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SC-based airmen return home from Middle East! About 130 airmen from a South Carolina Air Force base have returned home from the Middle East after logging 8,000 flying hours during a four-month deployment. Air Force spokeswoman Trisha Gallaway said Tuesday the unit from Charleston Air Force Base that returned on Monday dropped 8 million pounds of cargo to more than 160 drop zones during their deployment. Overall, the unit airlifted more than 148 million pounds of cargo and 37,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilian visitors in the region. The unit flies C-17 Globemaster transports and logged more than 8,000 flying hours over Iraq, the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan. Great job gals and guys!
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SCEG.com What a Great Resource! South Carolina Electric and Gas (SCE&G) has a terrific website that offers information on many energy-related topics - things like the value of switching to natural gas, the money you save with natural gas, ways to make your home more energy-efficient, information on energy tax credits and appliance tax credits, in-home energy consultations, online energy audits, sign up for an energy-saving tips newsletter, how to weatherize your home and much more. sceg.com
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Welcome Boeing! Everyone in Greater Charleston is super-excited about our newest employer - Boeing! Why’d they choose us? Skilled work force, significant tax advantages, existing and added infrastructure including airport facilities, business environment and logistics. Boeing plans to create 3,800 jobs and will invest over $750 million in the next 7 years. Doug Woodward, director of research and an economics professor at the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business says that “Boeing is one of those rarefied companies which everyone knows and recognizes as a leader in the field, and to have that in South Carolina - is an intangible benefit aside from jobs and income generated… and I think it will put Charleston on a lot of people’s lists of the hottest places to be in 2010.” Boeing is expected to bring 10-15 suppliers to the region as well. www.boeing.com
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Way to go, Joe! Charleston's beloved mayor, the Hon. Joseph P. Riley, Jr., was among 12 people honored at the White House with the National Medal of Art, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence. The medals were presented by President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michele Obama in an East Room ceremony on February 26, 2010. The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Included in this year's group of recipients were Mayor Riley, Bob Dylan and Clint Eastwood. The National Endowment for the Arts described his contribution this way: "Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. is a visionary in the field of urban design and the creation of livable cities. In nine terms as the mayor of Charleston, Mayor Riley has drawn on and nurtured the city’s historic and artistic resources to reinvigorate it, economically and culturally, setting a national standard for urban revitalization in the process. His success spurred him to create, with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mayors' Institute on City Design in 1986, which has brought more than 800 mayors together with acclaimed architects, urban planners, developers, and others to help transform communities through design and stewardship. "
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Way to Go, Porter Gaud! Each year the National Merit Scholarship Program receives about 1.5 million applications from students throughout the United States and awards scholarships to college bound students based on their PSAT scores. The Top 16,000 scorers, or 1% of High School seniors, qualify as semi-finalists to compete for only 2,500 scholarships. Charleston’s own Porter Gaud School had 8 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists in 2009, and they all successfully competed and became finalists! Porter Gaud is a is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory day school located just across the Ashley River from downtown Charleston. The National Merit Scholarship Program awards scholarships based on outstanding academic record, endorsement by school principal, high SAT scores, a self descriptive essay and participation and leadership in school events and the community. www.portergaud.edu
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The Town of Mt. Pleasant Awarded SC Housing Achievement Award for its efforts in workforce housing. “This is the second time in less than a year that the Town of Mount Pleasant has been recognized for its work on workforce housing,” said Mayor Billy Swails. Workforce housing is a relatively new term embraced nationally by planners, government administrators, housing activists and some developers. It refers to homes providing affordable housing opportunities for gainfully employed essential workers such as police officers, firemen, teachers, nurses, office workers and medical technicians. Providing housing opportunities for all segments of the Town’s population is critical in creating an economically and socially sustainable community. The provision of workforce housing is important to economic development as the availability of affordable housing helps attract and retain essential workers – an important factor for companies looking to relocate or open a new facility. Way to go Mt. Pleasant! www.townofmountpleasant.com/index
