Grand Strand Newsmakers

Photo club announces winners

HTC sponsors trip to nation’s capital for two area youth

HTC and the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) are sponsoring an educational tour to Washington, DC, June 3-7, 2017, for two local students selected for the 23rd Annual Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour. Paul “Trey” Richardson, representing Scholars Academy, and Allison Williams, representing Early College High School, were selected by school guidance counselors and HTC. The 23rd Annual Youth Tour exposes students to the regulatory process and explains the impact of legislative and judicial decisions on the telecommunications industry in rural America. Students also have the opportunity to visit many of the historical sites in the nation’s capital.

The trip focuses on a comprehensive overview of the telecommunications industry, including careers in telecommunications, the critical role telecommunications plays in rural America, and how legislative and regulatory decisions, made in Washington, affect the industry.

“Today’s youth are the future of telecommunications in America and we hope that by educating them about the industry, we will not only broaden their horizons, but also strengthen our communities,” said Tom Vitt, HTC Director of Marketing. “We are proud to have a role in educating our local youth and contributing to the future economic health of our communities.”

The Youth Tour will bring together 100 high school juniors from across rural and suburban America to Washington, DC on a four-day culturally enriching experience. The tour allows youth to visit the Supreme Court and US Capitol to meet with a member of Congress. They also participate in an informational session about the Federal Communications Commission, US Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service and more. Students visit the nation’s most historic and popular tour sites, including the Supreme Court and the Lincoln and Roosevelt Memorials.

"We hope that by providing our youth with telecommunications services comparable to those found in urban areas, as well as exposing them to cultural and educational opportunities, such as the FRS Youth Tour, our youth will remain in and become active members in their communities,” said Vitt.

The 23rd Annual Youth Tour is hosted by the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS). FRS leads aggressive public information, economic and community development projects, which focus on rural telecommunications, to educate the public and improve the quality of rural American life. It is the philanthropic arm of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), of which HTC is a member.

For more information about the 2017 Youth Tour or other educational programs provided by HTC, please contact Nicole Hyman, HTC Senior Marketing Coordinator, at 843-369-8498 or 843-902-3838.

Two Area Students Receive Key Scholarship Awards

For the 11th year, Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union and Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (HTC) chose two graduating high school seniors to win $1,000 each in scholarship awards. High school seniors from Horry, Georgetown, Marion, Williamsburg, and the southern part of Florence County planning to attend either Coastal Carolina University (CCU) or Francis Marion University (FMU) were encouraged to apply.

The 2017 Key Scholarship award winners are: North Myrtle Beach High School graduate, Cameron Parker, and Aynor High School graduate, Brittany Hartley. This fall, Parker plans to attend Coastal Carolina University and major in English and Communications, and Hartley plans to attend Coastal Carolina University and major in Marine Science.

“These exceptional students have juggled academics, part-time jobs, and extracurricular or volunteer activities successfully,” explained Nicole Hyman, Senior Marketing Coordinator at HTC.

Each winner receives $1,000 applied to the cost of first-year tuition. The scholarships may be renewed for an additional three years in the amount of $500 per year should the recipients continue to meet qualifying criteria, which include maintaining a 3.00 GPA and full-time enrollment at either CCU or FMU.

Application packets were distributed to high school guidance counselors and the scholarship opportunities were advertised on both the Carolina Trust and HTC websites. The 2017 award recipients were scored as the most qualified for the Key Scholarship based on completed application, academics, school and/or community involvement, household income, and school choice.

According to Amanda Marker, Carolina Trust Marketing Director, “These awards are well deserved, and we’re proud of all the applicants who are planning to continue their education in an effort to achieve personal and professional life goals.”

For more information, please contact Nicole Hyman at 843.369.8498 or Amanda Marker at 843.443.8533.

CCU offers Innovation Engineering Institute to area businesses, organizations

Coastal Carolina University is hosting a weeklong training session July 24-28 in Innovation Engineering, a program designed by Eureka! Ranch to help businesses and organizations develop tools and strategies for growth and success. The Innovation Engineering Institute has a proven record of “transforming innovation from a random gamble to a reliable system for profitable growth.” Participants who complete all materials receive a blue belt in innovation engineering from Eureka! Ranch.

Founded in 2009, Innovation Engineering is a curriculum, a tool set and a mindset that enables innovation resulting in increased speed to market and decreased risk. The program encourages organizational culture where everyone works together on innovation, enabling leaders to thrive in the new reality of faster product life cycles, increased competition, rapidly changing technology and digital-savvy customers.

Since its inception, it has taught an estimated 35,000 people who work at small companies, global corporations, nonprofits, universities and governments from 22 countries. Companies using Innovation Engineering include 3M, American Express, Bank of America, Kraft General Foods, United Way, Walt Disney Consumer Products and many others.

The sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in CCU’s Atheneum Hall as part of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration’s Executive Development Program. The cost is $3,000 per person, which includes a blue belt certification, all materials, online readings, lunch and snacks. Innovation Engineering Institute sessions will be led by Wall College of Business faculty members Peter Gasca and Leann Mischel of the Department of Management and Decision Sciences.

CCU’s Executive Development Program offers advanced management training for leaders responsible for managing organizational goals at the operations, group, departmental or individual level. This training is designed to promote personal and professional development as well as empower participants with management strategies that aid in the successful attainment of organizational goals. CCU provides this training based on sound management practices to enhance leadership development.

For more information about CCU’s Innovation Engineering training, visit www.coastal.edu/execdevelopment/innovation. A 10-person minimum is required for the session to run. Registered participants will be notified 15 days in advance of cancellation. Overnight stay on campus available at a significantly reduced rate, please inquire if interested. To register, contact Christina Genovevo at 843-349-2071 or cgenovevo@coastal.edu.

Rotary gold tournament a success

By all accounts it was a good day at the golf course...except for, perhaps, some scores. The event was "Putting for Pupils,” the inaugural golf outing hosted by Rotary Club of Carolina Forest Sunrise on June 2 at Hackler Course on Coastal Carolina University.

The event featured numerous give-aways, prizes and awards. Several golfers said that they had never received so many gifts before at a tournament and many asked for the date for the next one (not yet set). Seventeen full teams and more than sixty golfers participated, a rather high number for such a first time effort.

The event was named "Putting for Pupils" because of the many things that the Rotary chapter does to help local students, such as providing shoes, clothing, school supplies and dictionaries at Carolina Forest, River Oaks, Waccamaw and Ocean Bay elementary schools.

Breakfast meetings of The Rotary Club of Carolina Forest Sunrise are held every Wednesday from 7 to 8 am at The Famous Toastery, 2005 Oak Heart Road, off of Carolina Forest Blvd and in the complex of stores near Ollies. Guests are always welcomed and encouraged to attend.

The meetings do not affect the normal business hours of The Famous Toastery.

For more information visit CarolinaForestRotary.org or call (843) 903-1223.

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Grand Strand Newsmakers."