Hilton Head Living

BLUFFTON’S STAN ROGERS LEADS GRAY’S REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

Growing up in the small Lowcountry town of Estill, Stan Rogers lived an hour inland from the broad, flat Atlantic beaches along South Carolina’s coast. But Hilton Head Island always felt like part of the neighborhood.

“We were always going to the beach, down to Coligny, when I was growing up,” he says. “I wasn’t born on Hilton Head, but my backyard was the beach.”

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HHI FIRE RESCUE HOSTS ANNUAL CHRISTMAS LIGHT DISPLAY, TOY DRIVE

Nearly 15 years ago it became a holiday tradition for local organizations to adopt a station to decorate for an annual Christmas lights tour. As the story goes, the crew at Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue Station 3 “started taking it to the next level,” and destiny took it from there. While local businesses and individuals provide donations, crews pool their own funds to purchase most of what’s needed — inflatables, trees, cords, and of course lights — so many lights that, strung together, they’d circle Station 3 five times. Close to a mile of lights.

WEXFORD FOUNDATION CONTINUES TO HELP NEIGHBORS

Pay a well-earned good life forward.

That is the simple yet powerful philosophy behind the philanthropy of the Wexford Foundation. 

In 2012, board chairman Jim Hicks organized a collective effort to represent so many of the selfless, caring and compassionate acts he had witnessed through the years from Wexford residents. 

HILTON HEAD RESIDENTS RECOGNIZED WITH MAYOR’S ISLANDER AWARD

Sun, ocean beaches, golf courses and terrific weather make Hilton Head a much-celebrated island. But it’s the caring and sharing of civic-minded residents that make it a community. To recognize that spirit of volunteerism, four Hilton Head residents received the Mayor’s Islander Award. “One of my favorites things to do is recognize our local citizens for all they do to make our island community great,” said Mayor John McCann. “This is well-deserved recognition for each honoree.”

LONG COVE FUND AWARDS MORE THAN $200,000 IN GRANTS TO LOCAL NONPROFITS

The Long Cove Fund awarded $209,600 in grants to 41 area nonprofit organizations. A grants awards presentation was held at Long Cove Club on Sept. 22 and included special guest speaker and lifelong philanthropist, Doug Hertz, who is the chairman and CEO of United Distributors in Atlanta, and a Long Cove Club member.  

HILTON HEAD RESIDENT CHERISHES VAST COLLECTION OF EASTERN EUROPEAN PAINTINGS

Nested in the serenity of Port Royal Plantation, Michael Mitelman and his wife, Nina, live in a home bursting with art and history.

“I love every piece,” Mitelman beams. “It gives me joy.”

From front door to the farthest hallway, his stunning collection of about 60 paintings by notable Eastern European artists reflects not only a love of art but also his extraordinary life, which began in Moscow during Stalin’s reign of terror.

Hannah Reilley earned the DAR Good Citizens Award from the Bluffton-based Emily Geiger Chapter.

Hannah Reilley was not born a United States citizen, but the Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School Class of 2021 valedictorian has proven to be a perfect example of a good citizen of her community and this nation.

Born in Ethiopia, Reilley was adopted at the age of 6, along with her younger biological sister, Candace, by Deanna-Lyn and Dennis Reilley of Ridgeland.