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Home of the Good Guys - Heeding the Call to Haiti. Within days of the Jan. 12th earthquake that devastated parts of Haiti, MUSC physicians and volunteers packed their bags and found themselves in the rural, mountainous terrain of this poor, Caribbean nation as they provided life-saving care to dozens of critically injured patients. Since the event, MUSC and the Department of Orthopedics have sent two multi-disciplinary medical surgical teams to provide early relief efforts working with medical volunteers at Hospital Lumiere, located in Bonne Fin in Southern Haiti. The effort is considered a start in what will be a collaborative, ongoing effort. www.musc.edu/catalyst
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Cutting Edge Technology in Healthcare... Literally! Cyberknife RadioSurgery. The Roper St. Francis Cancer Center is proud to be the first and only facility in South Carolina offering CyberKnife treatments. CyberKnife is a painless, noninvasive radiation treatment that is an alternative to conventional surgery. Using revolutionary technology, CyberKnife delivers high dose radiation with extreme accuracy to tumors anywhere in the body, offering new hope to patients with previously inoperable tumors. www.ropersaintfrancis.com
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2009 Award of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development. The Home Depot® Foundation of Atlanta, GA announced that the City of North Charleston and its non-profit partner, The Sustainability Institute of South Carolina, have been named as winners of its 2009 Award of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development. North Charleston joins Minneapolis, MN, as one of only two winners nationally for this prestigious, first-ever honor. “Clearly, North Charleston is moving to the forefront of sustainable communities in the US,” says Mayor R. Keith Summey. “Recent economic development announcements and national honors point to the city as planting the seeds for a 21st Century economy. Without question, The Home Depot Foundation award is a reliable indication that North Charleston is improving the quality of life for its citizens.” The Award of Excellence comes on the heels of two major economic development announcements in North Charleston this fall, with the decision by Boeing Aircraft to build a massive assembly plant for its new Dreamliner passenger planes, and the US Department of Energy’s decision to award the Clemson University Restoration Institute with its federal wind turbine research center. Both announcements will have a profound impact on the local and state economy, and are projected to generate thousands of high-paying jobs. www.noisettesc.com
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CARE. The North Charleston Police Department has a unique program designed to benefit elderly or handicapped people living alone. The program is knows as CARE, which stands for Call Reassurance. The department has provided this service since 1995 and the participation has declined over the years. They are attempting to increase community interest and involvement. The program involves checking on program participants by calling them each day at a designated time. The system is automated and will only send assistance if the phone call is not answered. This service is free and available only to the citizens of North Charleston. If you, or anyone you know, would benefit from this service, please call Tonia Mallette for more information at 745-1015.
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NWS Charleston Sailors participate in mentorship program in Town! Sixty students from Goose Creek High School, ranging from freshman to senior year, participated in the 2nd annual Goose Creek Shadowing project at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Charleston Thursday, Feb. 4. Students were paired with NWS Charleston staff members whose careers matched their own professional ambitions. Military personnel and civilian employees volunteered to participate in the shadowing project providing students hands-on, vocational experience that linked schoolwork to real life. The Naval Weapons Station is the area's largest employer with 17,000 in personnel. www.cnic.navy.mil
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We Recognize a Winner when We See One! John McKissick, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach was hired as head football coach at Summerville High School in 1952. During the 1993 season, he became the winningest football coach in history on any level when he broke the record of 405 wins held by Gordon Wood of Texas. Coach reached another milestone in 2003 by winning his 500th game. His present record stands at 556 wins, 130 losses and 13 ties. His teams have won the region title 30 out of 54 years and 10 state championships. From 1978 – 1980, his teams compiled a 41-game winning streak, the longest ever in South Carolina. Coach has held the national record for the most victories at one school since 1986. www.summervilleathletics.com
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Great Job Charleston Senior Center Members! Thanks to the support of the CSC members for their help in providing "canned" meats to the Charleston Senior Center during June. Not only did you provide much needed meat, you also made a $250 to assist the center with their home delivered meal program.
