McLeod Health and the City of Florence have once again partnered to raise awareness of breast cancer and physical activity

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McLeod Health and the City of Florence have once again partnered to raise awareness of breast cancer and physical activity through the McLeod for Health Florence Open benefitting Susan G. Komen South Carolina. Now in its sixth year, Florence’s only professional tennis tournament is being held this week through October 22, at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Tennis Center.

The Florence Open tournament formed an alliance in 2014 with McLeod Health and Susan G. Komen South Carolina to help support the fight against breast cancer in the region. McLeod Health, the tournament’s presenting sponsor, is deeply committed to the early identification and treatment of breast cancer, and Susan G. Komen South Carolina has provided significant funding to regional programs, including grants totaling more than $400,000 dollars to support breast cancer programs and patients at McLeod Health. Among other things, these grants have been used for mammograms, follow-up diagnostic procedures, patient navigation services, and survivor support services, including transportation.

In May of 2017, representatives with the McLeod for Health Florence Open presented its 2016 profits — a total of $12,704.09 — to Susan G. Komen South Carolina to help fight breast cancer in the northeastern region of South Carolina. Over the last three years, the McLeod for Health Florence Open has raised more than $27,000 for Komen South Carolina.

Florence, one of the smallest cities on the circuit, was selected to host an event because of its world-class courts, its strong volunteer base, and the generosity of its sponsors. This nine-day tournament puts Florence on the world tennis map and generates significant tourism revenues for our community.

The McLeod for Health Florence Open will draw some of the best young professional players from around the world to compete for $25,000 in prize money and higher rankings. Net profits from the event will again go to Komen South Carolina, which covers 12 of the South Carolina counties served by McLeod Health.

The Florence Open will feature a 64-draw qualifying round, a 32-draw main round and a pro-am event. There will be feature matches at noon on Monday through Friday. The singles semifinals and the doubles finals are scheduled for Saturday the 21st and the singles finals will be held on Sunday the 22nd.

Community Day on Sunday the 22nd will feature a cookout, an exhibition match by the Francis Marion University tennis teams, a Junior and Adult “Hit and Get” for players of all skill levels with prizes provided by Wilson Sporting Goods, Junior Play Day and a reunion of the Adult Tennis Apprentice Alumni. Community Day activities will kick off at noon, the singles final will begin at 1:00 p.m., and the other activities will be going on all day.

With more than 90 tournaments held annually throughout the country, the United States Tennis Association Pro Circuit is the pathway to the U.S. Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, it draws more than 1,000 men and women each year from more than 70 countries to compete in cities nationwide. Virtually all of the best known pros began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit, and so did some of the sport’s top new players like Americans Grace Min, CiCi Bellis and Taylor Townsend.

“The goals are to bring world class tennis to Florence, to create a genuine community event that emphasizes health, fitness, and breast cancer awareness, and to raise funds that will enable us to make a significant donation to an excellent cause. This will be great tennis for a great cause,” added Tournament Director Rob Hill.

Admission during the tournament is free, but attendees will be offered the opportunity to donate directly to Komen South Carolina.

Leadership Florence: Media Day

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The Leadership Florence journey continues, as the class had its Media and Arts Day on Tuesday, October 10th.

The class visited and learned about several organizations, including Adams Outdoor, iHeart, Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center, Morning News and Florence Little Theatre.

Chamber Fall Golf Classic

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The Florence Chamber saw more than 120 golfers get together for The Chamber’s Fall Golf Classic at the County Club of South Carolina on Thursday. The event featured nine hospitality sponsors with food, giveaways and prizes. The team winners were; first place – Duke Energy, Bill Taylor, Freddy Gamble, Jeff Peter & Tommy Patrick and second place – HopeHealth, Carl Humphries, Mark Warrin, Clay Oliver & Luke Coates. The event was made possible by Raldex Hospitality.

HanesBrands CEO honored at The School Foundation’s gala

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FLORENCE, S.C. – The School Foundation’s 16th annual gala was fashion forward and a fun walk through trends of decades gone.

The South Florence High School Drama club provided entertainment in the form of a full-on fashion show during the event on Tuesday evening at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology Center on the Florence-Darlington Technical College campus.

