Charleston Currents

Kara Stewart, executive director of Tricounty Family Ministries, with volunteer Louise Carpenter, right. Photo provided.

FOCUS: James Island woman, 95, honored for years of service

By Eric Johnson, special to Charleston Currents | Louise Carpenter has volunteered at Tricounty Family Ministries three days a week for 12 years, paying for a ride each day, even throughout the pandemic. For her 95th birthday, the James Island resident was surprised Aug. 4 by friends and family, along with North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey and a representative from U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s office.

Carpenter has been a mainstay for a dozen years for the North Charleston nonprofit, feeding and providing services to homeless members of the community. Tricounty Family Ministries offers meals, clothing, job training, wellness checks, legal help and housing assistance.

”It is better to give than receive and not everyone lives by that,” Summey said.. He continued, saying the 95-year-old has set a foundation for generations that follow. A flag will also fly in her honor over the U.S. Capitol.

by Charleston Currents · 08/09/2021 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

NEWS BRIEFS: Volunteers, blood donors needed for hurricane season

Staff reports | As hurricane season moves towards its peak season and experts say more hurricanes are expected, the American Red Cross is seeking volunteers to help support shelters as well as donors to give blood. According to the National Hurricane Center, there’s a 60 percent chance of a tropical wave off the African coast developing into a tropical depression that may influence weather here.

by Charleston Currents · 08/09/2021 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

NEW for 8/9: Super-volunteer, henhouse politics, more

IN THIS EDITION
FOCUS: James Island woman, 95, honored for years of nonprofit service
COMMENTARY, Brack: Henhouse politics must change on redistricting
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
NEWS BRIEFS: Red Cross needs volunteers, blood donors for hurricane season
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Brick and glass building
CALENDAR: From parties to contests and more

by Charleston Currents · 08/09/2021 · Comments are Disabled · Full issue

GOOD NEWS: Series to look at healing from cultural trauma

Staff reports | The College of Charleston is offering a semester-long series to give voice to sociological trauma and the ways in which societies, countries and cultures have worked to heal from conflicts born out of issues such as systemic racism, slavery, genocide and political oppression.

According to a news release, the loosely unified series, titled “When the War Is Over: Memory, Division, and Healing,” brings together a collection of public lectures and forums that address historical trauma and the ways in which sites that have experienced such trauma have moved, or might move toward building a sustainable, peaceful community. From slavery and segregation in the United States to the Holocaust and the impact of the native Brazilian peoples upon the arrival of the Portuguese in the 17th century, the series explores the complexities of how groups move on from a collective feeling of trauma.

by Charleston Currents · 01/29/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

GOOD NEWS: Here’s how you can learn about joining a school board

Staff reports | You can learn about what it takes to become a school board candidate or advocate at a special two-hour nonpartisan workshop that will be offered 10 a.m. Feb. 24 by the League of Women Voters.

“The League of Women Voters is deeply concerned about public education and all of our children who are served by public schools in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties,” According to a press release. “Whatever other educational opportunities there may be, the vast majority of our children depend on public schools. Their education is critical to our democracy and our country’s future. Our public schools need dedicated advocates and school board candidates.”

In the tri-county area, more than 113,000 students count on public schools, the league said. “These students are our next generation of teachers, doctors and first responders. They are our future and they require the best we can offer. School board members are critical decision makers in ensuring that all our children can access an excellent education. In 2018, approximately half of the seats on school boards for the four Tri-County districts will be on the ballot.”

by Charleston Currents · 01/22/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs