Family of Rotary » Capital Rotary Club

Capital Rotarian Bill Beers (left) is congratulated by club president Tommy Gibbons as the latest member to join the ranks of the club’s Paul Harris Fellows, signifying a $1,000 contribution to the Rotary Foundation. Paul Harris Fellows receive a special pin, a certificate and a medal to honor their donation. Gifts to the Rotary Foundation help fund international programs promoting world understanding and peace. Beers’ donation was assisted by David Boucher, the club’s chairman for Foundation giving.

Past president David Boucher (left) and sponsor Darren Foy (right) join in ceremonies inducting Walker Williams into the Capital Rotary Club. Williams, a portfolio designer for Anchor Investment Management, is a Columbia native who earned a finance degree from the University of Georgia and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. He was a banker, securities trader and small business owner for 11 years. Williams is married to the former Laura Pinnell of Augusta; the couple has three children. Williams also has been active in the Boy Scouts, the Hammond School board of directors, the vestry at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and the Executives Association of Greater Columbia.

Capital Rotary president Tommy Gibbons (left) and immediate past president David Boucher salute the club’s newest Paul Harris Fellow – Qing Wang – to acknowledge a $1,000 contribution to the Rotary Foundation in her name. Boucher, who assisted with the donation, is Foundation giving chairman for the club. Rotary Foundation contributions help fund international programs promoting world understanding and peace.

At the annual club assembly to review Capital Rotary’s accomplishments for 2016-17, president Dr. Tommy Gibbons highlighted the many accomplishments our club has celebrated:

Our club is doing a great job again this year as usual. As we have for many years, we participate in Meals on Wheels, an annual Red Cross Blood Drive, an annual dictionary distribution project, Coins for Alzheimers Research Trust (CART), Polio Plus, Harvest Hope Food Bank, college scholarship fundraiser, excellent speakers, Fifth Wednesdays, and Club Socials. The Christmas social at Jay Von Kolnitz’s home is always special and the social we had at Spirit Communication Park was fun as well (Thanks Abby Naas!)

We “adopted” the Pempleton family for Christmas gifts and will be helping them get their house back in order after the flooding. We will be volunteering to help thru the Saint Bernard Project. The project officially starts February 25, 2017.

We contributed $500 to an international project this past fall. The money went towards an ophthalmic laser (mobile) for the Vincent Pescatore Clinic in Guatemala.

Catherine Glen is a Global Grant Scholar for 2016-2017 that we sponsored. The 2011 University of South Carolina graduate taught special education students in rural Japan for the past three years. Her Rotary Global Grant scholarship funds a year of graduate study at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, hosted by the Rotary Club of Belfast. Glen is seeking a master’s degree in the psychology of childhood adversity. She formerly worked with youth in treatment for substance abuse and mood disorders at the Medical University of South Carolina and was a Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer.

We are a 100% Sustaining Member club.

We currently have 57 members (58 July 1, 2016). Through December, 2016 our club members have contributed $5,303 to the Rotary International General Fund, plus $2,051 to Polio Plus, for a total of $7,359. We have exceeded our Polio Plus annual goal of $1,500. We currently have 55 members who have earned at least one Paul Harris Fellow status, 41 PH Benefactors (including the PH fund in your will for $1,000), 4 Bequest Society Members ($10,000 upon death), and 4 Major Donors (> $ 10,000).

Our club provided a $1,000 donation to District 6840 for flood assistance in Louisiana as well as $585 from individual members.

Our club raised $2,100 at our Lake Murray Fishing event and $18,722 through our wreath project for our college scholarship fund. This fund provides a Richland County high school graduate $5000 a year up to 4 years for their college tuition. We select a new recipient each year.

Today our club voted to approve the 2017-2018 officers and directors. Additionally we approved the revised Constitution and Bylaws.

Notable speakers at our meetings thus far this year include Ray Tanner, Mark Hammond, Pamela Lackey and Ms. Columbia Suzi Roberts. Our 5^th Wednesdays are offsite from our club and are always educational and interesting.

We had 56 club members participate in distributing 936 dictionaries to third graders in 14 schools (Richland 1 and Lexington 1). This was a great community service project.

