Our July 18th meeting of the Rotary Club of North Myrtle Beach began with a club donation to Ainsley’s Angels. Ainsley’s Angels Carolina Chapter came to visit us earlier in the summer to spread the message about their organization. Ainsley’s Angels gives special needs children the opportunity to participate in marathons by providing special carriages and volunteer drivers for races across the country. We hope our donation will help contribute to the wonderful work Ainsley’s Angels does for special needs children.

July 18th’s guest speaker stuck to our beach roots, as Monica Powell of the Ocean Drive Shag Club came to speak about her club’s recent activities. The Shag, the state dance of South Carolina, was born on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach in the 1940s. More than 70 years later, the Shag is still going strong, as thousands of Shaggers, known as Society of Stranders (SOS), flock to the beach biannually for a celebration of the classic dance. The OD Shag Club is supporting the future of the Shag, as they are helping raise funds for the Junior Shag Dance Team, headquartered right here in North Myrtle Beach. Through proceeds from their Charity Golf Tournament in September, the OD Shag Club will help fund the Junior Shag Dance Team’s trips to Atlanta, California, and even Australia, as they compete in some of the world’s biggest dance tournaments. We thank Monica for dropping by, and with many fellow Shaggers in Rotary, we look forward to seeing her on the dance floor!