Blythewood Online 691

Category: Community

  • Let Hoof & Paw spotlight your pet

    Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society members Minge Wiseman of Blythewood, left, and Kathy Faulk, right, of Fairfield County, discuss with Blythewood philanthropist Joyce Hill the Society’s newest fundraiser project, a coffee table book titled Friends of Hoof & Paw that puts the spotlight on pets in the community. Hill is underwriting the cost of the book and members of Hoof & Paw are selling pages to pet owners in the community who would like to showcase the animals in their lives. | Barbara Ball

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society, with members in Blythewood and Fairfield County, is launching its newest and most ambitious fundraiser to date – a high-end coffee table book, titled Friends of Hoof & Paw, which will put community animals in the spotlight.

    The cost of printing the book is being underwritten by Joyce Hill, a longtime Blythewood resident and philanthropist and owner of Farewell Farm. Profits from the book will come from the purchase of pages by those who want to showcase their pets.

    “The photos will feature the pets or the pets and their owners and will be taken by professional photographers that Hoof & Paw will provide,” Minge Wiseman said. “The book will showcase the animals that touch our lives.

    Page costs range from $200 to $1,000 and are tax deductible. Multiple-page packages are also available. The page purchase includes a copy of the book at no extra charge. Additional photos can be purchased from the photographer.

    “Another coffee table book like this has been published by a Texas animal advocacy group and it is an absolute treasure, just beautiful,” Wiseman said, thumbing through the glossy pages of the book. “We’ve already received a number of commitments for pages. Every photo page, whether color or black & white will be very nice – something the pet owner will be proud of and cherish.”

    Wiseman said pet owners can submit their own photos if they are of good reproduction quality, and photos can also be submitted in remembrance of pets who have passed on.

    “And we are having a special contest to determine whose pet will grace the cover of the book,” Wiseman said. “We are requesting cover submissions. We want to see your horse, dog, cat, bird, cow, etc., in all his/her glory. The image chosen will then be reproduced into a painting by a professional artist and will be on the cover of this year’s book. And the best part is that the owner gets to keep the painting, free!” Wiseman said.

    To purchase a page or to submit a photo for consideration for the cover, simply go to www.hoofandpawsc.org and click on the link under the events tab. The cost to submit a photo for the cover is $25 per submission. May 1, 2018 is the deadline to submit photos for the cover contest.

    Proceeds from the page sales help promote The Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society’s vision – to protect, comfort and improve the lives of abused, homeless and abandoned animals and to increase awareness and support adoptions of shelter-bound animals. The organization also encourages spay and neuter and provides education to the general public for the humane treatment of all animals. The Society also provides spay and neuter funding to the Fairfield Animal Shelter and Pets, Inc. in Columbia.

  • Sion Presbyterian welcomes new pastor

    WINNSBORO – Rebekah Carpenter will be installed as the new pastor of Sion Presbyterian Church in Winnsboro on Sunday, March 11 at 4 p.m. Before coming to Winnsboro, Carpenter worked with corporations, colleges, schools, churches and non-profits for over twenty years as a leadership and organizational development specialist.

    Carpenter earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mars Hill College, where she majored in music and theatre. Rebekah holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and Organizational Development from the University of West GA in Carrollton GA. She graduated in May of 2017 with a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, and was ordained on Feb. 18, 2018 at Carrollton Presbyterian Church in Carrollton, GA.

  • First UMC hosts active shooter training

    WINNSBORO – The Safety Team at First United Methodist Church in Winnsboro is bringing Precision Tactics for an active shooter training session to be held in the church’s fellowship hall on Thursday, Mar. 8 at 6 p.m.

    Percision Tactics was featured last week on WIS-TV and has been endorsed by Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott for their work in active shooter training.  The company is a partner with the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association and provides this type of training to churches, businesses and law enforcement agencies.

    The session is being held to familiarize law enforcement officers with the church’s team and procedures.  The company specializes in church security and will be bringing in the simulation equipment prepared to work with the church’s safety team using inert pistols.  After the training, the church’s safety team will actively work during worship services and any other time as deemed necessary.

  • Cedar Creek expands with new sanctuary

    Rendering of the planned Cedar Creek Baptist Church sanctuary, located at 1920 Cedar Creek Road, Blythewood.

    BLYTHEWOOD – Cedar Creek Baptist Church has begun construction on a new 5,762 sq. ft. sanctuary that will seat almost 300. Under the leadership of Rev. J Thompson, the church’s new member growth prompted growth of the facilities. The old sanctuary will be renovated for a library and conference room.

    Cedar Creek broke ground for its new sanctuary on Oct. 1, 2017 during the church’s homecoming weekend and plans to have the project completed this summer.

  • Taking the Plunge

    LAKE WATEREE – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department took the plunge last weekend at Lake Wateree for a good cause. The Department’s fundraiser benefits Special Olympics and has raised over $3,000 so far.

