Future Health Professionals: Rural Health & Wellbeing Conference

On January 10, 2018 the first Future Health Professionals: Rural Health & Wellbeing conference will be held from 9 am until 2 pm in the Samuel Love Faust Multicultural Center (Building 026) on the campus of Denmark Technical College in Denmark, SC. Over 30 health and wellbeing professionals have been invited to participate on panels and in networking sessions. The conference is free and open to the public. All participants must register at Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/future-health-professionals-rural-health-wellbeing-conference-tickets-40551133532). This event is sponsored by Community Rural Arts Work League of Bamberg County (CRAWL) with assistance from Denmark Technical College’s student organization A.W.A.K.E.. For more information, contact bcsccrawl@gmail.com or 803.290.6461.

—
Yvette McDaniel, Chairperson
Community Rural Arts Work League
CRAWL
for
The Art of Community: Rural SC
South Carolina Arts Commission
bcsccrawl@gmail.com
803.290.6461

Center to offer one-day Entrepreneurial Boot Camp in Promise Zone

Class to provide training on how to start, improve a small business

 

NOV. 22, 2017  |  The Center for a Better South will offer a special one-day Entrepreneurial Boot Camp in Barnwell on Dec. 13 to provide training to people interested in starting a small business.

The training, targeted to people who want to start for-profit businesses, also may be helpful to people who want to start nonprofit organizations as it will focus on business basics.

“Through the experts at the South Carolina Small Business Development Center, we’re pleased to be able to bring this kind of high-quality training to people in the six counties of the Promise Zone,” said Center President Andy Brack.  “If you have a hobby that you want to turn into a business or want to brush up on business basics to make your existing small business work better, this free class may be just the thing for you.”

 

WHAT:           Entrepreneurial Boot Camp.  The class is open to 25 people.

WHEN:           9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dec. 13, 2017.

WHERE:         Edisto Room, SouthernCarolina Alliance, 1750 Jackson Street, Barnwell, S.C.

NOTE:             Parking is behind the SouthernCarolina building at 54 Irving St.

OTHER:          Lunch will be provided.  If you sign up to attend but don’t show up, you will be billed $25 for lunch.

REGISTER:      Go to:  http://www.BetterSouth.org/register

 

About the course

The class will be taught by Earl Gregorich, senior business counselor with the S.C. Small Business Development Centers.  An entrepreneur for more than 20 years, he recently received the Small Business Administration’s SBDC Excellence and innovation Award.  An Air Force veteran, he and his wife live in Chapin.

In the morning session, Gregorich will outline simple steps to start a business and discuss financial analysis of business ideas, options for business financing and give an overview of crafting a business plan.  In the afternoon session, he will review sales and marketing tools, cash flow management, the global marketplace and business-related technologies.

Interested in attending?

There is no cost to attend. but to attend, you must register.  The class is limited to 20 participants.

• NOTE:  The class is intended for people who live or work in the S.C. Promise Zone.  If you live or work outside the region, please contact us by email below.

CLICK THIS LINK TO REGISTER:  http://www.BetterSouth.org/register

Important information

• Attendance is limited.  Reservations are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.  If a class fills up, you will be put on a waiting list in case a spot opens.  If a spot does not open, we will contact you when a new class is offered.
• Lunch will be provided.  Participants will receive a lunch at midday.
• No show policy.  If you register and can’t come, please let us know as soon as possible so we can make a space available to someone else.  If you reserve a place and don’t attend, you will be billed $25 to reimburse the Center for lunch.  Signing up for the class is a commitment by you to attend for free or pay the lunch fee if you don’t.
• Transportation.  You will have to provide your own transportation to a class.
• Questions.  Please send questions by email to:  brack@bettersouth.org.

Trainings offered by the Center are provided through a Rural Business Development Grant  awarded in 2017 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Center for a Better South was a leading driver of the area’s combined effort to apply for and be successful in winning the federal designation for the region to be a Promise Zone.  You can get updates on the Promise Zone at its website:  http://www.SCPromiseZone.org.

