1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Shelley Hughes Wins Carolina Forest Rotary Club Raffle

Shelly Hughes, a waitress at California Dreaming Restaurant, wanted to do something to help others so she purchased a raffle ticket, knowing that the $5 would be used to help Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio in one of the four countries where it still exist – Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.  She expected to help, but didn’t expect the call Wednesday morning with the news “you have the winning ticket.”

A raffle ticket for $5 – can it really help save the lives of six children. With Rotarians donating their time and resources to travel to the remaining pockets of polio, the money raised by local clubs can go directly to the cost of the vaccine.  Yes, for less than a dollar a child can receive the immunization and not live in fear of death or being crippled for life.

 Members of The Rotary Club of Carolina Forest Sunrise, a breakfast club meeting at Beef O’Bradys, have been diligently selling raffle tickets so the Club could continue to “Do Good in the World” both in Horry County and internationally.  Many humanitarian projects have been funded through the local Rotary Clubs and lives have been changed as a result.

 Locally, the club has funded projects for local schools and other humanitarian projects such as Street Reach and CASA.  They have sponsored a youth club “Interact” at Carolina Forest High School and two Rotaract Clubs at Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College.   A popular project each year is when the Rotarians get to hand a personal dictionary to every third grader in the Carolina Forest area.

 This year the club has undertaken a long range project to help furnish equipment for the new park soon to be opened in the Carolina Forest Community.  A matching grant was obtained through the District Rotary program to begin furnishing items for the park and plans are underway to do the same next year.  

 Your local Rotary Club is always seeking ways to serve our community and the world.  Rotarians live by the motto “Service Above Self.”   Thanks to Shelley and so many others who purchased raffle tickets, the proceeds will enable the club continue to serve.

 Want to know more about the Carolina Forest Sunrise Rotary Club??  Visit the club on Wednesday mornings at 7:00 A.M. at Beef  O’Bradys or call President Tim McCoy at the Carolina Forest Branch of Horry County State Bank. (839-8190)

• Presidential Citation
• District Governor's Citation
• Outstanding Secretary Award
• Outstanding Club Bulletin Award
• 100% Paul Harris Fellows Club

Our Rotarian of the Year 2008-2009 Ms Cecile Gough.

Cecile joined Rotary a little over a year ago, sponsored by Debbie Conner. In her first year of membership she wrote and coordinated a grant that supplied books for literacy at Carolina Forest Elementary and Clothes for the Clothes Closet at Waccamaw Elementary. The coordination of the ordering, payment, distribution and identification of the books was part of our club drive to allow all children to have books they can use to increase their reading skills. Our Rotary shoppers found great bargains with monies supplied by the grant to provide new clothes for the clothes closet, allowing children to select, when a need was identified by the school administration, outfits and shoes. Often times these clothes were the only new clothes that the child owned. Further, Cecile hand crafted a sign for the closet that now hangs over the door at Waccamaw.

During the 2008-2009 year the club members reported weekly to Waccamaw Elementary to pack weekend snacks for students in need. The coordination of volunteers was Cecile's contribution and the race to complete each weeks bags in a faster time enriched the fellowship of the members. The high participation rate of the members was something to be proud of.

The development mentoring program for new members was begun with a presentation to the Board by Cecile. As the head of the Membership Committee for the coming year, this program will continue to be developed to increase awareness and understanding of the responsibilities and expectations of all club members.

Cecile asked the new Superintendent of Horry County Schools, Cindy Elsberry, to speak with our Rotary club as her first club address after Cindy arrived. Informing the club and the public of the goals and dreams of the school were a wonderful kick off to the new school year.