Our Club PR-Media efforts from July 2016 – February 2017:

Total amount of new items/photos sent to media – 19
Breakdown of new items/photos by subject:
- New members added to club – 2 releases
- Reports of member accomplishments or donations to Foundation – 7 releases
- Report of club community activities/service to others – 5 releases
- Distinguished visitor at club meetings – 5

Our club is in great financial shape with over a quarter of a million dollars in equity.

Capital Rotary member Harry Carter (right) and his wife, Kathy, met Rotary International’s 2016-17 president John Germ at a December reception that was part of the Rotary Club of Columbia’s centennial observance. The reception saluted major donors who contribute $10,000 to the Rotary Foundation, the international service club’s charitable corporation funding world understanding and peace programs. Germ, a member of the Chattanooga, TN club, has been a Rotarian since 1976. Carter is a Capital Rotary past president and was co-chair for Rotary District 7770 major donors for five years.

Capital Rotary Club member Mike Montgomery (right) has been honored for donations to The Rotary Foundation, the international service club’s charitable corporation that funds programs for world understanding and peace. Montgomery is a Paul Harris Fellow plus-four donor, representing an initial $1,000 donation, plus four additional gifts of $1,000 each. He was recognized by past president David Boucher (left), the Capital club’s chairman for Foundation giving.

Capital Rotary member Jenks Mikell gives Arden Elementary School third-graders tips on how to use the new paperback dictionaries they received as part of the club’s participation in The Dictionary Project. The project – begun by a non-profit organization in Charleston in 1995 – aims to help students become good writers, active readers, creative thinkers and resourceful learner.

Capital Rotary donated dictionaries to more than 840 students in 12 Richland County District One schools for 2016-17. Over the past 12 years, the club has distributed personal dictionaries to some 12,150 students in the Columbia area.

A number of Rotary clubs in South Carolina and throughout the country are Dictionary Project sponsors. One of Rotary International’s major goals is improving basic education and literacy.

Four members of the University of South Carolina’s Rotaract Club talked with Capital Rotary president-elect Blake DuBose (center) at a recent breakfast meeting. Junior Carter Grant (far right) leads the Rotaract group, while sophomore Joel Welch (second from right) is technology coordinator. Senior Shelby Olsen (far left) is treasurer for the student group; Nicole Newsom (second from left) is a 2016 USC graduate. Rotaract is open to adults ages 18-30 interested in community service, in developing leadership and professional skills, and who enjoy networking and social activities.

You are officially invited to participate in our 2nd Annual Capital Rotary Club Charity Fishing Tournament on September 19 to raise money for the Columbia Capital Rotary scholarship fund.

For more than 20 years, Columbia Capital Rotary has supported the educational aspirations of high school graduates in the Richland District One area by awarding continuing four-year college scholarships. These scholarships are based on a combination of academic performance, extracurricular activity and economic need. Applicants must provide information via their school guidance counselors, take part in a personal interview and cannot have a parent or grandparent with any ties to Rotary.

Event Details:

Date: Monday, September 19 @ 5:30am (Back up date for bad weather: September 26)
Guide: Each sponsored team will be paired with a local striped bass fisherman. You will need a fishing license. Guide will provide everything else! Team size per boat should be kept to four (4) fishermen.
Sponsor: $600 per boat sponsor fee (includes fish being filleted)
Location: Dreher Island State Park (3677 State Park Road, Prosperity, SC)
Download PDF Flyer: Rotary Fishing Flyer

CONFIRM YOUR SPONSORSHIP & REGISTER YOUR TEAM: Contact Tommy Gibbons to reserve your spot or with any questions at (803) 920-6910 or thomas.gibbons@doctorscare.com – If you cannot attend, please consider making a financial contribution to the event.

Capital Rotary Club members, spouses and friends celebrated Rotary Night with the Columbia Fireflies minor league baseball team at Spirit Communications Park. They were among more than 360 Rotarians from 17 different clubs in the district who signed up for an evening of food, fellowship and good sportsmanship, part of a fundraiser totaling over $1,000. Nearly 40 Capital members bought tickets for the event and sat along the first base line.

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