Weekly Presentations
Join us for Monday presentations at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. with a social break in between sessions.
- Charleston Atlantic Presbytery (CAP) building
4701 Park Place W
North Charleston, SC 29405
Be Our Guest
Come to any Monday afternoon meeting as our guest to see if CCR is for you. Just check in for free at the front registration desk.
Spring 2025 Weekly Presentations
January 13
1 p.m.
Charlton Singleton, Grammy Award Winning Musician
Jazz in South Carolina
Jazz in South Carolina has always been underestimated. Charlton Singleton will speak about the importance of Charleston, and South Carolina in general, to this wonderful genre of music.
2:30 p.m.
Gil Jacobs, Docent Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim
History of the Jewish Community in Charleston
Gil Jacobs will discuss Jewish immigration to Charleston. An emphasis will be on Charleston's Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue, founded in 1749. The sanctuary, whose first corner stones were laid in 1792, is the site of the oldest continuous place of Jewish worship in America.
January 20
No CCR – MLK Jr. Day
January 27
1 p.m.
Tracy Strictland, Health and Wellness Coach, Summerville Family YMCA
The ABC’s to Staying Active on a Shoestring Budget
Tracy Strictland will present an interactive program encouraging group participation using canned goods and a chair. She will introduce breathing exercises, strength exercises, mobility, flexibility, balance, and relaxation techniques.
2:30 p.m.
Diana Barth, Chairman of CCR’s C.A.L.L. Committee
Winter/Spring 2025 CALL Classes
Diana Barth and others will preview the Winter/Spring 2025 C.A.L.L. classes.
February 3
1 p.m.
Liz Lewis, Educator, Hobcaw Barony
Virtual Tour of Hobcaw Barony
Liz Lewis will take us on a virtual journey through Hobcaw. She will talk about its coastal ecosystems, native wildlife, and endangered species. She will also take us through time from the early years of rice growing to when Hobcaw House was built by financier, Bernard Baruch.
2:30 p.m.
Richard Camlin, Director of Education, Belle W. Baruch Foundation
Virtual Tour of Bellefield, Belle Baruch’s home
Bellefield Plantation is rich in history. The unfurnished house is not open for tours; however, this virtual tour will give you an “inside” look at this beautiful location in spring and what life was like for Belle Baruch and her friends.
February 10
1 p.m.
Cecil Williams, Civil Rights Photographer; 
Claudia Smith Brinson, Author
The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams
Cecil Williams photographed civil rights activists and events in South Carolina. Cecil was the only South Carolina-based Black photojournalist. With the aid of his photos, Cecil and Claudia Brinson will discuss his career and tell a truer story of civil rights in South Carolina.
2:30 p.m.
Ron Morales, Warming Coordination Meteorologist, National Weather Service
The National Weather Service, Charleston: Who We Are and What We Do
Ron Morales will discuss the National Weather Service, Charleston, SC. It is the local office that focuses on weather forecasts and warnings for a 20-county region of southeast SC and southeast GA. It monitors the weather farther away that may impact our local weather.
February 17
1 p.m.
George W. McDaniel, Executive Director Emeritus, Drayton Hall
Drayton Hall: A Window Through Time and Across the Generations
George W. McDaniel will explore the complex history of Drayton Hall along with its intricate connection to neighboring Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. He will examine the work to preserve and protect these important sites.
2:30 p.m.
George H. McDaniel, Director of Interpretation, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens: A Window Through Time and Across the Generations
George H. McDaniel will explore the complex history of Magnolia Plantation & Gardens along with its intricate connection to neighboring Drayton Hall. He will talk about the familial connections of all the families and people who lived on both sites.
February 24
1 p.m.
Stephen Bailey, Op Ed columnist P&C
Steve Bailey's Business Plan for Retirement
Steve Bailey spent three decades as a business journalist in Boston and London. He created a business plan for himself when he prepared to retire. The plan: Live my life outdoors; My time is my own (except when my wife says otherwise); Make a difference. Over the last nine years, it has worked out surprisingly well. By the way, he never use the “R” word.
2 p.m. Extended Social Time
March 3
1 p.m.
Rebeca Castellanos, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, MUSC
Coping With Grief
Rebeca Castellanos will talk about practical strategies for navigating the complex journey of grief. She will discuss the stages of grief, common coping mechanisms, and effective ways to manage difficult emotions. She will emphasize the role of self-care, seeking support from loved ones, and when to consider seeking professional help.
2:30 p.m.
Peter Lucash, Professor of Practice, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
Board Member with a Purpose
Boards are responsible for the governance of the organization. Peter Lucash will explore how you can be an effective board member and contribute to an organization that makes a difference.
March 10
1 p.m.
Tricia Midgett, Visitor Services Manager, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
Cape Romain NWR: Its Landscapes, Wildlife and Cultural History
Cape Romain NWR, established in 1932, is a pristine landscape of barrier islands, saltmarsh estuary, and maritime forest. Tricia Midgett will introduce us to the natural beauty, human history, personal enjoyment and discovery to be experienced at Cape Romain.
