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Welcome to Our Club!
Bluffton

Fellowship and Service the Bluffton Way

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 7:30 AM
Rotary Community Center/Oscar Frazier Park
11 Recreation Court
Bluffton, SC 29910
United States of America
Phone:
(843) 540-7957
Email:
blufftonrotarians@gmail.com
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Bulletins
Venue Map
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Deadline: Friday, November 3: ๐‘๐Ž๐“๐€๐‘๐˜ ๐‚๐‹๐”๐ ๐Ž๐… ๐๐‹๐”๐…๐…๐“๐Ž๐ ๐€๐‚๐‚๐„๐๐“๐ˆ๐๐† ๐†๐‘๐€๐๐“ ๐€๐๐๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐€๐“๐ˆ๐Ž๐๐’
๐๐‘๐„๐’๐’ ๐‘๐„๐‹๐„๐€๐’๐„
 
CONTACT: Joanie Iaco
PHONE: 843.540.7957
E-MAIL: rcob.charitable@gmail.com
 
๐น๐‘‚๐‘… ๐ผ๐‘€๐‘€๐ธ๐ท๐ผ๐ด๐‘‡๐ธ ๐‘…๐ธ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ด๐‘†๐ธ
 
September 29, 2023
 
 
๐‘๐Ž๐“๐€๐‘๐˜ ๐‚๐‹๐”๐ ๐Ž๐… ๐๐‹๐”๐…๐…๐“๐Ž๐ ๐€๐‚๐‚๐„๐๐“๐ˆ๐๐† ๐†๐‘๐€๐๐“ ๐€๐๐๐‹๐ˆ๐‚๐€๐“๐ˆ๐Ž๐๐’
 
Bluffton, SC โ€“ The Rotary Club of Bluffton is accepting applications from local 501(c)(3) organizations for grants awarded through their charitable giving program.
 
The Club offers grants up to $5,000 to qualified nonprofits. To qualify, organizations must serve individuals or families that live or work in or near Bluffton. Grants are awarded for projects that align with one of Rotaryโ€™s six focus areas: promote peace; fight disease; provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; save mothers and children; support education; or grow local economies. This is the first of two grant cycles the Club conducts each year.
 
๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐ž๐š๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐›๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐…๐ซ๐ข๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ‘, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘ ๐š๐ญ ๐Ÿ“:๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐๐Œ.
 
A full list of grant guidelines, along with the application form and step-by-step application process, can be found on the Bluffton Rotary Club website (blufftonrotary.org), under the Charitable Giving Process tab. To be considered for a grant, organizations must complete the entire grant application form.
 
The Grants will be awarded during the November 29, 2023, Rotary Club of Bluffton meeting. Recipients will be notified ahead of time if they will be receiving a grant from the Rotary Club of Bluffton.
 
๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘› 1988, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐ถ๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐ต๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘“๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘› 35,000 ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐ถ๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘”๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’. ๐‘Š๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘Ž ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘› 1.2 ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ , ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘˜๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘—๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘™๐‘‘. ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘…๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘œ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ , ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ, ๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”, ๐‘”๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘™๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ , ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ . ๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘”๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ง๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›โ€™๐‘  ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘“. ๐ฟ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘› ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘™๐‘ข๐‘“๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ.๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘”.
 
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MEETING RECAP: AUGUST 23
Last weekโ€™s business meeting consisted of updates from each of our Board Members on their respective positions. We encourage each Rotarian to get involved to help make a larger impact in our community. To get involved, please respond to this email stating which committee you'd like to be involved with.
 
