Ryan Pye from Mirasol Health will be our speaker for our November 12 meeting.
He has a professional background in marketing and communications from previous roles at both a nonprofit organization and communications company. Ryan received his Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia Journalism and Master’s Degree in Professional Communication and Leadership from Georgia Southern University.
With a passion for making a positive impact on the community, Ryan is committed to helping MiraSol Health continue to grow and support patients and their families
On November 5 we had a very enlightening trip to Bluffton Self Help, one or our ongoing grant recipients.
Founded in 1986 when Ida Martin opened a nearly empty refrigerator in the home of a single mother with five children and immediately filled it and that’s how her dream for a better future for her community began.
Ida Martin recognized a great need that was not being met for working families and senior citizens in the area, and so began Bluffton Self Help, which was chartered a year later in October of 1988. The name Bluffton Self Help fit the organization’s mission, and it fit the woman who got it going and helped it keep pace with Bluffton’s incredible growth, particularly over the past several decades. As the town and surrounding area boomed, so did the need for emergency financial help, food, and clothing.
We heard about the vital work Bluffton Self Help performs in the community from Director of Development Carli Anselmi and CEO Courtney Hampson who led us on a tour of the facility where we saw the food available to local families, who were lining up for the day's distribution long before the 10 AM opening time. We also saw the warehouse where donations were waiting to be sorted and placed. The organization also has a clothing store nearby with a very eclectic selection for needy residents.
Bluffton Self Help also partners with a number of other local non-profit organizations including: Dress For Success, Hopeful Horizons, The Children's Center, Second Helpings, Lowcountry Food Bank, Volunteers in Medicine, along with many others.
Our annual Happy Feet event on Saturday, November 8 was a great success this year! We gifted about 230 Bluffton area elementary students and some of their siblings with a pair of shoes and several pairs of socks. We also provided a breakfast snack to the participants.
The participants are selected by the social workers at the elementary schools, who provide our club with a list of the size and gender for each student or sibling. This year we worked with Bluffton Elementary, MC Riley Elementary, Okatie Elementary and Red Cedar Elementary schools.
We gave away over 260 pairs of shoes along with multiple pairs of socks for each participant. The socks were provided by the Lions Club of Bluffton, and four of their club members - including Mandy Arnold, who is a member of both Rotary and Lions - issued the socks to the youngsters. The shoe total includes the 75+ pairs of adult shoes that were donated by a Bluffton family; we had extra adult size shoes which we made available to the parents who needed a new pair of shoes.
We had about 25 Rotarians volunteer to help with the event, including a strong representation from the Satellite Club. Several of the volunteers worked both the set up on Friday afternoon and the event on Saturday morning.
Happy Feet is one of the most popular service projects our club does every year. As volunteers, we get to experience firsthand the excitement and joy expressed by the youngsters as they participate in the event. The smiles and laughter make it all worthwhile. It is truly a heartwarming experience for the volunteers!
Several members of our Satellite Club took part in the annual 5K Tunnels to Towers race this past Sunday, November 9.
The race generated the largest turnout yet in its 5 year history, with 1500 registered for the Bluffton event. The Tunnel to Towers Run & Walk Series was created to honor the heroic life and death of Stephen Siller, a New York City firefighter (FDNY) who lost his life on September 11, 2001 after strapping on his gear and running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers. The race today honors all of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and supports our first responders and military who make extraordinary sacrifices in the line of duty.
For more information on the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation please visit https://t2t.org/
Members from the Bluffton Rotary Club and the Bluffton Evening Satellite Club teamed together with the Town of Bluffton Public Services Department to plant 128 small trees at the New Riverside Park on Friday, November 7.
This joint project was the result of a grant awarded to the Town of Bluffton from PalmettoPride. The grant, submitted by the Beautification Committee with the Town of Bluffton, awarded 257 trees to the Town. Tree varieties awarded include Pink Crepe Myrtle, White Dogwood, Red Maple, Pin Oak, Nellie Stevens Holly and Green Giant Thulas. All of the trees have now been planted in Bluffton parks - New Riverside, Oscar Frazier, Martin Family, Oyster Factory and Wright Family Parks - and we'll wait for spring to witness increased beauty in the parks.
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
