Reminder! Our Annual Bluffton Rotary Club Oyster Roast has been rescheduled to March 6 at the Bluffton Oyster Factory. Gates open at 5:30 with oysters being served from 6 to 9 PM. All tickets for the original date will still be valid.
Our District Membership team, in conjunction with local clubs, has organized five in-person events called Discover Rotary, which are meant to promote Rotary and educate prospective members about the benefits of joining our organization. These educational, networking-style seminars, open to the general public, provide an overview of Rotary International's structure, mission, and achievements, as well as the benefits of joining a local community club.
The Hilton Head/Bluffton event will be held on Tuesday, March 10 at the Rotary Community Center in Oscar Frazier Park in Bluffton and will be hosted by all the clubs in the Grand Strand region. This event is for prospective members only. The sign - up link is here:
This is an excellent opportunity to showcase all the great work Rotary does and to encourage service - minded, community - oriented individuals who live and work near you to join us.
The Special Olympics South Carolina Area 8 Regional Spring Games will be held at May River High School, 601 New Riverside Rd, Bluffton, SC. on Thursday March 12, 2026 with a rain date scheduled for Friday March 13, 2026. The event will kick off with a brief Opening Ceremony at 10:00 A.M. at the high school track. More than 400 Special Olympics athletes of all ages from Bluffton, Hilton Head, Beaufort, Hardeeville, and Ridgeland will compete in track and field events.
Special Olympics sports offer many levels of competition for athletes with different abilities, allowing athletes to improve skills and gain experience. They will compete according to their capabilities in assisted walks, independent walks, runs, and ball throws throughout the event.
Bluffton Rotarians along with family and friends will manage the softball / tennis ball throw. The duties will include acting as spotters, judges, award presenters and escorts for athletes to and from the track. Other needs may arise during the day. Friends and family members are always welcome!
Since this event is associated with the Beaufort County School District all volunteers must complete a volunteer application with the school district before the event. If you volunteered for this event last year or volunteer in other BCSD activities, your volunteer approval may still be current. Below is a link to the BCSD website volunteer information. Please submit a volunteer application well in advance of the event date.
Volunteers are needed to build Manufactured Wire Reefs, which are wire baskets filled with recycled oyster shells. The project will take place at the Waddell Mariculture Center on Sawmill Creek Rd. in Bluffton on March 14, from 9 AM to 12 PM. The MWRs will be placed along the shoreline of the May River by Bluffton Rotarians at a future date.
For our March 4 meeting, cast members from Hilton Head Christian Academy will be singing some of the memorable songs from their production of Bright Star.
Our Member Spotlight for February was on Austin, Texas native Ted Thames. He met his wife in Sunday School and they had 4 children, 11 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. He spent most of his career in advertising as well as being a church leader.
We took a moment during our February 25 meeting to recognize our Paul Harris Fellows:
Roy Austin, Leah Johnston and Diana Ladouceur along with Gary Jeger from our Satellite Club
+2 Ed Marcum and John Sandlin
+4 Matt Tenwolde
+6 Bill Cormelius
+8 Michael Givler and DeDee Graham as well as David Hussey from our Satellite Club
Regardless of issue, please let us know if something is going on to prevent you from attending our meetings. We have many members who can help, pray, or just call to lift your spirits.
Club Dues Invoices - please submit payment at your earliest convenience. Several Rotarians have outstanding balances from prior invoices - if you are unsure of who you are, please reach out to Don Kensey, Rotary Club of Bluffton Treasurer.
Do you worry about Alzheimer’s? We do not have a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but we must find one. Finding a cure starts with you. Every year the CART (Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust) Fund gives research grants focused on finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
Have you given to the CART Fund this year? The CART Fund is dedicated to raising funds to provide “seed” money for cutting edge, high impact research in hopes of finding a cure/prevention for Alzheimer’s disease. The goal of the CART Fund is to encourage exploratory and developmental Alzheimer’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:
The Bluffton Rotary Club has a YouTube Channel! You will find previous guest speakers and other fun videos, so be on the lookout for more content in the future. All you have to do is create a YouTube account and subscribe...with 80+ current members, we can do better than eight subscriber's!! Link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8TYzr9_xUE8Jfy-lniTt1A
Did you know ClubRunner is now available on your mobile device app store for FREE?!? Once downloaded, use your ClubRunner log-in. This will give you instant access to our member directory, events, news and other important information. Here is a video that highlights some of the features: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFLu08meAHI&t=12s