  • Providence to break ground on new ER

    WINNSBORO – The construction of the new emergency services facility for Fairfield County and North Richland is about to begin. The ground breaking for the new Providence Health – Fairfield Emergency Room will be held Feb. 15 on property located across the Highway 321 Bypass from the Winnsboro Bi-Lo.

    Plans for the one-level, 17,700 square foot facility call for 12,700 square feet to be dedicated to emergency services, a triage room to properly access the emergent need for care, four exam rooms, two trauma rooms, two entrances – one for walk-in patients and one for ambulances –  a laboratory, and computerized tomography (CT) scan equipment. The remaining 5,000 square feet will be used for future expansion.

    According to a Providence hospital representative, the emergency service facility is expected to be completed this fall.

    While attending the Fairfield Memorial Hospital board meeting in January, Scott Campbell, Market Chief Executive Officer of Providence Health, was asked by FMH board trustee James McGraw about the ability of Providence Hospital Northeast to handle patients who might be coming from Fairfield County.

    “We have added 24-hour cardiology services there (at Providence Northeast) … we opened the ICU back up, we have a general surgeon starting there and a urologist starting there next month,” Campbell told him. “We are going to have a different level of services that previously were not available.”

  • Carter retires from library

    Carter

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood Library is preparing to say goodbye to a friendly, familiar face. Shirley Carter, who has served as location manager for the past eight years, is retiring Saturday, Feb. 3.

    Carter has overseen the growing needs of customers in this community. More recently, she played a crucial role in the renovation of the Blythewood location, which was completed in June 2017. During her 18-year tenure with Richland Library, Carter also worked at the Ballentine and Sandhills locations.

    Johnson

    The new location manager, Crystal Johnson, will be taking Carter’s place.

  • Area students graduate from Clemson University

    CLEMSON – Area students graduated from Clemson University at the Dec. 21, 2017, ceremonies.

    Among the more than 1,400 students who received degrees at graduation ceremonies at Littlejohn Coliseum were, from Blythewood:

    Victoria L. Houghton, Bachelor of Science in Animal and Veterinary Sciences .

    Abby L. Joannes, Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages .

    Justin Maurice Pondexter, Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications .

    John Manning Sutton, Bachelor of Arts in English .

    Jordan Franklin Whitehead, Bachelor of Science in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management .

    Christopher J. Zenoni, Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences .

    From Fairfield County:

    William Joseph Britt IV of Ridgeway, Bachelor of Science in Management .

    Paul J. Currey of Winnsboro, who graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management .

  • Winnsboro Town Council plans Fortune Springs pool repairs

    WINNSBORO – Town Council voted Tuesday evening to move forward with discussions with the County about a collaborative effort to remodel/repair the Fortune Springs swimming pool so it will be ready for summer swimmers.

    Fortune Springs Park

    Town Manager Don Wood announced that the Town had received a bid from Genco Pools & Spa to remodel/repair the pool as it is for $180,000.

    “If we downsize it,” Woods said, “the cost would be $120,000.”

    “We’re reaching a point where we need to make a decision on this so the pool can open,” Mayor Roger Gaddy told Council members. “We’ve had conversation with the County about them taking over the pool and putting it under their recreation. They manage the vast majority of ball fields and recreation in the county.”

    Gaddy said the Town has had conversation with Russell Price, the County’s new recreation director, and that Price is in the process of preparing a presentation to County Council.

    “We’d like to find out if the County is interested in this,” Gaddy said. “And we’d like to expedite the decision. The Town can’t afford to keep the pool the same size as it is, but the County has indicated that it would like to keep it the size it is. So we need to get a decision on this. We don’t want to decide to downsize the pool and then find out that the County wants to keep the pool the size it is,” Gaddy said.

    “Time is growing nigh for rehabbing that pool and getting it ready for the summer,” Gaddy said.

    At the Finance Committee’s request, Council voted unanimously to move forward with talks with the County.

    Wood also updated Council on the waterline.

    “You may have noticed we’ve had numerous truckloads of pipe coming in. I hope this is all of it,” he joked. “We just got an invoice for $2.1 million for pipe.”

    Council voted to go into an executive session to discuss legal/contractual matters concerning Mt. Zion.

    Following executive session, there was no discussion and no vote.

  • Big Plans for Pets

    BLYTHEWOOD – Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society members gathered at the Crickentree Country Club in Blythewood to plan their forthcoming year of fundraisers that will enable the group to provide support to local animal organizations, including the Fairfield Animal Shelter and Adoption Center.
    First event will be the Love Your Pet Valentine benefit on February 10 at the Tractor Supply on Killian. Seated clockwise from left front: Kathy Faulk, Mary Ann Ferris, Deborah Richell, Margurite Ferguson, Carol Crooks and Sonja Murphy.