Representatives of the S.C. Promise Zone will offer an informational update about what’s happening in the federally-designated area during a special Oct. 17 meeting in Ridgeland prior to the regular meeting of Jasper County Council.

Please join us. Promise Zone partners, supporters and members of community organizations and neighborhoods are invited to learn about the area’s success since the designation was awarded. The meeting also will include a short focus group session to share plans for a new entrepreneurial training program for the region and get input on the kinds of training opportunities sought in the county.

• TIME: 4:30 p.m., Oct. 17, 2016
• WHERE: Jasper County Council chambers in the Jasper County Government Building, 358 Third Avenue, Courthouse Square, Ridgeland, S.C.
• NOTE: The meeting is not expected to last beyond 5:30 p.m., but Promise Zone representatives will be available until 6:30 p.m. when they are to make a short presentation to county council members.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last year that we’ve had the Promise Zone designation,” said coordinator Dean Van Pelt. “Not only have we won more than $14 million in funding from grants submitted through the Promise Zone designation, but we’ve engaged hundreds of people to move forward. But we’ve got to keep pushing and make more grant applications so we can move forward even more.

Center for a Better South President Andy Brack, who will lead the focus group discussion, said part of the meeting would allow leaders and residents to give input on the kinds of leadership, business and capacity-building training that his organization will provide in coming months.

“We’ve won a federal grant to help provide people with information and knowledge to boost local economies,” he said. “To make sure our South Carolina Promise Zone Training Academy is relevant, we want people’s input on the kind of training that will be most relevant and helpful.”

The South Carolina Lowcountry Promise Zone, a project of the SouthernCarolina Alliance, seeks to catalyze efforts in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties to boost the quality of life and revitalize rural communities.