The April 28 club meeting featured an unusual topic: lessons from SC Drug Court. The speakers, introduced by Rotarian Jim Grimsley, are officials with the local multi-county drug court. Mike Lee comes from a law enforcement background, have served as a City of Beaufort police officer before his (first) retirement. He was called upon by the Solicitor to restart a drug court in the region including Beaufort County and surrounding area. The purpose of the drug court was finding alternatives to incarceration in the face of a badly overcrowded state prison system. Our second speaker, Krista Grabenbauer (yes, she’s Beaufort Rotarian Gabby’s daughter-in-law) comes from a social work background. Krista, who deals directly with offenders, described the 3-step program that helps individuals get free of drug habits and live productive lives. This approach not only gives drug offenders a new start in life, but also saves the state the expenses of incarceration.

Mike Lee tells us about drug court

Krista tells us what it’s like being on the front lines in dealing with drug offenders

On February 17 the Sea Island Rotary Club had a very informative presentation by Dick Stewart. Dick, a Beaufort native, worked in the telecommunications field in his first careers. Dick started with Motorola and then moved to MCI before starting his cell tower business. Dick hit the market right, did very well with his company, and was able to move back to Beaufort in the early 2000s. Instead of retiring as many would, Dick decided to invest in the community, as a business and to help revitalize downtown Beaufort. In addition, Dick serves on the boards of several local nonprofits, applying his business acumen and experience to help these foundations thrive. Dick is also a Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Beaufort.

Meredith and Ed are all ears

Dick Stewart tells us how to succeed in business by working hard – and smart!

Dave takes mental notes on how he’s going to grow his business and take over the town