress up more. We were making great time in getting to Greenville until heavy traffic slowed us down significantly in the last 1.2 miles. We arrived about 2 minutes late, but President Bryn Brutosky had the board assembled in correct order with a 3 page handout outlining the club's strengths, weaknesses, and major events in each of the Avenues of Service. Each board member had an assigned presentation, and you could feel the excitement about their club. The Greenville Evening Rotary Club reminds me so much of my home club, the Emerald City Rotary Club. Since these two clubs have each been named the #1 club in the district for the past two years, their bold plans for such a relatively small club were not surprising. The Greenville Evening club is the primary sponsor for the Greenville Reedy River Duck Derby, the Joust for Fun Event, Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Days, a Nursing Home Visit During the Christmas Holiday, Macy's Shop for a Cause, Dictionaries to Cashion Elementary School,  PolioPlus fundraising, Early Act First Knight (EAFK) for two Middle Schools (Powdersville Middle and Wren Middle). They have created new Interact Club and actively participate in the Coins/Check/Cash for Alzheimer's Research Trust (CART) program. The club members also generously contribute to The Rotary Foundation and are working hard to attract new members to this very active club! 

I had the pleasure of recognizing Ann Golden, partner for PDG Myles Golden, as the club's Notable Rotarian. Ann has been a member since 2003. She was a Charter Member and past President (2009-10) in the Greenville Evening Rotary Club. She is a Paul Harris Fellow, a member of the Paul Harris and Bequest Societies, Sustaining Member, Benefactor, Major Donor, and RLI Graduate (3 Sections). Anne truly exemplifies Service Above Self. She has lead a sponsorship committee,built catapults for our EAFK students, painted a Habitat for Humanity home, taught club members about the Foundation, and often shares the message of Rotary with a potential member. Her nomination stated that "her passion inspires all of us to be better!"

We even met a proposed new member of the club whose daughter was one of Kathy's middle school math students a few years ago in Greenwood. Despite the fact that we could not see the mountains from the club's 17th floor meeting place due to so many clouds and fog, we had a great evening of fellowship and saw one of our district's great clubs in action!

Close to home in Clinton, South Carolina

Kathy and I enjoyed the brief 30 minute drive to Clinton and even had a chance to stop by our son and daughter-in-law's home to visit our special granddaughter, Christina, before going to meet with the Rotary Club of Clinton. We arrived a few minutes early and found Club President Amy Thomason and another club member arranging furniture, hanging banners, and preparing the room for our board meeting and regular meeting. 

Several board members engaged in a good discussion about the club's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The board felt that the Clinton Rotary Club was the premier civic club in Clinton, had great fellowship, and was involved in their community. I was pleased to see that the club plans to grow its membership from 31 to 37 using a new membership committee and active involvement from all club members. The club will participate in a joint project with the Laurens Rotary Club, support the Christmas Luncheon for the Laurens Memorial Home, and distribute dictionaries to 3rd graders. The club's major fundraiser is the Rotary Radio Rodeo made possible by a club member who works at the local radio station. I was pleased that the club elected to provide a check to the Good Shepherd Free Medical Clinic in Laurens (see photo above).

I was pleased to recognize the late Ed Sadler, a prominent member of the Clinton Rotary Club who passed away on July 27, 2011, as the club's Notable Rotarian. His wife, Nancy, was present to accept the certificate. Ed was a charter member and past President of the Clinton RC, a Paul Harris Fellow, and had 30 years perfect attendance with many international make-ups. He served in the Marine Corps with the 6th Division 'China Marines‘ in WWII and as mortar platoon leader in Korean War. He was a highly decorated veteran who earned the Bronze Star and later retired as a Colonel. Ed was a graduate of Presbyterian College (1951). He managed and was a partner in the Home Wholesale Company, formerly Laurens District Company, a family business. He retired in 1987 and he and Nancy began traveling all over the U.S. in their R.V. They also cruised extensively, circling the globe many times. I could tell today that he was a very special Rotarian that meant a great deal to this club!

Encouraging the Rotary Club of Golden Strip Sunrise

Kathy and I arose early this morning (5 AM) to travel to the Golden Strip Sunrise Rotary Club meeting in Simpsonville. Since our daughter-in-law is still recovering from recent surgery, we again brought our precious granddaughter Christina to the meeting. I had the pleasure of meeting a new member of the club and introducing the club to Christina, a future New Generations Rotarian! Morning clubs are generally filled with Rotarians full of energy and ready to fellowship after getting their cup of coffee. The Golden Strip Sunrise Rotary Club was no exception. 

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Carolina Fine Foods. One of the members acquainted me with the high and low cholesterol bars in the restaurant. The "low cholesterol" section had huge biscuits, some "healthy" Southern gravy, eggs, bacon, and a few other items. I didn't bother to check out the "high cholesterol" section! 