2:30 p.m.
Tom Blomquist, Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Novelist, and Professor Emeritus
10 Top Ways that Filmmakers Manipulate the Audience
What makes a movie or television program successful involves a lot more than the merits of the script or who the actors are. Tom Blomquist will show us how filmmakers use subtle techniques to manipulate the audience’s emotions.
March 17
1 p.m.
Kent Gourdin, Director, Global Logistics and Transportation Program, CofC
Transportation: A Critical Element of Supply Chain Success
The Pandemic brought people face to face with the harsh realities of supply chain disruptions. Kent Gourdin will examine transportation’s role in the supply chain, focus on several long-standing issues in the United States limiting the effectiveness of our transportation resources, and discuss why we should care about how (if at all) they are being addressed.
2:30 p.m.
Jamie Tenny, Owner, COAST Brewing
The Story of COAST
Jamie Tenny will give us a history of beer and breweries in South Carolina. She will then relate the story of how COAST came to be and what owning a small brewery business is like.
March 24
1 p.m.
Bill Greene, MD, Surgeon, Consultant, Lecturer
Haiti: A Surgeon’s Perspective
Dr. Bill Green will describe the most pressing needs of the Haitian people: increased educational opportunity, quality medical care and availability of clean water to reduce threat of disease. Haiti is the third poorest country in the world.
2 p.m. Extended Social Time
March 31
1 p.m.
Lauren Ravalico, PhD, Director of Women’s and Gender Studies, CofC
A Not-So-Straight Story: Decoding the LGBTQ+ Alphabet Soup, Part II
Lauren Ravalico aims to demystify the terms that undergird Women’s and Gender Studies to promotes inclusivity. She will discuss conceptualizing a spectrum of gender and sexual identities to think through how this expansion of personal identities can open possibilities for human flourishing.
2:30 p.m.
Tonya Matthews, PhD, President and CEO, International African American Museum
As We Walk Toward a More Perfect Union
With authentic and empathic storytelling of American History Dr. Matthews shares the story of life on Gadsden Wharf in the time of slavery. The historically sacred site of Gadsden’s Wharf was one of our nation’s most prolific former slave ports.
April 7
1 p.m.
Ralph James, Board Chairman, St. George Rosenwald School
Historical Significance of the Rosenwald Schools
Ralph James will discuss the mission of the Rosenwald Schools to preserve awareness and understanding of the significance in advancing African American education and community development. James attended the Rosenwald school in St. George and is an activist for its preservation.
2:30 p.m.
Rhonda Swickert, PhD, Department of Psychology, CofC
Emotional Intelligence: An Ability That Can Be Enhanced
Emotional Intelligence plays a crucial role in both our personal and professional lives. Dr. Swickert will address what emotional intelligence is and how it can be enhanced. She will guide the audience through several techniques that help to promote emotional intelligence.
April 14
1 p.m.
Kerry Taylor, PhD, Associate Professor of History, The Citadel
Hampton Park and the Lost Revolutions of the 1950s
In the 1950s, two iconic cultural figures, baseball player Hank Aaron and singer Elvis Presley performed at the College Park stadium in Hampton Park. Hank Aaron broke Charleston’s color line in baseball. Elvis Presley sang to a crowd of four thousand young fans. Dr. Taylor will explore these two events in the context of southern history and the social movements of the postwar era.
2:30 p.m.
Carolyn P. Jenkins, Ph.D., author, educator
Blazing Toward Freedom: The Life of Septima Poinsette Clark
Carolyn Jenkins will discuss the work of teacher Septima Clark in elevating educational opportunities for African American students and adults. Clark advocated for African American teachers being able to teach all children and adults. Clark was a civil rights activist working alongside Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
April 21
No CCR – Easter Break
April 28
1 p.m.
Lia Colabello, Managing Principal, Planet+Purpose Solutions
NeuroPLASTICity: Plastic in our brain
The impacts of plastic pollution on the environment are well documented. However, scientists are just starting to understand the impacts of plastic pollution on the human body. Lia Colabello will discuss the latest research and the actions being taken to end the global crisis of plastic pollution.
2 p.m. Extended Social Time
May 5
1 p.m.
Brian Knowles, Attorney, Knowles Law Firm, PC
Representing Boeing and Aviation Whistleblowers and Navigating a Media Firestorm
Whistleblowers play an important role in protecting society and the public interest, often at great risk of retaliation, all in the interests of the flying public. Brian Knowles’ law firm has been representing whistleblowers of The Boeing Co. and Spirit Aerosystems for over a decade. If you travel by air, you will be interested in their stories.
2:30 p.m.
Dean Stephens, Director of Development, WakeUp Carolina
No Person, No Family Will Ever Have to Take This Walk Alone
Every 4 minutes in our country, someone dies of an overdose. Dean Stephens of WakeUp Carolina shares the story of this lowcountry nonprofit, and their mission to provide resources and support groups for those impacted by alcohol and substance abuse.
May 12
Noon
CCR Member Luncheon and Annual Meeting