Bluffton Rotary May 11 Bulletin (May 09, 2021)

NEXT MEETING: THIS WEDNESDAY 5-12

Our next club meeting is this Wednesday, May 12th, at 7:30am. This meeting will be IN-PERSON at the Bluffton Rotary Building. For those members of the club who can't join us in person, please log onto Facebook and go to the Bluffton Rotary Club Facebook Page and tune into the live Facebook stream of the meeting.

This will be a business meeting for the club. Three new club members, Rod Brooks, Ethan Cox and Chris Forster, will be put forward for consideration by the Club.

Rod was born and raised in Westhampton Beach New York. He is a USMC Veteran, and a 32-year employee of the Long Island Railroad (the busiest railroad in North America!) He retired in March 2020 as Sr Vice President-Operations. He's been married to his wife, Ann, for 30 years, and they have one daughter, Rebecca.

Ethan was born in Loris, SC and raised across the state line near Sunset Beach, NC. He graduated from Appalachian State University, and began his banking career in Myrtle Beach. In 2016 he came to Hilton Head Island to manage a bank. In 2019 he made the change to First Citizens Bank which brought him to Bluffton. He married Madeline last year and says he completed the American dream and bought a home with a white picket fence and a dog and cat.

Chris is the Director of Finance and Administration for the Town of Bluffton. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science and a Master's in Public Administration. Prior to joining the Town of Bluffton, He worked on government consolidation and shared services efforts for the State of Oklahoma and most recently as the Controller for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. Chris lives in Bluffton with his wife, Dr. Jessica Forster, who is a Veterinarian and their three children Delilah, Amelia and Luke.

MEMORIAL DAY FUNDRAISER--WE'VE GOT THE MEATS!

To purchase a Boston butt or a brisket go to our club website at http://www.blufftonrotary.org and use the payment center drop down button underneath the fundraiser flyer.

RECAP: 5-5 MEETING

At our last meeting, Mary Doyle, RN, and Executive Director of Memory Matters spoke to the Club. Memory Matters’ bold vision and mission are to “Optimize Brain Wellness.” They balance Brain Health Education with professional Memory Care Services. They are unique in the Lowcountry for their expertise in brain health and memory care. Memory Matters was founded in 1997 as a nonprofit IRS 501(c)3 charitable organization. Their original mission was to sustainably support caregivers of loved ones diagnosed with dementia. In their first 12 years, they were nomads, holding adult day care programs each week in five churches on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton, SC.

In December 2009, they moved to their own 7,000-square-foot facility licensed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environment Control. Their licensure covers memory care for up to 60 participants each day. In 2018, the Board of Directors reframed the vision and mission to encompass everyone, brain-healthy or brain-compromised. Their 2020 Mission Statement continues to reflect their continuum of care for all throughout the lifespan. Thank you so much to Mary for speaking to us about Memory Matters and their mission.