Spotlight on Seabrookers

Charlotte Overton Moran Receives Angel Oak Award

Charlotte Overton Moran is the 2021 recipient
of the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook Angel Oak Award

Seabrook Island’s own Charlotte Moran is this year’s recipient of the Angel Oak Award from the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook Foundation.

After a successful career in regulatory compliance with Citibank in New York, Charlotte and her husband Ed moved to Seabrook Island in 2003, and she quickly realized that she needed something to do. Having worked with Habitat for Humanity in New York, she started working for the Sea Islands Habitat for Humanity one day a week, but she rapidly started to spend more time with Habitat, and she is now one of the organization’s leaders, serving her second six-year term as a Board member and Treasurer of the Sea Islands affiliate, as well as leading the Women’s Build project each year, chairing the Land Planning committee and working with other builds and repair activities on Johns, James, and Wadmalaw Islands.

While Habitat is generally known for its construction of homes for people who otherwise would not be able to afford one but are willing to put in sweat equity, Ms. Moran says that Habitat is really four different businesses: a construction company, a retail store, a mortgage company, and a non-profit organization. All of the components work in concert to deliver a home, and since its founding in 1978, Sea Islands Habitat has built over 400 homes in our community. It’s a complex business. The ReStore outlet generates over $1million in revenue each year, and the mortgage operations currently holds about 216 mortgages. Beyond economics, Habitat works to find qualified homeowners, acquire property, manage construction, and ultimately give a family a new home. Demand is high- there’s currently about a one-year waiting list for a Habitat home. In addition to building homes, Sea Islands Habitat has a home repair program where individuals can get help repairing roofs and windows and building handicapped access ramps. Over 100 repair projects have been completed to date.

The Women’s Build is a pet project for Ms. Moran. Each year twenty-five to thirty women gather for a week to build a Habitat home. While the foundation is in place when they start, the framing and roofing are substantially done by the end of the week. All of the volunteers are trained on the site with training ranging from how to use a chop saw to how to wear a hard hat. This year’s build is scheduled for April 23-30 and they are still seeking additional volunteers and sponsors. Information on the project is available here.

Even though she’s busy with Sea Islands Habitat, Ms. Moran also works with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League and she’s the chairperson of the Seabrook Islands Property Owners Association Elections Committee.

The Angel Oak Award was established by the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook in 2012 to recognize a volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to the people or the quality of life on Johns Island, Wadmalaw Island, Kiawah Island and/or Seabrook Island. As a part of the award, the Exchange Club makes a $5000 donation to a local charitable organization or organizations of the recipient’s choice.

The Angel Oak Award Banquet will take place this year on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at Wingate Place from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. To register yourself and your guests for this great event, please click here. There is no charge for members but At-Large members and guests will be charged a fee of $75.00 per person.

Donations to the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook Foundation can also be made on the Club’s website.

-Submitted by Thad Peterson, Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club

The Lake House Property Owner Spotlight

If you come to The Lake House Library, you may see this smiling face and know Cindy Willis.

Cindy volunteers her time and works tirelessly to maintain the Lending Library. Even when faced with mounds of donated books, she works diligently with a smile on her face. We are appreciative of her meticulous organization of the library and her positive attitude.

Cindy is one of the many Property Owners that make The Lake House the great place it is.

Cindy, thank you for being you!

-Submitted by The Lake House

For more information about The Lake House Library, click here.

Congratulations to Kathleen Pompe

We are proud to announce that fellow Seabrooker, Kathy Pompe, won Best Photograph in the Picolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition 2021.

The annual juried art exhibition highlights the recent work of artists across South Carolina featuring painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and photography. Artworks receiving prizes are presented alongside a limited selection of pieces identified by the juror as meriting display.

Kathy won for her photograph titled Pandemic Sunrise shown below:

Congratulations Kathy!

–Tidelines Editors

(Image credit: Kathy Pompeo)

Tidelines Marks Its 8th Anniversary

Anniversaries are a time to reflect on the path traveled as well as look forward to the road ahead. Since its inception in January 2013, when it was named the Official Community Blog of Seabrook Island, Tidelines has endeavored to be faithful to its mission:

“To serve as a vehicle for improving awareness of the myriad activities and the richness of living on Seabrook Island and surrounding area. It is also meant to supplement the independent communication channels of the three primary entities on the Island; namely, the Town of Seabrook Island, SIPOA, and the Seabrook Island Club.”

To date, Tidelines has published a total of 7,562 posts and had 1,019,968 views. Readership of Tidelines has steadily grown and as more newcomers arrive in Seabrook Island, these numbers will continue to rise. Thank you to Tidelines readers for their loyalty and enthusiastic support over the years! See below for the numbers that tell the story.

Number of Subscribers	March 2014	March 2021

Tidelines Daily Blog	22	2,291
Tidelines on Facebook	5	775
Tidelines on Twitter	0	554

Some Tidelines trivia: The most popular day for reading Tidelines is Monday, the preferred time of day is 7:00 am, and readers regularly follow Tidelines from various countries around the world.

