Charleston Currents

Focus

FOCUS: Begin With Books seeks help to meet North Charleston challenge

By Patty Bennett-Uffelman | Reading aloud promotes healthy growth in babies. That’s why we want Begin With Books (BWB) to keep growing so that we can put books into the hands of every baby and toddler in Charleston County. This month, we are challenging you to help us take our growth to the next level.

The Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust has entrusted BWB with a major incentive grant, a $65,000 challenge to open service in the City of North Charleston. We need to match this grant with $85,000 in donations from the community to meet our next major growth objective. Councilman Ed Astle has notified us that the City of North Charleston has already made a $5,000 commitment to support the campaign this year.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 05/11/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Why you should give on Lowcountry Giving Day

By George C. Stevens | The main reason to give to your favorite charity tomorrow is that they do good work, needed work, work that improves society. Giving tomorrow, May 5, is especially beneficial as dozens of good citizens have pooled their funds and given Coastal Community Foundation $3 million to dole out based on your choices. Those incentivizing donors are letting you decide where their money goes. Who doesn’t want to give like a millionaire, even if only for a single day?

Setting aside those obvious reasons, the not-so-obvious ones reveal something deeply good about America.

In America, we encourage re-invention, innovation and change. When teaching in Europe several years ago, I encouraged my students to challenge the status quo and ask for change. They looked at me like I was Paul Revere. It was a deeply Americanizing experience.

by Charleston Currents · 05/04/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

Barrack, a junior at left, and Caroway, a freshman, attend the College of Charleston

FOCUS: CofC student painters look to summer

Student Painters gives college students the tools and training to successfully run a painting business during the spring and summer. Students get this position through a series of interviews with the hopes of becoming a branch manager, each of whom are responsible for the marketing, sales, hiring and production of their own business.

The company offers a variety of services, focusing mainly on exterior painting, pressure washing and deck staining.

Although this experience looks good on a resume and can be financially rewarding, those are not the only two reasons that we decided to embark on this once in a lifetime journey.

by Charleston Currents · 04/13/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Push-up challenge seeks $100K for education

By Loren Ziff | I am co-chair and co-founder of Push-Up & Up, a Charleston-based non-profit that raises money and awareness for dropout prevention. I am 54 years old, in OK but not great shape, and I can do 450 push-ups in 30 minutes – and so can you!

This is not an infomercial, but an opportunity to look in the mirror and face a challenge. It’s an opportunity to break down the artificial barriers that all of us put up.

Let’s be honest. Not too many of us wake up thinking about how many push-ups we are going to do today. However, with the Push-Up & Up training program, we have hundreds of participants in schools and businesses doing just this. We use the common, ordinary push-up as a metaphor for success through goal setting, time management and team-building.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 04/06/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Three-day conference offers chance for collaboration

By Todd Chas | Two local grassroots organizations, Building from the Block Up and CharlestonGOOD, are teaming up to host a free three-day series of workshops based on the understanding that collaboration is the key to increasing our positive impact on our community.

As event organizers point out, “There is no shortage of wonderful people, organizations and businesses working to make the Lowcountry a better place to live. As volunteers, consultants and entrepreneurs ourselves, we are inspired daily by the ‘good’ that surrounds us. But let’s face it, we all know there are obstacles to our best efforts and intentions: lack of knowledge, lack of resources, lack of ideas, lack of time, lack of connections, and lack of coordination in our efforts.”

by Charleston Currents · 03/30/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Program offers “engaging” summer camps

By Robin Berlinsky | Eight years ago, the Charleston County School District saw a need for arts-integration support in its schools so it reached out to a non-profit in Dallas, Texas, called Big Thought. The district gathered community leaders, educators and government agencies together to work with Big Thought to create a similar program here in Charleston.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 03/23/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Author explains detoxing your body

By Jessi Andricks | Detoxes are everywhere and quickly becoming the most popular diet trend around. A detox can be a fantastic way to remove toxins from the body, reset your digestive system and replenish your body. They can leave you feeling better than you thought possible and completely renewed. They can also leave you feeling deprived, depleted, and more tired and sluggish than ever.

by Charleston Currents · 03/16/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

The Sergeant Jasper building, Charleston, S.C.

FOCUS: Don’t allow a monstrosity on Broad Street

By Margot Rose and Jay Williams Jr. | If you like “The Boulevard,” the apartment-office complex on Coleman Blvd, you’re probably a fan of the proposed new Sergeant Jasper complex on Broad Street!

It may not look the same, but that same developer’s plans for a new Broad Street apartment-retail complex are generating the same anxiety here that “The Boulevard” did in Mount Pleasant.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 03/09/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Views

Gregorie: A city that works for everyone

By William Dudley Gregorie | Our hometown is growing. Yet because of a ground-breaking commitment for historic preservation and a respect for the city’s cultural heritage, Charleston enjoys a reputation as the most authentic Southern city in America.

In time, however, uncontrolled growth could threaten what our city has become. The unique character of Charleston is brilliantly displayed in the city’s remarkable architectural landscape. As we grow, we must not lose sight of the need to control traffic congestion, while being people friendly and environmentally conscious.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 03/02/2015 · Comments are Disabled · 2015 Mayor, Focus

Tinkler: Let’s build on our successes

By Paul E. Tinkler | For the first time in 40 years, Charleston will be electing a mayor without the name Joe Riley. I believe it is important to explain why I am running as a candidate to be Charleston’s next mayor and to explain my vision for our city.

I believe in Charleston. It was here in Charleston that Libby and I raised our family. It was here in Charleston that I have found success as an attorney and small business owner. I know Charleston is the best city in the world.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 02/23/2015 · Comments are Disabled · 2015 Mayor, Focus