 
May be an image of 12 people and table
 
April Business Meeting
The Monthly Business Meeting is always a well attended meeting as we get to recognize outstanding leaders in our community and induct new members!
Congratulations to our Students of the Month: Jacob Broene (Red Cedar Elementary) and Fabio Galeana (M.C. Riley Elementary).
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Bluffton, Tom Middleton.
Club History Day 
Do you know the history of the Rotary Club of Bluffton?
Thank you, Mary Oโ€™Neill for sharing the history of how we became a chartered club:
โ€ข The first Rotary Club was founded by Paul Harris and the first meeting was held in 1905 in Chicago.
โ€ข Rotary came to SC in 1915
โ€ข After several other clubs within the state were sponsored, the Hilton Head Island Club sponsored the Bluffton Club in 1988.
โ€ข On April 25, 1988, 29 men gathered to celebrate the first Charter Night of the Bluffton Rotary Club and since then, our Club has grown and expanded into a vibrant group who has and continues to make large impacts in our local community.
Dr. Bill Epps - 05.12.23
Thank you, Bill Epps, for filling in this morning for Dr. John Perry. We enjoyed an informational presentation on cardiovascular and thoracic procedures.
Culinary Institute of the South
This weekโ€™s meeting was a special treat! Thank you to fellow Rotarian and Club Admin, Cara Vercellone, for organizing our field trip to the Technical College of the Lowcountry - TCL - Culinary Institute of the South.
Rotarians and guests enjoyed touring the state of the art facility that is centrally located right in Bluffton.
Oyster Reef Build - 05.01.23
We love making a difference in our community. Interested in learning more about the Rotary Club of Bluffton? Reach out, we would love to invite you to join us.
Club of the Year
It was a great weekend at District Conference 7770. Our club won club of the year! We have great members and hard working volunteers. We would like to thank our community for their continued support, the Town of Bluffton, Bluffton Police Department and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office without your support and partnership we would not be able to give back and assist as much as we do. It was a great honor to receive this award with all the outstanding clubs in our area.
5th Wednesday Gathering - 04.29.23
The 5th Wednesday gathering is always a special time together. We love spending this time fellowshipping with fellow Rotarians and those interested in learning more about the large impact that the Rotary Club of Bluffton makes.
The C.A.R.T Fund
Do you worry about Alzheimerโ€™s?  We do not have a cure for Alzheimerโ€™s disease, but we must find one.  Finding a cure starts with you.  Every year the CART (Coins for Alzheimerโ€™s Research Trust) Fund gives research grants focused on finding a cure for Alzheimerโ€™s disease. 
 
Have you given to the CART Fund this year?  The CART Fund is dedicated to raising funds to provide โ€œseedโ€ money for cutting edge, high impact research in hopes of finding a cure/prevention for Alzheimerโ€™s disease.  The goal of the CART Fund is to encourage exploratory and developmental Alzheimerโ€™s disease research projects within the United States. This is accomplished by providing financial support for the early and conceptual plans of those projects that may not yet be supported by extensive preliminary data but have the potential to substantially advance biomedical research. These projects should be distinct from those designed to increase knowledge in a well-established area unless they intend to extend previous discoveries toward new directions or applications.
 
If you would you like to donate to the C.A.R.T. fund please scan the code below:
 
Charitable Giving Grants Available
Have you applied for the Rotary Grant?
Rotary Club of Bluffton awards a grant twice a year (Spring and Fall), through the Charitable Giving Process. Non-Profit Organizations are eligible to receive funding from the Rotary Club of Bluffton once every 12 months. The maximum amount the Club will provide to any organization during a 12-month period is $5,000.
The deadline to apply for this grant cycle is next Friday, March 24. For more information and to access the application and guidelines, please click the link below:
Wil Saleeby - 03.15.23
Two of the most important factors in business and in service are establishing goals and tracking the progress because it directly impacts its success.
Over the last several months, Fellow Rotarian Wil Saleeby has facilitated our Clubโ€™s Strategic Plan and this morning we enjoyed hearing the changes being made to improve the direction of our club.
Interested in learning more? Reach out to us! Weโ€™d love to invite you to join us for a meeting.
Dana Ridenour - 03.01.23
Thank you, Dana Ridenour, a retired FBI agent and the author of three FBI undercover novels: Behind The Mask, Beyond The Cabin, and Below The Radar, for joining us this morning!
 
