Hilton Head People

CHARITY AUCTION RAISES $100,000 FOR PANDEMIC WORKERS

When Eric Sedransk retreated to Hilton Head Island in mid-March, it was a two-pronged move. He thought it wise to escape New York City, where the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, and he wanted to be here to assist his newly widowed mother.  

He could run errands, help around the house, and provide emotional support for a grieving mother suddenly faced with the additional stress of navigating a pandemic. 

LONG COVE FUND GIVES BACK DURING UNPRECEDENTED TIME OF NEED

Roy Bowen visited Hilton Head for four decades before finally buying his dream island home five years ago. The CEO of the Georgia Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturers Education Foundation knew the first time he and wife Karen visited Long Cove Club that they had found more than a new residence.

“Every place has great golf courses and amenities, but I immediately felt this place was different. I found a community of caring and compassionate people,” said the new chairperson of the Long Cove Fund. “Giving back is in my blood and I found a new home that shares that purpose and drive.”

THE WATTERSON FAMILY FOUNDATION FLOURISHES AS MAJOR FORCE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE 

For many of us, this past year has been one of unimaginable struggle. Whether you have lost a loved one to COVID-19 or you’ve seen your small business hobbled or your livelihood destroyed by the financial meltdown that followed the pandemic, 2020 has been a year of almost unsurmountable challenge. 

But sometimes, from the darkest days shine the brightest hopes. Sometimes adversity teaches us, makes us stronger as we turn our wounds to wisdom. Few know how much of a motivating factor hardship can be better than Billy Watterson.

NEW VIM PATIENT CARE LEADER INSPIRED BY HER MOTHER, THE NONPROFIT’S FIRST CLINIC DIRECTOR

Life has a way of coming full circle. And that is the case at the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic on Hilton Head Island. 

When the clinic opened its doors in 1993, Angie Greenfield was the organization’s first clinic director. Earlier this year, director of patient care, Julie Copp, retired. She was succeeded by Jennifer Gatlin, Greenfield’s daughter. 

POSITIVE INTERACTIONS TOP PRIORITY FOR NEW BLUFFTON POLICE CHIEF

As cities and towns around the country grapple with tenuous relationships between communities and police, Bluffton has hired a police chief who places positive community relations at the top of her agenda. 

Bluffton is a special place where the police department and the community are integrated, Chief Stephenie Price said. And even though she is the department’s third permanent chief of police since Joey Reynolds retired in 2017, morale is high, Price said. 

PUBLIC WILL HAVE INPUT ON FACE MASK ORDINANCE

One of the responsibilities as chairman of the Beaufort County Council is to place items on the council agenda that will ensure and protect Beaufort County so that it will continue to be one of the most desirable places in the United States to live, work, vacation, enjoy and appreciate. 

The super majority of council honestly believed that the emergency ordinance that we originally passed and renewed has helped to protect Beaufort County from suffering a greater loss of life and incidence of illness while ensuring that our economy stayed open as much as possible. 

STONEWORKS WELCOMES SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Carole May has been hired as an outside sales representative at StoneWorks. May is responsible for developing professional relationships and connecting different industries with the StoneWorks mission. Her professional background includes sales positions in the wholesale and retail industries, including the furniture industry and outside sales for soft goods.

1. HOSPICE CARE OF THE LOWCOUNTRY NAMES DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

James Dismond has been named director of development at Hospice Care of the Lowcountry. Originally from Tompkinsville, Ky., he attended Berea College and Marshall University. 

The coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep across the country — and Hilton Head Island is certainly no exception. Especially hard hit are the patients of Volunteers in Medicine HHI, 10,000 people living and/or working here without health insurance. 

Many are on the front lines — landscapers, food and beverage employees, housecleaners, retail store workers, deliverers and others who keep the island and its economy humming.  For them, social distancing is often not available. They and their families are virus-vulnerable.  This summer, nearly a third of the 600 VIM patients who were tested for COVID-19 tested positive.