Thank you for visiting the Summerville Evening Rotary Club website! We just celebrated our 12^th Anniversary and are one of three Clubs in the Summerville area.  Our membership hovers at 25-30 members meaning we are an intimate group. Given our size, we truly have the opportunity to know one another on a personal level and forge lasting, meaningful relationships. I refer to it as the “Family of Rotary”. Our members are a diverse group of professionals from a variety of careers and ranging in age from Millennials to Baby Boomers. Collectively, we share a common goal of doing good while having fun!

Our presence in the community is strong and with our time, talent and/or treasure we support a number of great organizations. Just to list a few would include:  Home of Hope (Men’s Shelter) and Hope’s House (Women’s Shelter), Katie’s Krops, Dorchester Children’s Advocacy Center, Lowcountry Blessing Boxes, as well as annual scholarships for students at Trident Tech and Charleston Southern University. In the Dorchester District II school system, we manage three projects annually. One such program is called “Happy Feet”, where we partner with Shoe Carnival located in Azalea Square. In 2020, over 150 children shopped for new shoes as Rotarians worked in the store to assist them in their purchases. The “Dictionary Project” is a collaboration between multiple Clubs and has been in existence for a number of years. Every Fall, every third grader in District II is given a new dictionary for their personal use. For some, it’s the first book they have ever owned. And last, but not least, our Club has a partnership with Alston Bailey Elementary School and our project is called “Backpack Buddies”. Students that the Counselors have deemed with food insecurities are given a discreet bag of food for the weekend to tide them over until Monday. Our Club shops and stocks the pantry at the school two to three times a year.

So how do we fund these projects? We have two signature events each year – a golf tournament, which will be held in the Spring at Legend Oaks Country Club and our celebrated Oktoberfest, held in the Fall in Hutchinson Square. This amazing event draws between 3,000 – 5,000 for an afternoon of great food and beer, entertainment including local musicians (and of course a German band) and many other forms of entertainment. Unfortunately, the Pandemic of 2020 has made us push the pause button for this year, but 2021 should be our best Oktoberfest ever.

If anything you just read struck a chord in you, please reach out to me! I would love the opportunity speak with you in person.

Sincerely,
Karla Fields