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Firehouse Subs to Donate Lifesaving Device to MPFD | Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Herb Williams announced that the Mount Pleasant Fire Department has received a $16,000 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. The award, secured through the grant writing efforts of Capt. Rob Wronski, will allow the department to purchase an AutoPulse - an automated, portable device that squeezes the entire chest, improving blood flow to the heart and brain during sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
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Girl Scouts name Women of Distinction VanThullenar among the ten honorees for 2010 | Barbara VanThullenar/Nonprofit. VanThullenar is the executive director of Camp Merry Times, which provides a camp experience for children with cancer. She works as a registered nurse and cares for hospice patients, and recently created the Summer House foundation, which provides a day camp experience for children with disabilities and special needs. VanThullenar is also active in her church, Christ Our King, and is a leader in the Crusillo movement in South Carolina. She lives in Mt. Pleasant. Read the Article!
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The Memorial Waterfront Park Commemorative Brick Program The Town of Mount Pleasant welcomes families and friends of service men and women to take part in the opportunity to honor their loved ones at the Memorial Waterfront Park. The Town has unveiled a commemorative brick program to honor veterans living or deceased who have served their country bravely and honorably. Read more about it!
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Mount Pleasant named a 2010 All-America City Award Winner! The National Civic League announced the winners of the 61st annual All-America City award during a raucous celebration at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City on June 18. The crowds cheered loudly as, one by one, delegations from the ten winning communities streamed onstage to accept their awards. Mount Pleasant was the only municipality representing South Carolina. It was a first win for the Lowcountry community. “It is with great pleasure and pride that the Town of Mount Pleasant was recently awarded the All-America City designation from the National Civic League,” announced Mayor Billy Swails. “Being named an All-America City is a tremendous honor. Through a winning presentation, they highlighted our ongoing work to revitalize our main street, Coleman Boulevard, the civic engagement that spearheaded the public improvements to Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, and our cooperative relationship with the Charleston County School District and all our community stakeholders.“ The 61-year old awards program recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties and metro regions for outstanding civic accomplishments. To win, communities have to demonstrate an ability to address serious challenges with innovative, grassroots strategies that promote civic engagement and cooperation between the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Town of Mt. Pleasant
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Alright, Wando High! Wando High School received the National Student Council Award for its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that serve to improve the school and community, Wando High School has been awarded a 2010 National Gold Council of Excellence Award by the National Association of Student Councils. Over 150 high schools were named National Councils of Excellence but Wando is one of 131 of those high schools nationwide to receive the highly-esteemed honor of being named a National Gold Council of Excellence. To meet the requirements for the National Council of Excellence award, a student council must demonstrate that it meets a variety of criteria. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings, a democratic election process, and membership in NASC, schools that qualify for the award demonstrate such things as leadership training for council members, teacher/staff appreciation activities, student recognition programs, school and community service projects, spirit activities, goal setting, financial planning, and active participation in their state and national student council associations. Read More!
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South Carolina Home Recognized for its Energy Efficiency. A house on Sullivan’s island has received national recognition for not only its looks, but also its energy efficiency. Featured in April’s edition of Coastal Living – the Herlong’s home on Sullivan’s island is as pretty on the outside as it is inside. Steve Herlong is an architect, and designed the home with his wife making sure that it is energy efficient.“Every fixture that we use is energy star rated,” he said. Even the lighting was designed to conserve energy.“We use CFL bulbs in the fixtures. We use dimmable fixtures as well to reduce the electrical usage,” he said. Plus, the house was also built to handle some of the worst weather. Impact resistant windows and steel inside the walls make the house capable to stand up to the winds in a category three hurricane. Read more about the Herlongs going green!
