News About Town
John Marvin Murdaugh of Murdaugh Rentals recently presented local volunteer coach Randy Vaughn with the keys to a new SCAG Zero Turn lawnmower to care for the fields at Kinard Lane Park in Hampton. The Hampton Little League Baseball Program is completely supported by volunteers and the Town of Hampton supports the program through the use of the two fields at the park.
Leadership Salkehatchie announces reestablishment of youth program
After eight sessions of leadership training, the 2022 cohort’s investment in Leadership Salkehatchie is yielding substantial dividends for the region as the group announced the reestablishment of Salkehatchie Youth Leadership as its project.
“USC Salkehatchie has a rich history of engaging people of all ages across our service region. Previously, the University offered youth leadership programming in each of our five counties. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic dramatically impacted our ability to work with youth and our schools. We’re excited to begin making an impact on youth in our area with this project,” Jackson Alexander, Director of the USC Salkehatchie Leadership Institute, said.
The launch of the Salkehatchie Youth Leadership Program will offer 10th and 11th-grade students in Colleton, Hampton, Allendale, Barnwell, and Bamberg counties an opportunity to learn valuable life and professional skills to carry into adulthood. “Programs like this are vital for youth, especially in rural areas, to learn about their own personal leadership abilities, make lasting connections, and develop talents for personal growth. We hope the students will see first-hand the impact they can have across the Salkehatchie region and choose to make positive impacts for a lifetime,” Alexander said.
The program will be a partnership between the USC Salkehatchie Leadership Institute and the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service. Leadership Salkehatchie participants brainstormed ideas for the program, set targeted goals and agreed to help with the promotion of the program. Additionally, each has taken on the responsibility of obtaining funding for the program.
“The group felt a youth program would be a great way to cultivate young leaders for the region by exposing them to resources, such as higher education, business and industry, arts and culture, healthcare and infrastructure, governmental operations and civic engagement,” Alexander said.
Previous sessions provided a strong foundation for the group to develop the project and included topics such as leadership development, economic opportunity, and regional resources. The February meeting at the Walterboro Wildlife Center focused on leadership in their communities and served as a catalyst for the project.
“Leadership is pivotal when we think about how to cultivate change and create progress in our region. Developing leadership skills can spark transformation. The reestablishment of the youth leadership program is an excellent example of what Leadership Salkehatchie is about,” Alexander said.
Leadership Salkehatchie is a year-long, intensive leadership program sponsored by the USC Salkehatchie Leadership Institute and the SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance, which empowers its emerging leaders to improve their communities. Since its inception, more than 200 men and women have participated in the program with most of those participants currently residing in the area.
This year’s cohort includes 12 professionals from businesses and organizations within the region. They are: Michelle Altman (Hampton), William Barnes (Hampton), Maryann Blake (Colleton), Austrai Bradley (Barnwell), Nathan Catoe (Barnwell), Leslie Holman-Brooks (Bamberg), Natalia Johnson (Barnwell), Marilyn Myrdal (Allendale), Kevin Smalls (Colleton), Dawn Stuckey (Hampton), Walter (Bo) White (Jasper), Elizabeth Wooten (Hampton).
If you are interested in participating in Leadership Salkehatchie or nominating someone to participate, please visit contact Jackson Alexander at (803)-812-7354 or ja89@mailbox.sc.edu.
Coastal Community Foundation launches Culture of Care
Coastal Community Foundation launches the Culture of Care pilot program to support the mental health needs of nonprofit grantees throughout the nine-county service area of South Carolina.
Together with the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation and Waccamaw Community Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation is launching the Culture of Care pilot program aimed at addressing mental wellness in the nonprofit sector throughout the foundations’ combined nine-county service region of Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry and Jasper counties.
The Culture of Care pilot program’s goal is to address the needs of nonprofit grantees in coastal South Carolina by providing access to virtual therapy, emphasizing the importance of self-care and normalizing the conversation about mental health for those working in the regional nonprofit sector. The foundations will distribute 1,000 one-year licenses from Talkspace to nonprofit grantees at no cost to them.
Through the app, staff and volunteers will have access to mental health services via text, audio and video. The Talkspace app is completely confidential, HIPPA compliant, secure and clinically proven. Many nonprofit employees and volunteers often face burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma from their work. The pandemic introduced new, additional challenges and pressures that have taken a significant toll on the mental well-being of nonprofit employees – further illustrating the need for more support.
"During the pandemic, foundation staff noticed that while there was conversation around mental health in general, there was very little conversation about the pandemic's impact on nonprofit employees," said Veronica Hemmingway, Southern Lowcountry Director at Coastal Community Foundation. "Through the Culture of Care pilot program, we hope to show nonprofit employees that they are valued while providing the necessary mental health services to support them."
Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create communities rich in equity, opportunity and well-being by uniting people and investing resources so that all community members have a pathway to achieve their goals across Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry and Jasper counties. Through our tools for long-term charitable giving, we help individuals, families, businesses and organizations be the reason why communities thrive in the nine counties we serve along South Carolina’s coast. To learn more, visit coastalcommunityfoundation.org or call (843) 379-3400
