COMMUNITY
HEALTH CARE
Unity Health on Main holds grand opening
Unity Health on Main, which is a community-led health center that serves the Medically Underserved Area (MUA) of Greenville County, is open and accepting patients at 505 N. Main St., Suite C. There was a grand opening on May 24. Unity Health on Main is a 501(c)(3) that formed in response to a community needs assessment that shows that Greenville County had more than 70,000 residents who lacked access to affordable health care. UHM is located strategically on two major bus routes, therefore hoping to reduce major barriers to receiving proper health care.
ENVIRONMENT
Upstate Forever receives $1 million gift honoring Marjorie E. Schmidt
Upstate Forever has received a $1 million gift in honor of Majorie E. Schmidt, a longtime Greenville resident. The gift will be used to advance the mission of Upstate Forever, which is to protect the environment and unique character of the Upstate. Schmidt passed away in 2004. The donation will help with Upstate Forever’s Crossroads Campaign, which will begin this year. The program will help to preserve several unspoiled natural areas in Greenville County and protect other critical lands in the Upstate. The gift will also be used to promote plans and practices that balance growth with green space and natural resource protection. The gift was made anonymously.
PHILANTHROPY
AFL and ScanSource fund workshop for students
AFL and ScanSource have provided grants to fund a unique workshop for students at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind. The workshop will encourage students to explore their ideas, take risks, and experiment. The workshop will be known as Einstein’s Workshop and be designed to introduce students to career opportunities in science, technology, electronics, and math (STEM). The workshop will allow students to learn about a subject in class and then create a product based on the knowledge and principles learned in the classroom. The workshop will be equipped with the educational materials necessary for students to practice robotics, electronics/circuits, coding/software, and environmental concepts. The workshop will be geared toward students in first through eighth grades. Einstein’s Workshop will be inside the school’s library, an area that can be accessed by all of the school’s teachers. The two grants for the workshop were obtained by the school’s foundation, the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation.
euphoria grant application process now open
euphoria Food, Wine and Music festival presented by Lexus has announced that as of May 21, the grant applications are open. The applications will close on Tuesday, July 31. Local organizations focusing on arts education, hunger, and youth are encouraged to apply. euphoria carries a significant charitable component and impact. The festival’s annual grant program is organized and presented by Local Boys Do Good (LBDG), a local nonprofit. Proceeds from euphoria are distributed by LBDG through direct grants to charitable organizations, mostly in Greenville and surrounding counties in the Upstate.
Since its inception in 2006, LBDG has received more than 150 grant applications and requests and has distributed more than $290,000 in cash and in-kind donations to deserving charitable organizations. Some of the past charitable organizations include Camperdown Academy, Feed & Seed, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Live Well Greenville, Meyer Center, South Carolina Children’s Theatre, and Mill Community Ministries. Grant applications are available online at www.euphoriagreenville.com/about-euphoria/. Questions concerning the grant application should be submitted through the festival’s email address, info@euphoriagreenville.com. Grants will be announced and rewarded at the festival’s media breakfast held on Saturday, Sept. 22.
EDUCATION
RILEY INSTITUTE
Area teens named to newest class of Emerging Public Leaders
Several Upstate students were announced as the 2018-2019 class of Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) by the Riley Institute. EPL accepted 16 rising high school seniors from South Carolina, bringing the total number of students who have participated in the program to 244. The students from the Upstate are Bayan Abunijem (Greenville Tech Charter), Arnav Lal (Stanford Online), Henry Lear (Southside High School), Elliot Marron (Greenville Senior High Academy), Blanton Newman (J.L. Mann Academy), and Mae Webster (Spartanburg Day School).
The students will convene on June 17-22 on the Furman campus where they will investigate topics such as engaging in the community, analyzing critical issues, practicing ethical leadership, developing communication, and presentation and implementation of a service project. Following the summer, the students will work with the Riley Institute staff, school officials, and residents in their community to further their service project. The students will return to campus the following spring to present their community service projects to a panel of judges, and the winning project receives funds for program expansion or replication.
Mauldin Middle School
School wins $100K fitness center
Gov. Henry McMaster and Jack Steinfeld, chairman of the National Foundation for Governor’s Fitness Council, announced that three South Carolina schools were selected to receive a DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center. The three schools are Mauldin Middle in Simpsonville, Sanders Middle School in Columbia, and Green Sea Floyds Middle School in Green Sea. The schools were selected because of their outstanding leadership and commitment to getting and keeping their students fit. The DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers will be unveiled this fall.
