Rotary Club of Five Points » Rotary District 7770

The Rotary Club of Five Points has exceeded its PolioPlus Goal

Mar 262015

The Rotary Club of Five Points has exceeded its PolioPlus goal of over $2000 through 2 “World’s Greatest Meal” events and its most unique fundraiser, The Leprechaun Contest, where members vote with their dollars and the 2 receiving the highest votes don their luckiest green, carry the Club’s St Pat’s banner, and lead their fellow Rotarians in the Five Points St Pat’s Parade. This year Past Pres./Attorney Ned Nicholson, the 1st repeat Leprechaun winner in the Contest’s 8 years, and Past Pres./Attorney-CPA Eddie Sullivan made such a “splash” at Saturday’s very rainy Parade that they were featured on the front page of The State’s Sunday newspaper.

Congrats to Five Points Rotary for “shining a light”

Rotary Club of Five Points To Raise Green in St Pat’s Parade

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Feb 142015

The Rotary Club of Five Points is all about the green. Raising green for Polio Plus, that is. Each year the club votes for its “top leprechauns” to dress up and walk in the St. Pat’s Five Points parade. This year’s parade theme is: “It’s a birthday party!” celebrating 100 years of Five Points. The club sponsors a float and Five Points Rotarians and their families walk or ride along. It’s fun for all for a great cause!

Five Points Rotary Conducts First Red Badge Ceremony

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Dec 202014

Five Points Rotary’s Membership Co-Chair Patty Cavanaugh conducted the Club’s 1st Red Badge Program Ceremony for Cheryl Stanton and her Sponsor/Mentor Nick Foong. The Red Badge Program allows new members to integrate more quickly into the Club and the Family of Rotary by accomplishing various Rotary-oriented tasks/activities with the guidance of their mentor. Congratulations to Rotarian Cheryl, the Club’s 1st Red Badge Graduate!

The Rotary Club of Five Points raises $668 for PolioPlus

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Nov 052014

The Rotary Club of Five Points raised $668 for PolioPlus at the Club’s 1st “World’s Greatest Meal” on World Polio Day, October 24th. Dr. Eric Brenner, who has worked with the World Health Organization, spoke about polio’s worldwide devastation and how total eradication is within our grasp.

University Senior awarded Rotary Global Grant for Study in Uganda

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Oct 142014

University of South Carolina senior, David Wolfer, has been named as a recipient of the Rotary Global

Grant to study at Makerere University with a focus in the policy and management of HIV/AIDS and

infectious diseases. Wolfer is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Five Points in Columbia, South Carolina,

which is in Rotary District 7770.

As a member of the South Carolina Honors College, Wolfer is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Nursing.

He is a Palmetto Fellow and a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship, Passport Travel Grant, Walker

Institute International Experience Award, South Caroline Nurse Foundation Nursing Care Scholarship,

and J. Randall Guy Healthcare Scholarship. Additionally, Wolfer is a member of the International Nursing

Honors Society Sigma Theta Tau-Alpha Xi chapter. He graduated from the Wolfer School of the Arts and

Sciences in White Rock, SC.

Wolfer’s interest in global health is supported by his numerous campus activities and research

experience. After a family trip to Uganda and Tanzania in 2010, Wolfer’s passion for disease prevention

and treatment began and continues through his involvement with the University of South Carolina’s

Student Nurse Associate and GlobeMed. Wolfer returned to Uganda this past summer for a six week

study abroad experience where he worked at Mulago Hopsital in the Infectious Disease, Medical

Emergency, and Pediatrics units. Alongside his studies at Makerere University with the global grant,

Wolfer proposes to increase the breadth of the nursing library and available technology for students

in Uganda. Through partnerships with other Southeastern universities, Wolfer hopes to build the

library enough to attract more students to improve the African nursing shortage. Wolfer also plans on

partnering with a local Ugandan Rotary Club to increase the scope of their current project to increase

communication for healthcare providers in rural clinics. Both his studies and his community project fall

under the area of disease prevention and treatment, one of Rotary’s six areas of focus.

The Rotary is the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program whose scholars

further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and

geographical areas by encouraging person-to-person diplomacy. Rotary Global Grants are valued at over

$30,000, provide nine (9) months of study abroad, and encourage recipients to engage in community

service work.

Wolfer brings the university’s total of Rotary Scholars to 84 since the 1994 establishment of the Office

of Fellowships and Scholar Programs (OFSP) which assists students as they prepare applications for

national fellowship competitions. To learn more about such competitions and view a complete list of

the University’s Rotary Scholars, visit www.sc.edu/ofsp.

For more information about applying for the Rotary Global Grant, join OFSP for a Rotary Workshop on

Tuesday October 14 at 4 p.m. in Legare 322.

David Wolfer is the son of Regina Yutzy-Wolfer and Dr. Terry Wolfer of Irmo, South Carolina, both

professors at USC. Please share this release with The State, The Daily Gamecock, and The Free Times

(Columbia, S.C.).

Five Points Rotary Holds Baseball Social/Supports Youth

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May 082014

On April 30^th, members of the Rotary Club of Five Points (Columbia) Club held a club social at a local ballpark to support, in person, the club sponsored baseball team. Members of the Palmetto Baseball League, the Five Points Rotary “Warriors” baseball team secured a one run victory in a dramatic ball game. After the game, the team heard a short address by Club President Andrew Folks about “Service Above Self” and the lessons to be learned about it through baseball.

This is the sixth year the Rotary Club of Five Points has sponsored a youth baseball team. Funding comes from the proceeds generated through the Club’s annual parking project.

Rotary Club of Five Points Sponsors Global Grant Scholar

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Dec 052013

University of South Carolina senior Leila Heidari has been named a Rotary Global Grant Scholar to obtain her Masters in Global Health at Oxford University in Oxford, UK during the 2014-2015 academic year. Heidari is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Five Points in Columbia, South Carolina. Five Points Rotarian Louis Dessau, who led the nominating process for the club, says, “We have many talented students in the Columbia area who can represent Rotary throughout the world. Leila Heidari is exceptional and will be reporting back to us during her year in the UK. Rotarians everywhere should feel pride in what they accomplish by donating to the Rotary Foundation, which enables students like Leila to spend a year abroad and learn how people from different cultures can do business with one another and live together peaceably.” President Andrew says, “One of my goals in this year is to be involved in the community, to let people know what Rotary is and what Rotary does for young people to help them succeed. We’ll follow Leila through her year as a Rotary scholar and after she returns from Oxford. Thanks to District 7770 for making this possible.”

Five Points Rotary Makes Being a Benefactor Easy

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Aug 312013

Submitted by Emerson Smith
Public Relations Chair
Rotary Club of Five Points

The Rotary Club of Five Points Columbia is making it easy to sign up to become a Rotary Benefactor. In addition to having plenty of copies of the form required by The Rotary Foundation, a club member who is an attorney, Lisa Hostetler (pictured), has volunteered to prepare codicils to wills for club members – for free! Five Points Club President R. Andrew Folks stated this in regards to the initiative:

“We wanted to encourage our membership to not only sign up as a Benefactor, but also to close the loop by making it easy to literally make the provision for Rotary in their will. We are so thankful to our club member Lisa who is volunteering her expertise. I hope that many of our members will take advantage of the offer. I also hope other clubs take our idea and use it themselves!

The Rotary Club of Five Points currently has 19 active or senior active members listed as Rotary Benefactors in a club of 76 members.

Literacy Projects Celebrated at Five Points

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May 292012

At the April 20th Rotary Club of Five Points meeting the Club celebrated by recapping their Literacy Project activities during the year and honoring Teachers of the Year from six area schools.

The first Literacy Project celebrated was the Club’s annual Dictionary Project conducted in the fall of last year. Members distributed dictionaries to 180 third graders across four elementary schools in the Five Points area of Columbia.

The Five Points Club also welcomed six principals and six “Teachers of the Year” to its April 20th meeting. Each Teacher of the Year represents a school in the Five Points area of Columbia and received a plaque and $100 gift certificate for school supplies. The honorees included:

 Doris Arvelo, Religion Teacher, was honored as St. Martin de Poores Teacher of the Year by Principal Sister Robeta Fulton.

 Mary Ann Tillman, Music Teacher, was honored as AC Moore Teacher of the Year by Principal Chantelle Baker-Parnell.

 Derrick Theirse, Fourth Grade Math and Science Teacher, was honored as South Kilbourne Teacher of the Year by Kim Spivey.

 Douglas Brandon, Second Grade Teacher, was honored as Rosewood Teacher of the Year by Principal Elizabeth Williams.

 Ernesto Bernal, Spanish Teacher, was honored as Hand Middle School Teacher of the Year by Principal Marissa Vickers.

 Judith Ray, Science Teacher, was honored as Dreher High School Teacher of the Year by Principal Jeanne Stigelbauer.

The Club capped the meeting with a presentation by Ms. Betsey O’Brien, Director of Education Programs for NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental Illness. O’Brien detailed NAMI’s “Families and Teachers as Allies” teacher in-service program, a free NAMI program to school systems. The audience of teachers, principals and Club members received an overview of the program and how to obtain additional information at www.nami.org or by contacting Betsey O’Brien at NAMI SC at 803-733-9592. The Rotary Club of Five Points is also fielding a team in the 2012 NAMI Walk on May 19th in Columbia and is also a Silver Sponsor of the event.

Rotary International District 7770, Eastern South Carolina