The star of the evening, however, was the foundation’s 2017 “Distinguished Graduate” – Gerald Evans, the chief executive officer of HanesBrands Inc.

 Evans grew up in Florence, attended District 1 schools for all of his early education and graduated from South Florence High School in 1977.

“This place was such an important start to my life, and to come back 40 years later, look back on it and reflect on what it did for you is incredible,” he said. “I’m honored.”

With more than 34 years’ experience in the apparel industry, Evans now presides over the world’s largest basic apparel company. He has held positions in marketing, sales and management and is noted for business excellence in a global economy.

His advice to Florence area students is simple, yet effective.

“Nothing takes the place of hard work,” he said. “Students have a great school system here and a community that supports it. Take advantage that and work hard.”

Debbie Hyler, the executive director of The School Foundation, said Evans is a testament to how important a solid education is.

“Gerald Evans is the true definition of a leader,” she said “From his roots in Florence, he has ascended to become a well-respected titan of industry, leading one of the largest apparel companies in the world with employees in more than 40 countries on every inhabited continent. A true role model, he exemplifies the importance of drive, vision, passion and humility as values for personal and professional success.”

Last year, the School Foundation’s gala raised $64,000 for its mission. Since its founding in 2000, the foundation has funded more than $1.3 million in grants to educators in Florence School District One.

The School Foundation’s mission is to promote educational excellence in the district through grants for innovative learning and through high impact initiatives designed to prepare students for success. Currently, the foundation is leading a school readiness awareness campaign focusing on preparing all children to enter kindergarten with the skills needed to succeed.

SCNow Web Article – HanesBrands CEO honored at The School Foundation’s gala

Edible Arrangements holds ribbon cutting, celebrates downtown move

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FLORENCE, S.C. – Edible Arrangements celebrated their relocation to 130 N. Dargan Street in downtown Florence with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

The store was previously located inside the Florence Mall at 145 W. Palmetto Street before moving downtown on Sept. 19. Ambassadors with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce joined Edible Arrangements staff members in the celebration on Tuesday morning.

Collin Perry, owner of the downtown Edible Arrangements, said the relocation will allow the store to provide smoothies and frozen yogurt to their customers, along with their fruit boxes and bouquets. The Edible Arrangements use fruit that is cut fresh daily and each arrangement is made with no added sugar.

The store is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information call 843-679-2007.

SCNow Web Article – Edible Arrangements holds ribbon cutting, celebrates downtown move 

Florence County Council moving forward with new parking deck

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By: WMBF News

FLORENCE COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – The Florence County Council is taking the first step to building a parking garage in downtown Florence.

Council members passed the first reading of an ordinance during Thursday’s county council meeting. It introduced a bond ordinance for up to $15 million.

County officials expect the four-level deck to cost around $12 million.

Florence County Administrator Rusty Smith said the bond will be refinanced and $4 million or $5 million dollars will come from the Florence County penny sales tax.

The refinancing will save $700,000 of debt as well. Smith said there will be no millage or tax increase for Florence County taxpayers.

No official design of the parking deck has been released yet, but it is expected to be built behind the county complex building.

Chastity Barnes lives in Florence and visits the county complex building to pay her taxes.

“It’s very congested, especially with all the entertainment activities they are trying to bring, which is great but you can’t find parking spots for them.

WMBF Web Article – Florence County Council moving forward with new parking deck

Business After Hours at Holiday Inn Express & Suites

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By: Megan May, Morning News

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 3440 W. Radio Drive hosted Business After Hours to reveal new renovations to the Florence business community on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017.

The event was sponsored by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Plenty of food and drinks were provided to the guests who were able to network among business leaders, chamber ambassadors and Holiday Inn employees.

SCNow Web Article – Business After Hours at Holiday Inn Express & Suites 

Fellows in Education members prepare to visit Florence One schools

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Members of the 2018 Fellows in Education program include (from left) Gary Malaer, Tim Geddings, Mike Miller, Heather Greenberg, Tom Pietila, Charlie Blake, Ken Jackson, Terry Dingle, Elaine Sealey, Mark Buyck, III, Debbie Hyler, Carlos Washington, Ron Roberts, Don Kausler Jr., Annie Brown, Lauren Stanton, Jamie Carsten, Carolyn Pearce, Eric Bingaman, Kaye Parris, Tressa Gardner, Brenda Harrison, Charlene Lowery, Jarrod Tippins, Ken Baker and Irby Wilson.

