Newsletter Content » Capital Rotary Club

Walker Williams joins Capital Rotary

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Mar 072017

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.

Qing Wang cited as new Paul Harris Fellow

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Mar 022017

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.

Capital Rotary Highlights for 2016-17 Rotary Year

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Mar 012017

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.

Miss Columbia visits with Capital Rotarians

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Feb 012017

Miss Columbia 2017 – Suzi Roberts – joined Capital Rotary president Tommy Gibbons and other members of the club for breakfast Feb. 1. Roberts is a graduate of the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications and will represent the city in this summer’s Miss South Carolina pageant. Her passion is working with Children’s Trust of South Carolina in connection with her personal platform – SuziStands4Kids — to advocate for abused and neglected children in the Midlands and across the Palmetto State.

Bridge Designer Joins Capital Rotary

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Jan 122017

Qing Wang, a S.C. Department of Transportation bridge structural designer, is welcomed into Capital Rotary membership by her sponsor, Neda Beal (left) and club president Tommy Gibbons. Wang holds a structural engineering doctorate from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where she was also a teaching and research assistant. She earned undergraduate degrees from China’s Beijing City University and Yanshan University. She’s also a University of South Carolina liaison to the executive board of the American Society of Civil Engineers midlands branch.

Capital Club Member Meets Rotary International President

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Jan 032017

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.

Mike Montgomery Recognized for Paul Harris Donations

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Dec 222016

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.

President of AT&T visits Capital Rotary

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Nov 162016

Our speaker on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 was Pamela Lackey, President of AT&T SC. She is responsible for the company’s regulatory, economic development, legislative and community affairs activities in the state. She works closely with state and community leaders to help bring new technology and jobs to the state and improve the quality of life for all South Carolinians.

Pamela brings a diverse background to her position, having joined AT&T’s predecessor company, BellSouth, in 1997. She initially served in the business marketing group, where she was the company’s primary interface with education and government customers. In that role, Pamela was instrumental in establishing the state’s first broadband network to provide high-speed Internet service to all schools and libraries. She was subsequently promoted to the position of Director-Government Relations, where she worked directly with members of the S.C. General Assembly on public policy matters. She was named to her current position in October 2007.

Prior to her telecommunications career, Pamela was a professional educator. She most recently served as the Senior Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent of Education, where she directed a division with responsibility for technology, curriculum standards, testing and professional development for teachers and administrators. Before being named supervisor of library media programs for the SC. Department of Education, she began her career as a school library media specialist.

Her numerous honors and awards include being named the 2011 Business Leader of the Year by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the highest award bestowed by the state’s largest statewide broad-based business and industry trade association, which represents more than 18,000 businesses and more than one million employees.

Pamela is extensively engaged in community and civic affairs through leadership roles with numerous local and state organizations. She is currently a co-chair of the Transform SC education initiative, a Past Chair of the SC State Chamber Of Commerce, a Vice Chair of the S.C. Ports Authority Board, having been appointed by Governor Haley and originally confirmed by the State Senate in 2011. The boards on which she serves include the Business Partnership Foundation at USC’s Moore School of Business, the Palmetto AgriBusiness Council, the Palmetto Business Forum, Hollings Cancer Center Advisory Board, the United Way of the Midlands Board and the International African American Museum Board. Previously, she served four years on the Research Centers of Excellence Review Board, including as Chair.

A native of Meridian, MS, she attended the University of Alabama, where she was awarded a Bachelor’s in Education and a Master of Library Science and an Ed.S in school media supervision. She moved to South Carolina in 1980

In her faith community, Pamela is a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where she serves on the Altar Guild.

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Picture credit: Millennium Magazine

Ray Tanner speaks to Capital Rotary

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Oct 192016

University of South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner spoke to the Columbia Capital Rotary Club on October 19, 2016. Tanner is in his fifth year guiding the fortunes of the Gamecocks’ athletics programs. After a long and highly successful career as Carolina’s baseball coach, Tanner officially began his new duties on Aug. 2, 2012.

Under Tanner’s watch, Gamecock student-athletes have achieved tremendous success in intercollegiate athletic competition, in the classroom and the community.

During the past two academic years, Gamecock student-athletes have led all schools in the SEC Academic Honor Roll, earning more than 700 recognitions. Carolina student-athletes have earned a cumulative 3.0 grade point average or better in 18 consecutive semesters.

In the last four academic years, the Gamecocks have won a national championship (equestrian), five SEC regular season and tournament championships and its 686 points in the 2015-16 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup All-Sports Standings is the most since 2002-03 (701 points).

In 2015-16, Carolina also claimed the inaugural Certified SC Grown Palmetto Series, sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. The series consists of athletic, community service and academic points in head-to-head matchups against Clemson.

The Gamecocks have had 15 teams finish in the Top 10, 29 finish in the Top 25 with student-athletes earning 127 All-SEC and 205 All-America honors during the last four years.

Carolina student-athletes accomplished these academic and athletic feats while performing more than 9,000 hours of community service, breaking an athletics department record for three straight years.

Article Source: http://www.gamecocksonline.com/genrel/tanner_ray00.html

Capital Rotary Donates Dictionaries for 2016-17

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Sep 292016

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.

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