Ione Cockrell, an assistant governor for Rotary District 7770 in the eastern counties of South Carolina, presents a Club Leadership Citation for 2015-16 to Capital Rotary president David Boucher. The Columbia-area club was recognized for its participation in local and district community service projects and for contributions to Rotary International’s international humanitarian outreach programs.
Capital Rotary Club president David Boucher did not think of himself as a long-distance runner when he took up jogging 25 years ago – but now he has circled the globe by completing 24,902 miles (the circumference of the earth) on daily three-mile stints downtown.
It’s fitting that Boucher celebrated his last ‘round the world lap in March during the Rotary District 7770 conference at the Columbia Convention Center. Not only did he run the distance, but he also celebrated the last 900 miles by raising money for Rotary’s CART Fund for Alzheimer’s research. Using his Facebook page and club announcements, Boucher solicited sponsors at a penny-per-mile for the 900 mile finish.
He’s also collected change off the streets while jogging for the past year-and-half in Columbia – a total of $68.86 in coins of various denominations. This money, too, was donated to CART, and Boucher invited Capital Rotarians to match it by contributing $68.86 on their own.
The overall donation goal was $10,000. As of late March, Boucher’s efforts had brought in more than $7,000 with additional checks to come. The CART Fund – Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust – was started by a Rotarian in Sumter County in 1999 and has been adopted by many clubs since that time.
One-hundred percent of the money collected is used as seed money for cutting edge research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. CART has provided over $5 million in grants since its founding.
Capital Rotary was honored twice at the recent 2016 conference for Rotary District 7770. The district includes 80 clubs and about 5,000 Rotarians in 25 eastern counties of the state. Capital Rotary was named first runner-up for Club of the Year in the “medium sized” category, based on a listing of programs and accomplishments.
A past president of the club – Ione Cockrell – was presented a plaque by District Governor Rod Funderburk to recognize her selection as 2015-2016 District Rotarian of the Year. This award is given to one individual each year who has demonstrated exemplary humanitarian service and personal volunteer efforts. Cockrell was cited for playing a key role in relief efforts after many parts of District 7770 suffered significant devastation from rainfall and floods in October 2015.
Cockrell, a financial planner, joined Capital Rotary in 1993 and was its 2000-2001 president. She has been a significant donor to the Rotary Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that supports humanitarian, educational and cultural exchange programs worldwide.
On two Saturdays in March, members of Columbia’s Capital Rotary Club joined with other volunteers to lend a hand in rebuilding a home damaged by catastrophic rains and flooding in the Midlands last October. Their work was part of a disaster recovery partnership between Rotary District 7770 and the St. Bernard Project.
The St. Bernard Project was founded 10 years ago to assist St. Bernard Parish following Hurricane Katrina’s devastating strike at New Orleans, LA. Since that time, it’s grown into a nationally-recognized leader in disaster resilience and recovery. St. Bernard Project has rebuilt homes for over 950 families with the help of more than 100,000 volunteers in five states and, most recently, in Columbia.
Capital Rotary’s volunteers painted, hung drywall, applied mud to the drywall and did lots of sanding to prep for paint at a Blythewood home suffering significant damage. Rainwater came through the home’s roof, damaging insulation and destroying the kitchen and laundry room ceilings, followed by mold. St. Bernard Project removed the ceilings and insulation and – with Rotary’s help – worked toward getting the home in good order for its owners to return after renting quarters nearby.
“It was a fabulous experience and we made a real contribution,” reported one Capital volunteer, in the true spirit of Rotary.
Capital Rotary president David Boucher (right) welcomes retired Army and Air Force veteran Shane Lacaillade into the club following recent induction ceremonies. Lacaillade, a Maine native who spent 24 years in the military, is senior vice president of center operations for UCI Medical Affiliates, headquartered in Columbia. He formerly worked for Premise Health in Memphis, TN, and has graduate degrees in health administration, business and performance improvement. Lacaillade’s military awards include the Bronze Star and a Nation’s Gratitude Honor at the White House. He was also cited in a book – “Called to Serve” – in a discussion of PTSD and its effects on military members and their families. Lacaillade was active with an Optimist Club in Missouri and is married to the former Christine Michael. The couple has three children.
Our speaker at our meeting on Wednesday, March 2nd was Ms. Michela Schildts from the St. Bernard Project. The St. Bernard Project has been instrumental in rebuilding New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. They have now brought their efforts to the Midlands and they have partnered with a number of Rotary clubs in the area to help those in South Carolina who were affected by the October floods. Michela was a teacher and trainer with the Peace Corps for several years. Prior to that, Machela attended and graduated from the University of Florida.
For more information about the St. Bernard Project, please visit http://www.stbernardproject.org
Capital Rotarian Ben Carlton (left) is congratulated by past president Mark Bokesch 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. Carlton – a local corporate law attorney – joined Columbia’s Capital club a year ago. Bokesch is the club’s chairman for Foundation giving.
Capital Rotary president David Boucher (right) receives a diamond circle pin from Mark Bokesch as a new member of the service club’s Bequest Society. The Society is made up of Rotarians who have pledged $10,000 or more for the Rotary Foundation in their estate plans. Funds are used to improve needy families’ living conditions, increase food production and access to fresh water, provide immunization and medical treatment, and support education for international understanding and world peace. Bokesch is Capital Rotary’s director of Foundation giving.
Columbia’s Capital Rotary Club has honored three members for multiple donations to The Rotary Foundation, the international service club’s charitable corporation that funds programs for world understanding and peace. Mark Bokesch (left), the club’s chairman for Foundation giving, congratulates (from right) Mike Montgomery as a Paul Harris Fellow plus-three (representing an initial $1,000 donation, plus three additional gifts of $1,000); Neda Beal, a Paul Harris Fellow plus-one ($1,000 initially with an additional gift of $1,000); and Tommy Gibbons, also a Paul Harris Fellow plus-one.
Matthew Pollard (center) was recently inducted into Columbia’s Capital Rotary Club by president David Boucher (right) and welcomed by his sponsor, Harry Carter. Pollard is a Dallas, TX native who grew up in Beaufort, SC, and began his banking career with Carolina First/TD Bank. He now manages business accounts for First Citizens Bank, working with companies having $1-$10 million in annual revenues. A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a master’s degree from the Darla Moore School of Business, Pollard is a member of Columbia’s 2016 Leadership Class, serves on United Way’s Young Leader Society Steering Committee and is a Ronald McDonald House board member. He’s married to the former Kate Shuler, a local CPA and native of Spartanburg.
| © Copyright 2013-2025 by Capital Rotary Club | Website by POSITUS Consulting, llc |