Do you have a heart for serving others?
After spending a few weeks photographing and talking to some local volunteers for this issue, I can say that, by and large, our community does. Please read our interviews, starting on the next page, with some of these selfless volunteers who are making life a little easier for those losing loved ones, our furry friends, and neighbors who find themselves in a financial pinch.
Last month, I attended the NAMI walk at Coligny Beach to support my friends Michelle Taylor (pictured above in the booth) and Darlene Schuetz. I was impressed by the number of people gathered early on a Saturday morning to raise funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The walk raised over $50,000 and was an excellent reminder that exercising outdoors is a great way to support your mental health.
Hunter Kostylo, Jevon Daly and I also had the pleasure of touring Bluffton Self Help this month to hear about the remarkable ways they are changing with the times (look for a story on that soon). In a monthly contest with Dunes Real Estate, we are partnering to raise awareness and funds for one local charity per month. This month’s winner, Tamar Rose, selected Bluffton Self Help to receive a $300 check from Dunes Real Estate. Follow our Facebook page for a chance to win local restaurant gift certificates and other gifts from local businesses while also helping our community. Last month, thanks to Jodi Baganz, the Boys & Girls Club of Bluffton also received a check from Dunes Real Estate.
We have many generous neighbors and businesses in this tight-knit community, and it makes me proud to live here. What is your favorite organization to support? Do you regularly serve others, financially or with your time?
This issue also includes an article about a young woman who recently graduated from college and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail—alone. Now I consider myself a reasonably brave woman, but my hat is off to Priscilla Neville. Read about her adventures with bears, cereal bars, and more on page 55.
While our October issue was dedicated to Arts + Music and Crescendo, the show goes on through November and December in the theatre world. May River Theatre is back in business with All Together Now!, a must-see musical revue at their newly renovated home. The students at Hilton Head Island High School are putting on a production of Little Women this month, and Hilton Head Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker returns for its thirty-sixth season on Hilton Head Island. I’m also looking forward to seeing Elf, the Musical at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina next month—one of my all-time holiday favorites.
Have wonderful November. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
