Spring is in the air and our high school seniors are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So, this article is a small update on the students in our town and county.
It is heartwarming to see how much energy is spent on enhancing the lives of our young residents.
LCAHY is the acronym for Lowcountry Alliance for Healthy Youth. Established in February 2012 in response to numerous alcohol-related tragedies involving our youth in the recent past, the organization created a teen group as well, Teens for Healthy Youth. That initiative has grown from a few students in a few schools to every high school in Southern Beaufort County.
The nonprofit organization recently was awarded a second Drug Free Communities Grant, receiving $125,000 each year for five years. LCAHY has the distinct honor of being the only 2022 DFC grant recipient in South Carolina. The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry serves as the fiscal agent.
The coalition held its annual Community Forum focusing on Child & Adolescent Mental Health and Wellness March 27 at Bluffton High School. Featured speakers were doctors from the Medical University of South Carolina, as well as a message from the Teens group.
I would urge you to visit lcahealthyyouth.com to learn how you can support these young men and women.
The Heritage Classic Foundation has a history of philanthropy that expands far beyond golf. Every year, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization hosts a world-class PGA TOUR event as a primary fundraising effort. The Foundation’s 2022 charitable giving equaled $2.44 million, bringing the total distributed since 1987 to $50 million.
What an amazing success in just 36 years and continues to be dedicated to enriching life in South Carolina, from supporting college scholarships to nutritious meals, emergency housing to early childhood education, workforce training to culture and arts.
The Foundation recently named 11 Beaufort County seniors as Heritage Classic Foundation Scholars for the 2022-23 school year, awarding multi-year and single-year scholarships.
Visit heritageclassicfoundation.com, or Facebook (Heritage Classic Foundation) and Twitter (@HCFGolf) to see more news on this wonderful Foundation.
M.A.G.I.C Youth Leadership Program will be launching this spring, in part to support junior docent training for the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park at the Bluffton and Hilton Head Boys and Girls Clubs. The program trains local students in critical job and life skills including public speaking and communication, in addition to teaching the important history of the local community.
By the end of the school year, the students will have gained the knowledge and confidence to become Park tour guides, preparing them for brighter futures and work experiences ahead.
The partnership between the RBC Foundation and the Heritage Classic Foundation will provide a much-needed grant to support this program. Learn more about the significance of Mitchelville at exploremitchelville.org.
Lisa Sulka is the mayor of the Town of Bluffton. lsulka@townofbluffton.com