	Number of Posts	2014	2020
		40	1,245

Through its daily articles, Tidelines provides information on local activities, events, and organizations, Charleston area cultural happenings, and a broad variety of diverse topics of general interest. During times of community emergencies, Tidelines relays official announcements and other timely important information on behalf of the Town of Seabrook Island and the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association.

In addition to the daily articles, the Tidelines website offers an abundance of useful information such as “Do You Know” articles on topics ranging from “Living on Seabrook Island” to “What Drowning Looks Like” as well as “Hurricane Hints.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, posts featured book, movie, and recipe recommendations to help Seabrookers stay engaged during stay-at-home periods. Tidelines also distributes important information through its TidelinesAlert Twitter account which notifies its subscribers about urgent local traffic, weather, and emergency conditions.

The Tidelines team is a group of dedicated volunteers who function in a self-directed and collegial manner with a commitment to providing timely, relevant, and accurate information to Seabrookers. The current team members are Holly Bryan, Mary Fleck, Pat Fox, Sarah Good, Elise Haderer, Cathrine Scully, and Rich Siegel. Rhiannon Schalaudek is our SIPOA representative.

To review the timeline that captures the history of Tidelines, click here.

–Tidelines Editors

Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club Announces Mary Hill 2020 Angel Oak Award Honoree

The challenges that our neighbors on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands face every day are made even more difficult when there isn’t enough food for themselves or their family. Seabrooker Mary Hill, the 2020 Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook Angel Oak Award honoree states that “hunger is real in our community” and she’s working hard to do something about it. After a successful career as a quality and regulatory compliance professional, Mrs. Hill has chosen to devote her life to improving the lives of others on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands.

With a degree in microbiology from Clemson and an MBA from the University of South Carolina, Mrs. Hill is driven by data, and the data on poverty on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands is stunning. According to Mrs. Hill, 80.7 percent of the students at St. Johns High School, four out of five students, live in poverty.

When she retired in 2014, Mrs. Hill returned home to South Carolina and immediately began to look for ways to serve. In 2015 the pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church on Johns Island had a vision for a program to help the hungry on the islands and Mary got involved, helping to raise funds in order to launch a feeding ministry. She then worked on a program to provide food for the homeless living in Charleston’s homeless encampment under Interstate 26. Her interest in feeding the hungry led her to get involved in the Sea Islands Hunger Awareness Foundation and in 2016, she became a member of their Board of Directors, and Board Chairman in 2018.

Feeding the hungry is only one part of the solution to helping the poor and homeless in our community; many of our neighbors lack decent shelter and drinkable water. Recognizing this need Mrs. Hill also became active with Habitat for Humanity and is now a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. She also got involved in the Water Wellness mission and has helped that organization install 197 water wells and filtration systems. At an average cost of $6500 per installation, the need for community support for this effort is critical.

As if her efforts to help in the community during ‘normal’ times weren’t enough, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed even greater demands on her time and involvement. Mary helped to start the Johns Island Parish Pantry to provide food for the many people on the islands who lost their jobs in the past year.

Mary Hill’s commitment to helping her fellow citizens has made a real difference to the people who live on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands and the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook is privileged to present her with the Angel Oak Award.

Few could be more deserving.

The Angel Oak Award banquet honoring Mrs. Hill will be on May 12, 2021 at 5:30 pm at Wingate Place (off River Road about 8 miles from Freshfields). Registration is available on the Exchange Club’s website, www.ks-exchangeclub.com. Dress is business casual and will feature an open bar starting at 5:30 pm, a barbecue dinner starting at 6:30 pm and music provided by the Joy Project. Information about Wingate Place can be found at www.wingateplace.com. Tickets to the event are limited due to the need for social distancing, so it would best to reserve early.

-Submitted by Thad Peterson, Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club

(Image credit: William Nelson)

Swearing in of New SIUC Commissioner

On January 29, 2021 Mr. James Ferland of Oyster Catcher Court was sworn in at Town Hall as the newest SIUC Commissioner. Mr Ferland replaces Commissioner Tim Morawski.

The swearing in was officiated by Judge Dennis E. O’Neill who acts as a municipal judge and practices with the O’Neill Law Firm in Mt. Pleasant. Present at the ceremony was Jim’s wife, Sue, Seabrook Island Mayor John Gregg, SIUC Commissioner Lee Vancini, Mr. Tommy West, SIUC Plant Manager, and Ms. Faye Albritton of Seabrook Island Town Hall. The Commission welcomes Mr. Ferland!

-Submitted by Annie Smith-Jones, SIUC Chair

(Image credit: SIUC)

Thank You From Mt. Zion Students and Staff

Almost as soon as the request for beach and bath towels was published in Tidelines, donations began to arrive. With just a little publicity, it took less than a week for the Seabrook and Kiawah Island residents to donate enough towels for each student to have one of their own to use outdoors for social distancing. This picture is a class of first graders using their towels and saying thank you to their friends from Seabrook and Kiawah.

