Rotary Club of the Lowcountry was happy to perform a much need Spring Clean-Up for a local elderly retired school teacher. She was in dire need of getting her yard cleaned of accumulated trash and shrub/vines growing up and over her house removed.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Participates in Beach Sweep
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry’s Grant Continues to Make an Impact. Club Helps the Homeless
Beaufort High School’s Theater Group was asked to travel to the State House in Columbia and perform for the Governor and other elected officials. This program was sponsored with a grant from Rotary Club of the Lowcountry for the past two years. The Governor has agreed to do the introduction on a CD for distribution that is being produced that will have the whole program “When You See Something, Say Something”.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry – Have a Heart
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry was honored to have the opportunity to provide a spaghetti dinner at the Washington Street Park on February 14th. Homeless and residents of the Northwest Quadrant showed up to enjoy good fellowship, spaghetti, salad, bread, desserts, fruit and the children received Valentine candy and stickers as well. Many of the children went home with coats that had been dropped off by a good Samaritan for us to distribute.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Recognizes Interact Club
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry would like to brag about what an awesome Interact Club it sponsors. Last year’s new Interact Advisors, Robin Southard and Debbie Kidd had their hands full supervising all that their 146 Interact members at Beaufort High stayed involved in. They documented 1,845 service hours and I don’t really think they captured all that the students stayed involved in.
Eight of their seniors earn Interact Service Ropes to wear at graduation because of their amount of service hours during two years. Arlen Ho & Lauren White also were each awarded a scholarship for $1,000. Arlen Ho & Molly Murphy were also King & Queen at last year’s Homecoming Game based on the most service hours and fundraising.
This group of Interact Members truly knows the meaning of “Service Above Self”. David Crumley, who volunteered 109 hours and Amber Chmielewski who volunteered 89.5 hours at United Hospice, participated on their own in a 9 hour orientation class and got shots in order to be able to visit patients. This is something they did own their own with their parents’ consent with no push from the club and was truly a selfless contribution on their part. Beaufort High Interact raised almost $3,000 for Relay For Life where they also participated in a butterfly release ceremony.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Fights Bullying
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry garnered a $6,000 grant to help spread an anti-bullying message among teens in Beaufort County. Many thanks to club President Charlotte Gonzalez and her team for their hard work on this project.
Check out their article in Bluffton Today:
President Teddy Roosevelt visits Lowcountry Rotary Club

Rotary Club of the Lowcountry
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Holds Ice Cream Social
Submitted by Charlotte Gonzalez
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry celebrated the beginning of the Labor Day weekend by hosting an Ice Cream Social at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club. In attendance were club members, past members, friends of the club and potential members for a fun-filled evening of ice cream and swimming.
The first Club President, Stan Hurt (center), first female Club President, Kriste Beckhart (left) and current Club President, Charlotte Gonzalez (far right)
Rotary Club of The Lowcountry Champions Anti-Bullying Campaign
November 19th and 20th, Rotary Club of the Lowcountry targeted 6th graders of Beaufort County where many tell-tell signs start manifesting themselves in regards to bullying. Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Bullying brings fear and hopelessness into the life of an innocent person. Such action can mean misery for those who are subjected to bullying on a regular basis. These individuals are three times more likely to consider suicide than their peers. The booklets distributed will hopefully give guidance to someone being bullied and help others realize what they are doing is wrong.

Cast of the Beaufort High Theatre Group and Beaufort County District personnel.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry partnered with Beaufort Country School District who worked with Beaufort High’sPerforming Arts Theatre Group to put on an assembly that every 6th grader in Beaufort County was invited to attend. Beaufort Middle, Lady’s Island Middle Robert Small’s Middle and Whale Branch Middle Schools all attend presentations at Beaufort High’s Performing Arts Center. The Theatre Group put on thought provoking skits and involved the students and the teachers. Beaufort High’s Theatre Group and Rotary Club of the Lowcountry then traveled to Bluffton Middle and Hilton Head Island Middle to put on the same presentation. The teachers were in attendance at the assembly as well since they are seeing some of these bullying behaviors taking place but unaware of the really harm being caused and may be turning a blind eye to the situation. The program was designed for the teachers to take action, let the victim know they don’t have to tolerate being treated this way, encourage bystanders who see something to say something and to let the bully’s know that this sort of behavior is not to be tolerated.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry distributed anti-bullying activity books and bookmarks to each student as they exited the assembly. The school district also had the Rotarians distribute arm bands that had an anti-bullying message and telephone number listed in case they wanted to speak with someone outside their school.
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Inducts Beaufort High Interact Club Officers & Members
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry Inducts Beaufort High Interact Club Officers & Members
The Beaufort High School Interact Club is 147 members strong this year, making it the largest Interact Club in the district….OUTSTANDING!!! The Lowcountry Rotary club was thrilled to host a breakfast and induction service. The breakfast pizzas seemed to disappear right before our eyes!
The BHS Interact club works closely with the Rotary Club of the Lowcountry to help those in the community on a number of service projects and fundraisers for local charities. These students are all about helping people and making Beaufort a better place!
Rotary Club of the Lowcountry President Dick Bowen presided over the induction of the BHS Interact Officers & New Club Members.