President Todd Nichols made a few announcements, and a good joke was enjoyed by all. Members updated their activities and shared some great Happy Bucks comments. I  then had the opportunity to share my presentation with the club. Several members were very complimentary and felt inspired to seek new members and increase Rotary Foundation giving. I then meet with the board after the meeting to discuss their progress and offer suggestions for dealing with several issues. 

Longtime club member Marshall Nichols was recognized today as the Notable Rotarian. Marshall has been a member since1998 and was a Charter Member of the club. I have known Marshall for several years and know that he is the driving force behind the Rotary Night of Singing now conducted at Brookwood Church in Simpsonville. I had the pleasure of attending this event twice when they met at Furman's McCalister Auditorium a few years ago. Marshall was very surprised today when I announced the Notable Rotarian. I am honored to recognize such a great Rotarian and make a contribution to The Rotary Foundation in his honor!

The Singing Club of Simpsonville

I am not a good judge on the best singing club in District 7750, but the Rotary Club of Simpsonville did a good job in singing "America the Beautiful" at the start of their meeting. Several members asked me if other clubs also sang, and I commented that morning clubs rarely sing and very few lunch and evening clubs sing. After hearing some great singing and even a lip syncing trumpeter in Union yesterday, I believe the Simpsonville and Union Rotary Clubs should have a contest judged by able musicians to determine the best singing club! 

The Simpsonville Rotary Club has another special feature. They meet in their own meeting hall (Rotary Hall) in downtown Simpsonville that is decorated with banners, awards, and other special memorabilia from the club activities. The club celebrated their 50th Anniversary this year. The club's rich history and contributions to our district are numerous. PDG Clarence Buurman has been a Rotarian for 41 years. He shared his District Governor speech used in the 1979-80 year with me today as well as many stories from his wonderful years associated with Rotary International. 

President Tammy Bagwell had an impressive group of board members assembled when we arrived in Simpsonville. The board is excited about their club and has great plans to increase their presence in the community and continue to support projects with the Center for Community Development, the Christmas Parade, literacy, the Salvation Army, and water projects in Honduras. They hope to add 7 new members (net) this year, an admirable goal! The club has also been a great supporter of The Rotary Foundation, and they plan to continue that effort. I was very pleased with their decision to make a donation to the local free clinic. The clinic's director was present today to accept the donation.

Kathy and I added a little excitement to the meeting today since we brought our only grandchild, Christina Joy Goforth, to the meeting since our daughter-in-law is recovering from a recent surgical procedure. Christina was not particularly excited about hearing her grandfather speak, so Kathy got to spend some time with her outside. We enjoyed a great meal, an exciting round of Happy Dollars and fines, the induction of two new members, and great fellowship with the club members. I look forward to returning to the Simpsonville club in the future and know that this club has a very promising future!

Darryl Imperati was recognized as the Simpsonville Rotary Club's Notable Rotarian. Darryl has been a member since 2007, has served as Club Treasurer for the past 3 years, and is involved in many club activities. He serves as the Principal of Woodmont International Baccalaureate High School where he encourages his students to be involved in club activities. Darryl's students have sang and played instruments at club functions and even assisted in the creation of the 50th Anniversary Edition of the club directory. He also established and vigorously promotes a new Interact Club at his high school.

Feeling the Fun and Energy of the Union Rotary Club

I have been looking forward to visiting the Rotary Club of Union, and we were not disappointed in any way! Kathy and I arrived a few minutes before the board meeting and had a chance to drive around Union. Union seems to be a very vibrant community despite the loss of several textile manufacturing plants in recent years. 

President Frank Hart and the board were very gracious and welcoming to Kathy and me. We felt the great energy and enthusiasm about the club during the board and regular club meeting. We really enjoyed the singing (Star Spangled Banner and Hello, Dolly) and Happy Dollar portions of the program. I was thrilled to meet several physicians in the club and to connect with PDG Jack Whitener. 

PDG Colonel William Jackson “Jack” Whitener has been a Rotarian since 1975. He has served as a Past Club President and the District 7750 Governor. He is a Paul Harris Fellow + 8, a Rotary Benefactor, and often hosts fireside chats at his home for new members. Jack is a dedicated Rotarian who is a friend to everyone in the club!He retired from U.S. Army after 30 years of service. He is a graduate of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point and has a MA Degree from Columbia University and a MS Degree from George Washington University. Jack has been married to Martha Pacolet “Packie” Whitener for 59 years!I was honored to be able to recognize Jack as the club's Notable Rotarian today! 

After the meeting, Robbie Littlejohn and Buddy Smith took me on a tour of service projects in the Union area that the club has sponsored. I was thrilled to see the Rotary Little League baseball field that received funding by a District Simplified Grant a few years ago. Kathy and I were very impressed with a park with a fitness trail that also highlighted Rotary International, the Union High School Interact Club, and the great accomplishments of the Union Rotary Club. We saw park benches along Main Street that were donated as a part of the club's Centennial Project in 2005. We even drove by their aluminum recycling plant that earned some major dollars in its early years. A commercial recycling firm has now set up shop in Union that is open every day, so this has reduced the profits of the Union Rotary Club's operation. We continued to feel the great energy and passion for their club as we toured Union with Robbie and Buddy. For clubs that are wondering how they can activate their club, I would strongly suggest a visit to the Rotary Club of Union! 

