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.
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.
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.
“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
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
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
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
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.
By: Jessica Imbimbo, Morning News
FLORENCE, S.C. – Stewart Behavioral Health employees joined Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce ambassadors for a ribbon cutting Thursday afternoon to celebrate the facility’s new chamber membership.
Located at 525 S. Dargan Street in Florence, Stewart Behavioral Health is a counseling office that provides a variety of services including crisis intervention, family counseling, couples therapy, marital counseling, and stress management. The facility sees an average of 25 clients each week ranging in ages from early childhood to adult.
Martha Stewart, counselor and owner of Stewart Behavioral Health, she said was inspired to start her own private psychology practice after working with children from the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home in 2013. Since then, Stewart dedicated herself to working in counseling services and earned her master’s degree in psychology from Francis Marion University in 2007.
“I went back to college late in life and got my degree,” Stewart said. “I’ve been helping people forever and now I have the degrees to back it up. It’s going well and I hope this is my last job so I can retire here.”
“It’s awesome,” Stewart said. “I have wanted to do this for a long time. I’m really excited to be a member of the chamber.”
SCNow Web Article – Ribbon cutting held for Stewart Behavioral Health in Florence
By: Jessica Imbimbo, Morning News
FLORENCE, S.C. – Ambassadors with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Thursday morning for Mariner Finance and its employees to welcome them as members of the chamber.
Mariner Finance, formerly known as Pioneer Credit in Dillon, relocated to Florence at 2503 S. Cashua Drive in February. Mariner Finance offers customers a variety of personal, home and auto loans.
Tony Elvington, area vice president of Mariner Finance, said moving to Florence gives the company exposure to a larger, growing market and the business move just made sense.
“It’s been a good move so far,” he said. “It’s only been a few months but we’re getting better every month.”
Elvington said having the chamber ambassadors host a ribbon cutting at the Florence branch is “a big deal” for the new location and he hopes that by joining the chamber, Mariner Finance will be able to reach out into the community and bring in more clients.
“It’s going to give us good advertisement and give us some name recognition because Mariner Finance is new to South Carolina,” Elvington said. “I like this.”
The Florence store is one of 13 Mariner Finance branches in South Carolina and the lone branch in the Pee Dee region. Along with its affiliates, Mariner Finance features more than 450 branches in 22 states throughout the country.
For more information about Mariner Finance and their Florence branch, visit marinerfinance.com.
SCNow Web Article – Chamber welcomes Mariner Finance to Florence
By: Audrey Biesk, WMBF
DARLINGTON, SC (WMBF) – Darlington Race weekend is officially underway in the Pee Dee. It all kicked off with the annual car hauler parade. The fun fest started at the Florence Civic Center at 4 p.m. with NASCAR hauler autograph opportunities, kids activities and live music. The haulers left from Florence and went toward Darlington.
The NASCAR haulers rode through main square in downtown Darlington for the parade before heading to Darlington Raceway to get ready for the big day. Fans lined the street waving at the big rigs. 10 year old Riley Mckenzie said she wouldn’t miss it. “Those are some pretty flashing lights, there’s the energy truck with Danica Patrick on it.”
No matter someone’s age the NASCAR hauler parade is the perfect way to get people excited for the Southern 500 weekend. “If you ever come one time, you’ll want to see it again. They plan for this every year. Just like clockwork they always make arrangements for next year it’ll be coming.”said Rod Jones.
Families agreed coming together helps keep the history of Darlington Raceway alive.
“I’ve been going since 1965, yes, 1965 and I’ve been going back whenever they had it on Labor Day. Oh yeah you talking about a crowd, it was a crowd of people back then. It means a lot to Darlington to have this Southern 500 every year it brings a lot of people to town and they spend a lot of money,” Jones said.
Ashley Mckenzie and her family come every year from Florence to the parade, “I did have my umbrella. Yeah I mean it was pouring rain before, but we said we are going anywhere, we didn’t want to miss it, we still had fun. It’s a good tradition for us, and for Darlington.”
This year’s car hauler parade marks 13 years in a row.
WMBF Web Article – Car hauler parade gets Darlington community excited for Labor Day race
