GOOD NEWS: Book project, hospital get big grants

Two local groups announced a total of $215,000 in grant funding to help promote reading and better health care.

Begin With Books has been awarded a $65,000 incentive grant by the Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust to expand its books-by-mail program to the city of North Charleston. Prior to enrolling North Charleston families, the grant must be matched with local funds.

“This grant gives us an incredible opportunity to expand our services. Early literacy is the key to education success, and right now more than a third of our children are starting school without an adequate literacy foundation,” said Patty Bennett-Uffelman, co-director of Begin With Books, the county affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. “Poverty, transportation, time and family literacy habits are barriers that keep our children from succeeding. The BWB/Imagination Library program tackles all of these barriers.”

In the last four years since starting, the program has delivered more than 68,000 books to babies and toddlers throughout the county. More.

Pictured left to right: Cedric Green, general manager of southern electric operations, SCE&G; Bill Turner, vice president of electric operations, SCE&G; Danny Kassis, vice president of customer relations and renewables, SCE&G; Ashley Wieters Redmond, executive director, Roper St. Francis Foundation; Cathy Therrell, director, Roper Rehabilitation Hospital; and Matthew Severance, CEO, Roper Hospital.

Meanwhile on April 7, SCE&G donated $150,000 to Roper St. Francis Hospital for the Roper Rehabilitation Hospital Neuroscience and Stroke Center. When complete, the expansion of the facility will include a rehabilitation gym, private rehabilitation room, family lounge, conference room, unweighted mobility track, activities of daily living kitchen and 14 inpatient rooms. Through the gift, the hospital will name the SCE&G Neuro-Technology Workstation.

“The expansion of the Roper Rehabilitation Hospital is critical for this community,” said Roper Hospital CEO Matthew Severance.   “We frequently have to turn away patients that need our care because we don’t have beds to treat them. This expansion would help us bridge that much-needed healthcare gap.”

In other recent news:

Ribbon cutting. Hats off to the folks at Mason Preparatory School downtown for its new lower school building, which was dedicated April 8. At left, a blue ribbon is being cut by (l-r), Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, Mason Prep board chair Penny Wilson and Head of School Erik Kreutner. Photo provided.

Transit talks. The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) has planned three public meetings and a series of focus group “Transit Talks” to gather input for its “I-26ALT” study. “I-26ALT” is a 20-year plan to enhance regional mobility with transit along the I-26 Corridor between Summerville and Charleston.

Meetings start April 20 in Charleston (6 p.m., Charleston Progressive Academy, 382 Meeting St.) and continue April 21 (Bethany United Methodist Church, Summerville) and April 22 (Military Magnet School, North Charleston). Those unable to attend can participate in an online forum () or any of several business forums.