FLORENCE, S.C. – Through a three-way partnership of Florence School District One, the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and The School Foundation, a program designed for business and community leaders to spend time getting a behind-the-scenes look into schools in Florence One continues in its third year.

The program, known as the Fellows in Education Program, began on Sept. 19 with an orientation for its members.

During the duration of the program, there are plans for business and community leaders to see firsthand some of the successes and daily challenges educators face in the classroom. Within this program, there also will be an opportunity for interested participants to take part in a “Principal for a Day” exercise in which the local leader will spend a portion of the day with a school principal as he or she conducts the duties of running the school.

Florence One Superintendent Randy Bridges expressed his views about the program.

“For the third year, we look forward to the continued partnership with The School Foundation and The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce in this effort to build capacity within the community for our school,” he said. “This program is one of the best ways to allow community leaders to become knowledgeable about the interworking of our school system.”

Organizers of the program say the ultimate goal of Fellows in Education is to create a cadre of local leaders who will be able to collaborate with policymakers and community members in developing better education policies in the local community.

The first of eight sessions will begin on Oct. 3 with a visit to Lucy T. Davis Elementary, and sessions will be held thereafter on the first Tuesday of each month through the month of May at different Florence One schools.

For this third class of Fellows in Education, members of the three-way partnership have again sought after a select group of more than 20 community and business leaders who they believe are civic-minded supporters of the need for expansion of local educational resources.

SCNow Web Article – Fellows in Education members prepare to visit Florence One schools 

Junior League boosts dream of a downtown children’s museum

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By: Joshua Lloyd, Morning News

FLORENCE, S.C. – The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled, and eXplore is trying to do just that.

eXplore, a nonprofit organization formerly called the Children’s Museum of the Pee Dee, is on a mission to bring a permanent children’s museum to downtown Florence.

On Monday, the Junior League of Florence presented the group with a $25,000 check to go toward making that dream a reality. The money will go to the group in increments of $5,000 for the next five years.

“We’re happy to continue our support of the children’s museum, and we’re proud of our partnership with them and the work they do,” said Lauren Vause, president of the Junior League of Florence.

This fall eXplore will offer a museum-quality exhibit at the Florence library inside the children’s section. The group has rented a traveling exhibit from the Imaginarium Company, titled The Secrets of Bees, as a result of the donation.

Caroline Genoble, president of eXplore, said donations like this help the organization bring family-friendly, educational exhibits to Florence and help with the long-term goal of opening a permanent facility.

“This donation is making the exhibit possible, and we hope it brings more children to the library and becomes an outlet for them,” she said. “We hope to have our own facility soon. We’re looking at facilities downtown, and we’re waiting to see who can help and what we can afford.”

The Secrets of Bees exhibit will be displayed in the Greenberg Children’s Library at the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library from Oct. 11 through Dec. 16. The exhibit will open to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 11, during general library hours, and it will be free to the public.

In addition to The Secrets of Bees, the library will host storybook reading sessions, special guest visits, interactive art projects, evening tours and more in celebration of the exhibit.

eXplore is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that was chartered in 2009. For more information, visit childrensmuseumofthepeedee.org.

SCNow Web Article – Junior League boosts dream of a downtown children’s museum 

New year for Fellows in Education program

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The 2017-2018 Fellows In Education program kicked off a new year on Tuesday, September 19th. The Fellows program is a joint effort of The Greater Florence Chamber, The School Foundation and Florence School District One and is designed to give local leaders a unique, behind-the-scenes look into today’s classroom. Over the course of eight months, leaders will gain insight into today school highlights and the daily struggles educators face in the classroom. These leaders will hear about the seismic shifts in student needs and the additional state and federal requirements now placed on schools, teachers and administrators in Florence District One. We salute each of the 24 participants for taking the time from their busy schedules to share in today’s educational environment.