Images from the Orangeburg Morning Rotary Dictionary Project

...In which we gave dictionaries to all Orangeburg Third Grade Students

SCSU’s New President Urges Rotarians, Community to Support the University

In a talk to the Rotary Club of Orangeburg – Morning on Wednesday morning, August 13, Dr. George E. Cooper, the recently installed 10th president of South Carolina State University, shared an optimistic vision for University’s future and an ambitious agenda focused on enriching research and educational opportunities, and upgrading the physical plant at SCSU.

Until recently, Dr. Cooper was an administrator with the US Department of Agriculture who routinely dealt with land grant institutions. He pointed out that SCSU was created as a land grant institution under the second Morrill Act of 1890, which specifically gave money to states to expand higher education access to African Americans. Between them, the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890 committed states who received grants from the federal government to equal support for majority black colleges and universities. It’s a commitment, he said, which has not usually been met.

"South Carolina," he noted, "does not rank high in education." To improve, we need to educate students to compete in a global economy. "Even when they are working in Africa or Japan, they are representing South Carolina," he pointed out.

Key to improving the educational opportunities at SCSU is emphasizing research. Research not only attracts students, but "it attracts and retains the best faculty."

Despite the unwelcome news that state agencies were told of a second round of budget cuts, Dr. Cooper intends to ask lawmakers to approve 67 million to address deferred maintenance on the campus. "Students shouldn’t have classrooms where the heating and air do not work."

Dr. Cooper also said he plans to announce a major capital improvements campaign which will have an impact on the South Carolina economy extending into the hundreds of millions.

"My message to the lawmakers is that we’re going to be a success. If you want to claim credit for it later, you’ve got to support us now."

He asked local leaders in the community to support his agenda with lawmakers. "Write a letter. Better yet, get ten friends to write letters and make phone calls."

He pointed out that SCSU plays an important role in training educators throughout the state, and serves as an important resource for them. Success at SCSU will be the community’s success, he said, and an expansion of the University’s physical infrastructure would certainly benefit the local economy.

"I’m competitive in what I do, in that I want South Carolina State University to offer the best education available. When leaders in the community send their children off to college, when college professors send theirs, I want them to think of us first. That’s how we’ll know we’re a success."

His comments were well received by the audience. "It’s all about leadership ability," said Ann Hurst, president of the club, "and that’s what he showed this morning."

Club Notes:

August 20, 2008 Don Tribble, Executive Director, Orangeburg County Community of Character Also co-presenting - Orangeburg County Sheriff La Water Missions International.
rry Williams

August 27, 2008 Bill Clark, Orangeburg County Administrator
REMEMBER!
--August 28 Water Missions trip!

Character Trait for August: Self Respect

Joan Didion: "To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves--there lies the great, singular power of self-respect."

District 7770 DG Anne Walker Urges Rotarians to Work Hard, Do Good, Have Fun.

July 30, we heard about our Rotary District 7770 from our District Governor, Anne Walker, who shared her personal vision of Rotary:

Reach
Out;
Take someone by the hand;
Ask service oriented people to attend;
Retain members; and remember
You (service is all about...)

She challenged all of us to invite at least one new member. She also shared D. K Lee’s challenge to Rotary Districts, that each district should aim for a 10% increase in membership, and 2 new clubs, goals our district is well on the way toward achieving.

Have you considered giving to Rotary through a bequest?

"The world is your guest." D. K. Lee

Healing Species

At our July 23rd meeting, Lincoln, a white Lab, brought his friend Megan Mitchum to a meeting to talk about Healing Species;--how an abused dog later named Gravy and Cheri Brown Thompson together began an organization that would touch hearts around the country and around the world. Using dogs who have been abused and rehabilitated to health, Healing Species takes lessons of the heart to schools and Department of Juvenile Justice homes, in a curriculum they have shown decreases violence and increases attention and compliance among the students they serve. As they say on their website (http://www.healingspecies.org/),

Rescued dogs - dogs nobody else wanted - assist us in teaching children life-lessons in respect for the feelings of others. The dog is a living example of overcoming one's past, and returning nonviolent responses.

Also, President Ann and Secretary Penny told us about the July 21st board meeting. Among the decisions the board made is to hold off on RIDDE for a bit while the program is revamped. In the meantime, they discussed beginning a Rotary Reader program, in which Rotarians go into classrooms and read and discuss readings with students. Dennis Shay and Ron Lawson have been asked to head up our clubs participation in a Habitat for Humanity project, possibly in Santee, possibly in Orangeburg. Ann is also looking into ways of raising 3000 for Polio plus, possibly by organizing a Golf tournament with the help of other local clubs.


Don't miss the chance to stand and applaud the District Governor's presentation next week, July 30.

SafeKids Super Saturday is Sept. 6

July 16, Kathy Funderburk stopped by to tell us about her work with SafeKids. Did you know more children ages 1 to 14 die from accidents such as motor vehicle crashes, fires, drowning, poisoning and falls than any other cause? Accidents kill one million children each year around the world and permanently disable many more. Almost all of these injuries are preventable
Safe Kids was founded in Washington, DC in 1987 by Children's National Medical Center with support from Johnson & Johnson. In the United States, Safe Kids has contributed to a 45 percent reduction in the child fatality rate from accidental injury – saving an estimated 3Safe Kids has distributed more than 2.5 million bike helmets and 250,000 smoke alarms and has checked more than 740,000 car seats.
Saturday Sept 6 will be the 13th Safe Kids Super Saturday event in Orangeburg. Hundreds of children will participate!
Interested? Call Kathy at 803-395-2822

ROTARY RELIEF EFFORTS IN CHINA

In 1919, Roger D. Pinneo, the past president of the Rotary Club of Seattle, established the first Rotary club in Shanghai on 17 July 1919 with 35 charter members. Rotary admitted the club on 1 October 1919. The club met regularly until WW II. In 1951, the club was formally disbanded, as were all mainland China clubs by the end of 1952.