Mt Zion Sept 2020

Earlier this summer, we collected monetary contributions to buy school supplies for the children. Classrooms are now stocked with enough traditional consumables such as paper, pencils, crayons and headphones, to begin the new school year. I continue to be amazed at the generosity of my neighbors. As this “school year like no other” progresses, there may be other yet unthought of opportunities to help our local elementary school and Support Mt. Zion Kids will be ready to ask for your gracious assistance.

-Submitted by Lucy Hoover for Support Mt. Zion Kids

Gibbes Museum: British Sporting Art from the Penkhus Collection Exhibition

Due to COVID-19, British Sporting Art from the Penkhus Collection Exhibition showing in the Gibbes galleries 2 and 3 will be extended until October 4, 2020. The exhibit features exceptional British sporting and country paintings from the private collection of Seabrook Island residents Dr. Stephen and Mrs. Martha Penkhus. The collection spans over 200 years and includes paintings by notable artists including James Ward, J.F. Herring Sr., Sir Alfred Munnings, Rosa Bonheur, and many more.

For more information and to view pictures of the exhibit, click here.

-Submitted by The Gibbes Museum

Thank you note…

Dear Seabrook neighbors and friends,

I just want to thank you for your support of B4H Charleston. Since I started virtual school March 13th, bicycle donations have exceeded one per day! Total donations to date are 1,163. Shoe donations have surpassed 600 pair since December. A container shipped March 3rd, and we have another 2/3rd’s of a container already!

Gratefully, Sarah Quinn

(Image credit: Quinn family)

Gibbes Museum: Special Exhibition of British Sporting Art

A new special exhibition is coming to the Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston Collects: British Sporting Art from the Penkhus Collection. This exhibition is the second in the Charleston Collects series and will be on display February 7 – June 28, 2020.

This installment of the Charleston Collects Series, which highlights Lowcountry residents’ fine art collections, features artworks provided by Dr. Stephen and Mrs. Martha Penkhus of Seabrook Island. To coincide with the opening of the exhibition, the Gibbes will bring together experts to discuss British Sporting Art and the Penkhus Collection. Guided tours of the collection led by experts, scholars and artists will be available to visitors of the museum, including a members tour and reception featuring Turner Reuter, Jr., owner of Red Fox Fine Art in Middleburg, VA, on February 12 at 12:00 pm. There will also be an artist talk with Sporting Arts painter Joseph Sulkowski on Monday, May 4 at 1:00 pm.

Penkhus collection Jan 2020

Continue reading “Gibbes Museum: Special Exhibition of British Sporting Art”

Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club Foundation Announces Angel Oak Award Winner

Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club

John Lawrence Sandy has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club Angel Oak Award. Each year the award recognizes a volunteer whose services contributed significantly to the citizens of Wadmalaw and Johns Island.

Mr. Sandy has served as the volunteer Field Coordinator for the Sea Islands Water Wellness Mission (WWM) for three years. The sole mission of the organization is to install new wells and filtration systems for the hundreds of people on Wadmalaw and Johns Islands who suffer from impure water and dysfunctional wells. As field coordinator, he is responsible for the overall process, including accepting, prioritizing, and submitting applications for permits, scheduling the well driller, plumber and electrician for each project, and reviewing invoices for payment. To date, John has been involved in the installation of 70 water wells on Wadmalaw and Johns Islands. What sets him apart from others is his personal dedication to the families he serves. Mr. Sandy dedicates 5-6 days a week to his volunteer effort and is on call 24/7. John takes the time to know the families he helps, and the families trust John. He lives his mission to help others in their time of need.

Continue reading “Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club Foundation Announces Angel Oak Award Winner”

Seabrook Island Turkey Trot 2019

With the sun slowly rising on a crisp, cool, beautiful Thanksgiving morning, approximately 250 runners and their fans gathered at the Lake House for the annual (just over a) 5K Turkey Trot. Wearing their specially designed race day tee shirts, children and adults lined up together at the start area. At 7:59 am, Nic blew the horn and the runners sprinted off. The course took a left onto Seabrook Island Road, left on The Haul Over, left on Cat Tail Pond, left on Seabrook Island Road, and then left back to the Lake House for a total distance of 5K plus approximately 4/10 of a mile. Crossing the finish line, each runner was greeted with enthusiastic kudos by onlookers.

Congratulations to each of the runners who participated in the Turkey Trot! The first male to cross the finish line was #145, Callan Hasling who won for the second year in a row! The first female to cross was #6, Eleanor Morales, who also won for the second year in a row.

Turkey Trot 2019 - First — 1st Place – Callan Hasling – 20 minutes and 56 seconds

Turkey Trot 2019 - Second — Top Female Finisher – Eleanor Morales – 25 minutes and 27 seconds

Special thanks to Nic Porter, Jamie Mixson, the Lake House staff, and the volunteers for organizing and managing this terrific event. A great way to start off Thanksgiving celebrations!

Click here to view photos taken at the Lake House.

Click here to view photos taken at the corner of Capn Sams.

–Tidelines Editors