Over the years, Dana has been employed in a wide variety of jobs including first mate on a tour boat (her favorite job), lawyer, and Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dana entered on duty with the FBI in November of 1995 and retired in April of 2016 after over twenty years of service. She was assigned to four different FBI Field Divisions and had the opportunity to work a wide variety of cases to include multi faceted narcotics investigations, domestic sex trafficking of minors, and violent crime. Over the years, Dana was a proud member of the FBI's Evidence Response Team where she and her team traveled to New York City in response to the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. The highlight of her career came in 2003 when she attended and passed the FBI's prestigious undercover school, thus allowing her to work as an undercover FBI agent. This undercover certification opened the door for her to work a series of long term, deep cover cases focusing on domestic terrorism. Dana had the rare experience of working a long term undercover investigation with her husband who was also an FBI agent.
Fireside Chat - 02.23.23
It was a great night for a fireside chat. It's always great to connect with new and prospective member
February Business Meeting 2023
Congratulations, Madalyn Ricciardi (Red Cedar) and Jessie Hernandez-Hernandez (M.C. Riley) on being recognized as the Students of the Month!
Welcome, Doug Crawford, to the Rotary Club of Bluffton. Always happy to have new members!
John O'Toole - 02.15.23
Beaufort County Economic Development has some exciting things going on! We enjoyed welcoming John Oโ€™Toole, Executive Director, this morning to learn about some of their projects and impacts that they are making in our local communities.
Dean Turner - 02.08.23
A special Thank you to Foundation Director Dean Turner for all his efforts, knowledge, passion, and presentations on the Rotary International Foundation.
Dean has educated our club on the importance of the RI Foundation and value it has to our local and International communities.
Glen Umberger - 02.01.23
Thank you Glen Umberger, Historic Preservationist for the Town of Bluffton Government, for joining us this morning to share what you do in your role.
We all thoroughly enjoyed seeing the projects that have been preserved and hearing about the projects that are on the horizon!
January Students of the Month
We enjoyed filling the room this morning for our Business Meeting and Students of the Month Celebration!
Congratulations, Erick Garcia (M.C. Riley Elementary) and Ryan Fox (Red Cedar Elementary) on being recognized as your schools Student of the Month.
Lt. Mike Danyov - PHF
Congratulations to Mike Danyov on becoming a Paul Harris Fellow, an honor received by those who make substantial contributions.
RCB Meeting 01.18.23
We enjoyed welcoming Dale Douthat, Executive Director of United Way of the Lowcountry, this morning to share how workforce development begins in kindergarten.
HBD Bill Cornelius
All enjoyed celebrating Bill Corneliusโ€™ birthday and long-standing service to Rotary with singing and cake! Who said cake wasnโ€™t for breakfast?
Business Meeting 12.21.22
It was a great morning to recognize individuals at our last meeting of the year for going above and beyond to receive their Paul Harris Fellow. This recognition is given to those who have supported and contributed to the Rotary Foundation.
 
Congratulations! Thank you for being the epitome of Rotaryโ€™s mission, #ServiceAboveSelf
- Dot Jeger (PHF +6)
- Tom Bulcock
- Bill Epps
- Lyndee Simoneaux
- D. Scott Chandler
- Derrick Coaxum
Social Media
Club Executives & Directors
President
Mary O'Neill
President Elect
Mike Tripka
Secretary
Dana Marsh
Treasurer
John Anderson
Vice President
Joanie Iaco
Past President
Dan Ciuffreda
Rotary Foundation Dir
Howard Turner
Membership Dir
Rod Brooks
Public Relations Dir
Natalie Osterman
Service Projects Dir
Josh Artime
Sergeant at Arms
Ethan Cox
Club Admin Dir
Dana Marsh
Youth Services Dir
Samuel Keeler

Site Pages

 
Links
Rotary International Theme 2022-2023
Speakers
Dr. Novince
Dec 06, 2023
Low Country Alliance for Healthy Youth
The Singing Eagles
Dec 13, 2023
Holiday Cheer
Student of the Month and Group Activity
Dec 20, 2023
Student of the Month and Group Activity
No Meeting
Dec 27, 2023
Happy Holidays and a Festive New Year!
No Meeting
Jan 03, 2024
Happy New Year!
Bob Elliott
Jan 10, 2024
SCNRI Program
Shawn Schroeder
Jan 17, 2024
Savannah Airport
Business Meeting
Jan 24, 2024
Business Meeting
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Bulletins
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RCB 20th Anniversary
 
 
RBC Year in Reviews
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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