More than half a century later, in 2006, the Rotary Club of Shanghai returned along with the Rotary Club of Beijing (originally chartered n 1924; chartered again in 2006). Due to government restrictions, only foreign nationals may join.
Since the May 12 earthquake, Bill Chiang, a resident of Chengdu and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco Golden Gate has been coordinating Rotary related relief efforts. Thanks to the efforts of Chiang and other Rotarians, ShelterBox and LifeBox, two disaster relief organizations with Rotary ties, have been able to ship aid containers to the region
The Rotary Club of Beijing raised US $8,600 to purchase baby formula and received $14,400 worth of additional baby supplies for an orphanage in Chengdu.
The Rotary Club of Shanghai plans to donate $21,000 raised from its annual charity golf tournament to earthquake relief projects.
Read more @
http://www.rotarychina.org/earthquake/earthquake.html

No Meeting July 2

Make Dreams Real

"When choosing our service projects, we do our best to work in ways that will have the most positive, and most lasting, impact. But to ensure a better world formany generations, we must begin by taking care ofour youngest generation. This is why, in 2008-09, I will ask Rotarians everywhere to focus on the mostprecious resource of every community: our children.

"Every child deserves the chance at a healthy life.

"If we take full advantage of our own resources, and those available to us through other clubs and our RotaryFoundation, then we will have the potential to make a real difference — and to Make Dreams Real for theworld’s children."

Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee,

President, Rotary International, 2008-09

Orangeburg Morning Rotary in the News, and the Newsletter

This item ran in the Times and Democrat on May 7, and was reprinted in our District 7770 Newsletter.

The Rotary Club of Orangeburg-Morning presented a$5,000 check to Buster Smith, director of the City ofOrangeburg Parks and Recreation Department, on April 3 tohelp pay for improvements to the dugouts at AlbergottiBaseball Field.

The renovation of the dugouts is part of an overhaul of thecity’s oldest recreational field, with the field also receivingnew fencing, renovations to the concession stand andscorer’s table, a new batting tunnel and bullpens.

“Our club has always had a focus on youth and on improvingthe community, so this was an excellent opportunity topartner with the city to greatly improve Albergotti field,”said Mike Dennis, district foundation advocate of the RotaryClub of Orangeburg-Morning.“Hundreds of kids will benefit from the improved field andthe city will also have a great place to potentially host DixieYouth tournaments in the future. Our RotaryDistrict 7770, which encompasses the majority of South Carolina, makes available, each year, grant money that can be used for local projects.

"We applied for a grant of $2,500 which we matched with $2,500 from our club for this effort. Overall, Rotary District7770 has given out $80,000 this year alone, which was matched dollar for dollar by other clubs to enhance their local communities.”


Clich HERE for the entire newsletter.

Edisto United Way Welcomes New Board Members

At our May 7 breakfast meeting, Howard Hill was thanked for his service in helping to revive United Way in the Edisto region. Outgoing board members were thanked for their service, and incoming board members were welcomed aboard. Go to Bill Carter's photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/billcarter393/UnitedWay2008 for more views.

Officers Honored for "Service Above Self"

On April 29, the Rotary Club of Orangeburg-Morning honored three police officers for Service Above Self: Senior Patrolman Shawn R. Hallingquest (far right); Department of Public Safety Detective Sergeat Cindy Smith (center) and Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department Investigator Anthony Craft (second from left)

Rotarian of the Year: Mike Dennis

At our annual "Service Above Self" banquet last night, Mike Dennis was chosen as Rotarian of the Year of Orangeburg Rotary Morning. A former club president, Mike was also recently chosen to succeed Mary Scarborough as District Assistant Governor.

About this great honor, Mike says:

I want to make sure you know how much this means to me. We have a wonderful Club with active members who are so deserving of this award so it is meaningful and a surprise to receive it this year. I can think of many of you who do so much to help the Club and community and want to thank you for what you do and ask that you keep up the good work. Getting involved with Rotary has been a blessing for me in that it has opened up my eyes to the collective power we can garner and the impact we can have on the lives of people we do not know and will never see. To me that IS Rotary!

As seen in The Rotarian...

At the end of a month which has highlighted public education issues in South Carolina, I was interested to see this in our Rotarian and our Rotary website

Rotary's Wide World of Books!

Participate in Rotary’s Wide World of Books and help a child learn to read!
LA2008 will feature an international Book Drive where Rotarians from approximately 171 countries will create a worldwide service project by giving a gift of literacy to the children of the seven Southern California Rotary Districts!
For many years, Rotary in the Southern California Districts has partnered with the Los Angeles Times and Reading By 9. This partnership will become a global initiative as every LA2008 Convention attendee brings a book to Los Angeles!
The donated books will benefit students in kindergarten through third grade in the Southern California school systems - students who rank among the lowest in the nation in reading skills.
For more details, see

http://www.rotary2008.com/convention_project.htm