Grand Strand Newsmakers

Lions Club helps area school with ball field

The Lions Club of Pawleys Island was hard at work this past Saturday as they prepare to improve the baseball dugouts at the Waccamaw Elementary School. The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of Lions Club International – and the Pawleys Island Club announced that their Legacy Project at Waccamaw Elementary School is just in time for the start of the baseball season! Pictured are members of the local club along with local volunteers. Lion President Bill Hahn announced that his club and Ace Hardware will be the top line sponsors for this community giveback.

Fourth Annual “Excellence in Musical Accomplishments” Program

The South Strand Optimist Club held its’ fourth annual “Excellence in Musical Accomplishments” Program at its’ monthly meeting Jan. 19 at Applewood House of Pancakes, 14361 Ocean Highway, Litchfield. This program recognized musically gifted middle/intermediate school students in grades 6 – 8 in public and private schools in the South Strand. This program was sponsored by the South Strand Optimist Club.

Those honored for their musical abilities included: Luke Alford, Vocalist/Instrumentalist, 6th Grade, Coastal Montessori Charter School, nominated by Chad Thompson, Music and Drama Teacher; Sophie Bensch, Vocalist/Chorus/Band, 8th Grade, Waccamaw Middle School, nominated by Drew Trautman, Choir Director and Department Head; Anna Margaret Loftus, Vocalist/Chorus, 6th Grade, Waccamaw Intermediate School, nominated by Bethany P. Miller, Chorus & Drama Director; Audra Nesbit, Band/Chorus/Drama, 7th Grade, nominated by Laura Cameron, Band Director and Desiree Meyer, Chorus Director and Drama Teacher; and Audrey Reynolds, Chorus/Band/Orchestra/SJHS Marching Band, 8th Grade, nominated by Jodie Rowe, Band Director, Lauren Willis, Chorus Director, and Ashley Purcell, Orchestra Director.

The South Strand Optimist Club serves the town of Surfside Beach, the communities of Burgess, St. James, Garden City Beach, Murrells Inlet, the Waccamaw Neck, and the city of Georgetown.

Optimist Clubs are known throughout the world for ‘Bringing Out the Best in Kids.’ Our local slogan is “Recognizing Future Leaders.”

“If you would like to be involved in recognizing our community’s youth and those that assist them, we welcome you to join our effort,” Waltemyer said.

Two CCU math students win prestigious certificates

Two Coastal Carolina University students recently placed in the top 15 percent of student competitors at the Joint Mathematics Meeting (JMM) in Atlanta, Ga., a combined gathering of the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society featuring undergraduate and graduate student competitions. Shaquille Dixon and Rachael Wagner were awarded winner’s certificates from the Mathematical Association of America.

CCU students Dalton Watts, Tyler Sullivan and Dominique Forbes also participated in the Undergraduate Poster Session with about 500 other students from across the U.S. All five students will present their posters and research at the MAA Southeastern Section Meeting this March at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

Dixon, a junior mathematics major from Greenville, S.C., presented a poster on “Space Filling Curves.” Dixon’s project was inspired by a YouTube video that caused him to think about how to change an image into an audible signal for the visually impaired. He was advised by Andrew Incognito, associate professor of mathematics at CCU.

Wagner, a senior mathematics major from Great Falls, Va., researched functions that describe the rate at which people arrive in the emergency room at the Conway Medical Center. Her poster was titled “Modeling Emergency Department Arrivals using Non-Homogeneous Poisson Processes.” This research is aimed at helping hospitals to efficiently allocate resources. Wagner was advised by Lindsey Bell, associate professor of statistics at CCU.

JMM is the largest annual academic mathematics meeting in the world and offers a variety of sessions that promote undergraduate research. To learn more about JMM, visit http://jointmathematicsmeetings.org/jmm.

CCU welcomes new group of Dyer Fellows

Six Coastal Carolina University seniors have been named Dyer Fellows 2017 as selected by The Edgar Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy: Bethany Bebik, Celeste Benson, Maggie Carr, Rachel Houston, Ariel Lasher and Maria Karahalios.