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
November 22, 2017

 

Grants awarded to improve 18 South Carolina communities

S.C. Department of Commerce awards $6.1 million in 

Community Development Block Grant Funds

 

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Eighteen communities across South Carolina are slated to benefit from public improvement projects supported by more than $6.1 million in funds from the latest round of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The S.C. Department of Commerce is awarding CDBG funds to these communities, representing more than 74,820 residents, for the following projects:

• Town of Blackville – School Demolition ($226,655)
• Town of Brunson – Adams Street Area Demolition ($118,900)
• Town of Estill – Church Street Area Demolition ($500,000)
• Town of Gifford – Neighborhood Demolition ($71,940)
• City of Greenwood – East Court Avenue Streetscape Improvements ($500,000)
• Jasper County – Southern Jasper Drainage Study ($50,000)
• Town of Kingstree – Drainage Study ($50,000)
• Lancaster County – DSS Building Renovation ($500,000)
• Town of McCormick – Main Street Streetscape Improvements ($500,000)
• City of Union – Fire Truck  ($390,500)
• Town of Ware Shoals – Fire Truck ($500,000)
• City of Woodruff – S. Main/E. Hayne Streetscape Improvements ($498,970)
• Town of Cheraw – ACL Neighborhood Revitalization (Phase III) ($500,000)
• Town of Hampton – Nix Street Neighborhood Revitalization ($500,000)
• Jasper County – Church/Stiney Neighborhood Revitalization ($500,000)
• City of Pickens – South Pickens Neighborhood Revitalization ($475,230)
• City of Clinton – D. E. Tribble Building Stabilization ($99,999)
• Town of Gifford – Rosenwald School Stabilization ($150,000)

“The CDBG program continues to set the table for economic development in communities across South Carolina,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “Through the implementation of these public projects, our state’s residents ultimately enjoy an improved quality of life, which is the hallmark of South Carolina as an ideal destination for business.”

 

S.C. Commerce awards CDBG funds in the fall and the spring of each year. Selected through a statewide competitive process, local governments receiving CDBG funds are required to provide at least a 10 percent match in funding to complete the projects. Grant funds are allocated on an annual basis to South Carolina from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and S.C. Commerce administers the CDBG program on the state’s behalf. CDBG assists communities in providing housing, a suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunities.

 

All grants awarded through the CDBG program must meet at least one of three objectives:

• Benefit LMI (low- to moderate-income) persons.
• Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums and blighting conditions.
• Meet other urgent community needs where existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to public health and welfare, and where other financial resources are not readily available to meet such needs.

For additional information on South Carolina’s CDBG program, including application guidelines and frequently asked questions, please visit www.cdbgsc.com.

Solar PV Training Program for City and County Staff

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in support of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, is offering a no-cost solar photovoltaic (PV) training program for cities and counties seeking to add solar energy to their facilities (on both buildings and land). The training commitment will be approximately 20 hours over a 12-month period, primarily in 2018. The training modules, which take about one hour each, cover the following topics: Evaluation Framework and Goals   Who should be involved in this process? How should solar opportunities be evaluated? Site Screening and Evaluation      How much PV can be installed on municipal buildings and land? Site Assessment and Permitting How are projects permitted? PV Financing What types of financing options are available for a PV system, and what are the tradeoffs of different financing options? PV Policies and Incentives What policies and solar incentives can lower the cost of solar? PV RFPs How is a request for proposals (RFP) issued for PV? What are the most important aspects to include in the RFP? The series is comprised of virtual and in-person training options, and virtual modules are designed for multiple staff members to view together. No city or county staff are required to attend in‑person training. Upon completion, attendees will receive a one-on-one consultation with an NREL staff member to answer any additional questions. Attendees will also be given tools and resources and asked to share what they have learned with five additional cities or counties to help spread the word about adding solar energy to municipal facilities. To apply, please complete and submit the short application form by Thursday, Nov. 30.