Capital Rotary Club

At Capital Rotary’s June 26 club assembly, outgoing president Philip Flynn reviewed the record of accomplishments for the 2018-2019 Rotary year, including:

• A fund-raising gala that resulted in nearly $20,000 for the CART (Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust) fund.
• An annual Red Cross Blood Drive that collected 58 units of blood.
• A literacy project that donated 741 dictionaries to third-graders in 16 Richland District One elementary schools.
• Serving two families in need – one in the Christmas season and another this spring (displaced by public housing gas leaks).
• A morning of volunteer community service at Harvest Hope Food Bank and weekly delivery for Meals On Wheels.
• A Rotary Global Grant Project to build a new elementary school in Ghana.
• An increase in college scholarship awards from four to six.
• Becoming host club for the student Rotaract Club at the University of South Carolina.
• Spontaneous fundraisers for Pawmetto Lifeline and for the local Ronald McDonald House.
• District 7770 recognitions for ranking fourth among clubs in CART fundraising and in the top five in Rotary Foundation giving; receiving a Club Leadership Citation; and being named a Club of the Year award winner.
• Publicizing club activities with 78 website and social media posts; reaching almost 5,300 people through social media; 4,432 website visitors; 75 news items on District 7770’s website and in newsletters; 107 press releases posted in local media; and six monthly club activity recaps e-mailed to members.

Goodwill Industries in South Carolina’s upstate and midlands is successful in putting people to work, true to the organization’s 1902 founding philosophy that it gives a “hand up” instead of a “handout” to potential members of the labor force.  Mike Daniels (shown in photo with Rotarian Felicia Maloney) was Capital Rotary’s April 10 guest speaker, reporting that one out of every 200 workers in the nation has been helped by Goodwill services.  Operating in 16 counties in the Palmetto State, Goodwill receives over 1.2 million “gently used” items at its donation centers.  These are then sold – the tune of 3.5 million purchases in 35 Goodwill stores – with 93 cents of each dollar received going to programs that include training and certification, job assistance for veterans and persons with disabilities, and job placement.  Daniels said Goodwill last year helped 12,152 people find jobs – and their first-year earnings could generate a potential economic impact of more than $149 million in the state.  Daniels has over 27 years of experience in labor market and workforce development in state government and in the private sector.  He’s now managing two grants for Goodwill’s Senior Community Service Employment Program aimed at refreshing job skills for more than 320 citizens aged 55 and above.

The United States trails its peer developed countries in life expectancy and other health outcomes, despite spending more on healthcare.  Some of this difference is due to genetics and behavior, but social factors are contributors, too, according to Dr. Sarah Gehlert, Dean of the University of South Carolina’s College of Social Work and Capital Rotary’s Dec. 5 guest speaker.  Dr. Gehlert (at left in photo with Rotarian Katherine Anderson) said research shows genetics and behavior help determine about 70% of a person’s health risks and outcomes.  The “social factors of health” – things like lifestyle and social stressors – can have an effect up to 15%.  Dr. Gehlert said social factors helping men live longer include being married, participating in religious activities and being affiliated with clubs or similar organizations.  For women, longevity social factors include being married, frequent social contact and taking part in religious activities.  Dr. Gehlert in November received the Insley-Evans Public Health Social Worker of the Year award for her leadership, advocacy and commitment in focusing on social environmental influences on health.  The award was presented in San Diego by the American Public Health Association.