During the one-semester fellowship, they will engage in active learning opportunities and gain knowledge in various areas of policy research. These students have diverse fields of interests ranging from public health to countering extreme terrorism.

During the fellowship course, the students will connect academic theory to practice and engage in the process of becoming civic-minded citizens and critical thinkers. Fellows will develop research papers on a public policy topic of their interest and undergo training on how to craft supplemental resources, including policy briefs, survey tools and press releases. Fellows will also participate in group trips to Columbia and Washington, D.C.

“I could not be more impressed with a group of ambitious and motivated students here at Coastal,” said Jacqueline Kurlowski, director of the Dyer Institute. “I hope this fellowship opportunity trains these students to not only think critically about public problems, but to find creative solutions that can make a difference in our communities.”

Bebik, from Spartanburg, studies public health with a minor in women’s and gender studies. As a part of her fellowship with the Dyer Institute, she will study the accessibility of items that promote sexual health on local college campuses.

Benson, from Greensboro, N.C., studies public health and will focus on opioid overdose prevention policies recently adopted throughout the United States. She hopes to assess whether these policies are preventing opioid overdose deaths, while also investigating any modifications that could be made to simultaneously target addiction prevention.

Carr, from Baltimore, Md., studies intelligence and national security and psychology. She plans to investigate the efforts of local government to implement counter-violent extremism programs in order to promote de-radicalization through nonviolent means.

Houston, from Manassas, Va., studies political science and communication and is interested in the intersection of media and politics. As part of her studies, she will research digital privacy rights, including the lack of government regulation regarding digital privacy and how companies are currently exploiting consumers’ digital data for financial gain.

Lasher, from upstate New York, plans to be a public interest attorney. As part of her fellowship, she will research current policies and regulations surrounding access to clean and safe drinking water for Americans. In addition, Lasher will examine court precedent in hopes of concluding whether clean water is a constitutionally protected right.

Karahalios, from Asbury, N.J., studies political science and sustainability; she will focus on successful sustainability initiatives in order to develop a plan specific to the business sector of downtown Conway. Through her research, she plans to give local business owners the tools to strengthen their community economically, ecologically and socially.

The Edgar Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy operates on the belief that individuals across the community, state and nation can improve governance and solve problems by working together on a basis of mutual knowledge and understanding. Its mission is to engage CCU students in active learning opportunities while creating public value, untangling public problems, and finding public solutions that have positive and measurable impacts.

Tanger Outlets Myrtle Beach Raises $35,736 For Breast Cancer Research

Tanger Outlets Myrtle Beach announced that the company raised a total of $35,736 in the Myrtle Beach-area, to help in the fight against breast cancer during the 23rd annual Tanger PinkSTYLE Campaign. Donations benefited a breast cancer organization in the local community and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Tanger Outlets Myrtle Beach donated $11,120 to Caring In Our Lifetime, a local organization focused on assisting patients and their families with medical bills resulting from treatment of breast cancer.

“Our annual breast cancer campaign gives us the opportunity to raise awareness and help save lives in the communities that we call home,” said Steven B. Tanger, President and Chief Executive Officer for Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. “The success of our annual PinkSTYLE campaign is made possible through the support of our retail partners and the millions of shoppers that visit Tanger Outlet centers dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer.”

Beginning in September, customers were able to purchase a Powerful Pink Savings Pass to save 25% off on a single item at participating stores. Purchases of the unlimited savings pass benefitted breast cancer organizations in local communities as well as nationally through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the nation’s highest-rated breast cancer organization.

“We are very fortunate to have the support of Tanger to assist local breast cancer survivors in Horry and Georgetown Counties. Tanger has made a difference in our patient’s lives with their support.” said Sally Peeples, President of Caring in Our Lifetime.

KofC makes contribution to area down syndrome society

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Grand Strand Newsmakers."