GOOD NEWS: Seniors get holiday cheer from Palmetto Goodwill

Deveaux, left, and Simmons. Photo provided.

Staff reports  |  Martha Deveaux (left) and Mildred Simmons, above, are two Charleston seniors who received some holiday cheer at the Charleston Area Senior Center thanks to the annual Golden Angel program offered by Palmetto Goodwill.  The program allows the non-profit to provide a hot meal, sing carols, and deliver vouchers for clothing and blankets to more than 1,100 seniors in lower South Carolina.

Senior citizens face many challenges on a fixed income with the rising cost of food, affordable housing and overall cost of living, according to a Goodwill press release.   Many seniors struggle to make ends meet, often giving up basic necessities to pay for medications. The Golden Angel program has been making the holidays brighter for local seniors for a decade.

Palmetto Goodwill is a not-for-profit social service organization whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. More than 90 percent of Goodwill’s revenue goes to fund mission related services. Goodwill serves their mission by providing career counseling, job training, and other employment related programs to people with barriers to employment. Last year, Goodwill placed 1,934 people into new jobs and provided services for more than 57,000 people.

• For more information about Goodwill’s programs and services, please visit palmettogoodwill.org or find it on Facebook and Twitter.

In other good news:

Swearing-in ceremony.  Charleston County officials will swear in newly-elected officials at a special ceremony at 4:30 p.m., Jan. 5, in council chambers at the Lonnie Hamilton III Public Services Building, 4045 Bridgeview Drive, North Charleston.  That includes Brantley Moody, who won a West Ashley seat on county council and Mary Tinkler, the county’s new treasurer.  In a special council meeting that follows, members will pick a new chair and vice-chair for 2017.

New library show.  “Dog (and a Pony) Show” is a series of animal portraits by Kelly Bozarth now showing in the Saul Alexander Gallery at the Charleston County Public Library’s main library on Calhoun Street.  The show, which runs throughout January, offers a playful look at the personality of man’s best friend. Each painting tells a different story and incorporates layers of detail on subjects that range from a pair of German short-haired pointer sisters to a seafaring Boston terrier with a bad attitude.