Good times at the Rotary Club of Fountain Inn!

Kathy and I had a great time at the Rotary Club of Fountain Inn today! Although we struggled a little finding the location of the board meeting (not the same place our GPS identified), we found a club with excitement and a very engaged group of Rotarians! They were excited about the District Governor visit and even made a sign welcoming us! The board identified the club strengths as its rich heritage, involvement in the community, and a history of service. They would like to be more diverse and reduce their average age.  President Ray Ovcrstreet is excited about the club's commitment to a new Rotary Park in downtown Fountain Inn. I have enjoyed participating in their signature event for area high schools, the Rotary Night of Singing. This event has become so large that they moved to a 2,500 seat church auditorium!

For those of you interested in the origin of the Fountain Inn name, Wikipedia has these comments:  The town nickname is "The diamond tip of the Golden Strip". The town got its name from an Inn and fountain that were along the old stage coach route. The stage coach drivers called the stop Fountain Inn and it stuck. A small garden fountain is installed at City Hall and there is a marker on the north side of town showing the former location of the old inn. We saw this fountain while stopping by City Hall to locate the law office of Andy Goodson where the board met today.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Jean Anderson, the Notable Rotarian and Rotarian of the Year for the Fountain Inn Rotary Club. Jean has been a member since 1993and is a retired high school media specialist (last 26 of 38 years at Hillcrest High School). Despite the discomfort of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy for cancer, she remained active in her Rotary Club and was a great advocate for screening colonoscopy to prevent colon cancer. Jean is an ordained elder at Nazareth Presbyterian Church which was founded in the late 1700’s. She is also an active member and leader in Alpha Delta Kappa, an international sorority for women educators. She is the Past President and current Historian of the Reidville Historical Society and served as the Chair of the Relay for Life during its first two years in the Golden Strip area. Jean is very close to her family of two sisters and their families (includes 1 niece, 3 nephews, 1 great-nephew, and 2 great-nieces). I was so pleased that 5 family members were present today at the meeting. Her hobbies include reading, crochet, photography, gardening and travel (has a bucket list!).Kathy and I sat with Jean today. Her zest for life and love of her Rotary Club was obvious. Her enthusiasm radiated throughout the club! 

Today was a great day for us and renewed my energy for the remaining 16 official club visits. Our only hiccup today was the discovery that someone had hacked my Earthlink e-mail account and sent messages with links to a Viagra/Cialis web site to hundreds of friends around the world. Several of them called and e-mailed on our drive to and from Fountain Inn. For those of you who asked if I sent this message, please be assured that I do not send mass e-mails and really don't have an interest in promoting Viagra! 

At home at the Rotary Club of Greenwood

Being at home for an official club visit at the Rotary Club of Greenwood is enjoyable from the standpoint of seeing many friends and not driving a long distance, but presenting in front of friends is a bit more challenging! Thankfully President John Heydel and the Greenwood Rotary Club Rotarians made us feel right at home! I enjoyed a lively discussion with the board before the regular meeting. My format has been to use the SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) format, but we didn't get past strengths and opportunities in the 45 minutes allotted for this meeting. President John called several months ago expressing concern about whether the club could meet our district goals, but they are making great progress already. I was pleased to see a new member join today who will bring fresh energy and a reduced average ago to the club! I am also thrilled that the Greenwood club will continue to donate over $100 per capita (projected $125 per capita) to The Rotary Foundation. I know just about every member of this club and know that they have a strong membership that can meet any desired goals. 

President Elect Nominee Jon Scott was selected as the club's Notable Rotarian, and he indeed deserves this honor. Jon has been a member of the club since 2005 and now serves on Board of Directors and as the Sergeant-At-Arms and Club President Elect Designee. Jon is a Paul Harris Fellow and Sustaining Member. He is always willing to pitch in and helps with the club's newsletter and public relations efforts. His classification is Retirement Homes (Wesley Commons). 

This is my week to actually work in my regular job, so doing an official DG visit was a bit more stressful while trying to see inpatients, outpatients, give several lectures to the residents, work on recruiting, and a host of other work related tasks. Fortunately we are doing well this year in the residency program. Our recruiting season for new interns is now in full swing. We have received about 600 applications for our 10 positions and have already scheduled 49 interviews over the next 4 months. I also learned this week that our Sports Medicine Fellowship has been re-accredited for five years, the maximum accreditation period. Self Regional Healthcare's new Vice President of Operations and my boss, Mr. Bill Keith, began work this week. John Heydel and Bill Keith worked closely together at Providence Hospital in Columbia, SC several years ago, and John has already began recruiting Bill Keith for the Greenwood Rotary Club. Way to go, John!