The Rotary Club of Daniel Island (RCDI) is a vibrant service organization of 100 people with a common interest and passion for giving to the surrounding community and fostering goodwill through fundraising, volunteerism, fellowship, and learning. Club members hail from diverse backgrounds and geographies. They are young men and women starting careers, people who are new to Daniel Island looking for friendship, and former business leaders wanting to use their expertise, talent, and time to give to others.
Rotary supports causes in seven important areas to maximize the organization’s impact in our communities and around the world:
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Promoting peace
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Fighting disease
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Providing clean water
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Saving mothers and children
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Supporting education
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Growing local economies
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Supporting the environment
Club members can choose from a number of committees, many aligned with the above service areas, providing opportunities for giving to causes that resonate with personal interests and passions.
A key way Rotary invests in our future is by empowering young leaders, helping them learn leadership skills, and giving them opportunities to have cross-cultural experiences. Rotary offers youth exchanges, scholarship programs, and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards to demonstrate a commitment to our youth. Many young students have benefitted from the scholarship program of the RCDI.
The Charleston Duck Race is the annual signature fundraising event of the RCDI in collaboration with other local Rotary Clubs. Each year, 30,000+ rubber ducks race to win, with the winning duck paying out $22,000 in prize money to the ‘duck adopters’ while providing needed funds for local charities. Since its inception, the race has raised $2 million for charities serving low country families in need.
RCDI meets weekly on Wednesdays at 7:30 am via Zoom, with a hybrid in-person and Zoom meeting every other week at the Daniel Island Club and Blackbaud Headquarters. Breakfast is provided. Each week, a guest expert from the surrounding area speaks about a relevant and timely topic of interest to members.
About Us
Meeting Info
The Rotary Club of Daniel Island meets on Wednesday at 7:30 AM, with breakfast beginning at 7:15. Our meeting ends promptly at 8:30.
In person meetings are held at the Daniel Island Club (generally 1st and 3rd Wednesdays) or at Blackbaud (generally 2nd and 5th Wednesday), but please check the calendar above to confirm. All in-person meetings are generally also carried on Zoom in real time You can also join us at one of our Fellowship events, generally on the 4th week of the month.
We'd love to have you join us. Guests, please email Mary Jo Romeo; maryjo.rotary@gmail.com if you'd like to join one of our meetings.
Our 2024-2025 President is Chip Law
Meeting Recap
10/24/2024
This week we presented a $5,000 check to “Feeding the Multitudes” and Rotarians from our club recently helped with one of their food distributions. Reverend Levi Wright is the pastor at New Hope Ministry Baptist Church and manages the "Feeding the Multitudes" initiative in the Cainhoy/Huger area, a separate 501 C 3 nonprofit.
Rev. Wright and his wife Janet have been offering free food to the people of the Cainhoy/Huger area for the past 22 years. In the years, they distributed from any place in the community that would give them space - community centers, schools, churches, and parking lots. They know have a dedicated leased space and a refrigerated delivery truck for their vital program.
Meeting Recap
10/15/2024
Tour of CMMC Navy Yard
The Daniel Island Rotary Club was treated to a three-hour, behind-the-scenes tour of CMMC. Our host and CMMC CEO, Elias Deeb, rolled out the red carpet, passionately describing the work and contributions of over a dozen of his forty-plus diverse tenants. From Detyen’s massive shipyard and learning about the Navy Yard's still functioning dry docks, to hearing from Mike and Tasha, the leaders of an innovative arts TTS Studios, to tours of High Wire Distilling’s storage facility, to learning from the owners of Fritz and Porter, a high-end fabric and custom furniture company, to learning more about Smithey’s cast iron skillets and other companies, we were impressed by the entire tour! Elias and his team are not just landlords; they are focused on manufacturing and preservation, creating jobs, building alliances across companies, and using a once-forgotten Charleston Navy Yard.
Meeting Recap
11/15/2024
Mayor Reggie Burgess
Our quarterly speaker series continues this week with Mayor Reggie Burgess of North Charleston.
Some may have anticipated the normal status of city government type of update, but we got to know Mayor Burgess as a man. From his early days when his mother was a single parent raising Reggie and his brother Brian, to then a stepfather, Mr. Willy, who changed his life forever and was a huge influence on the man he is today! He then moved on to becoming a star running back for Morgan State University and later returned home to serve on the North Charleston Police Department for 34 years, retiring in 2023 as Police Chief. There is much to talk about with changes in the City of North Charleston, redevelopment of the naval base, the Coast Guard establishing their East Coast Headquarters, and the SCPA redevelopment of the current Westvaco paper mill. And if that was not enough, let’s add on rebuilding the Don Holt Bridge, widening I-526, and dredging the Cooper River channel. As a former Police Chief, Burgess places a strong emphasis on public safety, working to reduce violent crime and collaborating with residents and agencies to improve overall safety and quality of life. A very impressive presentation by a truly remarkable man whose focus is truly helping and serving all the people of North Charleston.
Fellowship
Thank you to Troy and Vickie for once again hosting our Christmas Party at your beautiful home!
As we wrap up the year, we celebrate another successful Duck Race, our many community service efforts, and the fellowship we enjoy each week. Thank you all for your unwavering commitment to our motto, “Service Above Self”! Together, we have made a significant impact in our community, and we’re all proud of our accomplishments as a club.
We invite our community to join us in celebrating our successes and to learn more about our ongoing projects on our website:
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Rotary Club of Daniel Island
295 Seven Farms Drive, Suite C
P.M.B. 149
Charleston, South Carolina 29492
email: dirotary1@gmail.com
