Attorney General Alan Wilson announces SC victims’ services groups awarded more than $26 Million in grants
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson announced groups that help crime victims across South Carolina will soon be getting more than $26 million in federal and state grants. The S.C. Public Safety Coordinating Council formally approved the grants earlier this year and the projects began Oct. 1.
The grants are distributed by the Department of Crime Victim Assistance Grants, in the Attorney General’s Office. There are four different types of grants: Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants; Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants; State Victim Assistance Program (SVAP) grants; and Supplemental Allocation for Victims Services (SAVS) grants.
“These state and local agencies and non-profit groups do so much to help people who are going through traumatic circumstances. With these funds we are able to support agencies throughout the state as they assist victims of violent crime in their recovery,” Attorney General Alan Wilson said.
In this area of the S.C. Lowcountry, grants are being awarded to:
- Beaufort County organizations 5 Grants totaling $1,702,688
- Child Abuse Prevention Association VOCA $283,311
- Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office VAWA, SAVS $327,988
- Hopeful Horizons VAWA, SAVS $1,091,389
- Hampton County organizations 2 Grants totaling $103,054
- Hampton County Sheriff’s Office SAVS $75,227
- Town of Estill SAVS $27,827
The grants are being awarded to private non-profit organizations, sheriff’s offices, police departments, solicitor’s offices, and state agencies. For example, Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office is receiving a VAWA award of $45,382 to support a criminal domestic violence investigator. Project R.E.S.T., serving Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties is receiving two VOCA awards totaling $838,413 to provide shelter and supportive services to victims of domestic violence, and services such as victim and legal advocacy and therapeutic services to victims of sexual assault. The Dee Norton Center Lowcountry Children’s Center, based in Charleston, receives one VOCA grant of $524,846 to provide child advocacy services.
“The grant staff of the Crime Victim Services Division in the Attorney General’s Office is honored to work with the hundreds of caring, dedicated professionals who help victims of crime every day in South Carolina,” said Barbara Jean “BJ” Nelson, Director of the Division. “Our goal is to have the most effective, and the most compassionate, victim service system in the United States.”
Approximately 61 percent of the money comes from federal grants, with the remaining portion from state funds. Both VOCA and VAWA are administered by the US Department of Justice. VOCA uses non-taxpayer money from the Federal Crime Victims Fund. VAWA is appropriated by Congress. It is important to note that VOCA funds come from federal fines and penalties, not from taxpayers, and it does not add to the national debt or deficit in any way.
Second Helpings announces leadership changes
Amy Colin joins Second Helpings as Executive Director; Marcus Tanner named Director of Operations
Second Helpings, the nonprofit food rescue agency serving Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton counties in the South Carolina Lowcountry, is pleased to announce leadership changes to respond to the growing need for hunger relief in the community.
Amy Colin has been named Executive Director. She has leadership experience in developing and executing strategic membership plans and maximizing program effectiveness. Colin will have overall responsibility for the organization, and specific responsibility for donor relations, fundraising, communications, and administration.
“I am very pleased to welcome Amy to Second Helpings,” said Mary Ann Bell, president of the organization’s board of directors. “Her experience as an executive with the nonprofit Girl Scouts organization will help us further engage the community in our fight against hunger and food waste. She is a dynamic leader who will assist us and our agency partners in expanding our outreach to serve more of the nearly 30,000 food insecure residents of our community.”
“I’m excited to lead this wonderful organization,” Colin said. “Second Helpings plays a vital role in our community, and I look forward to collaborating with our partners and supporters to tackle hunger and reduce food waste. “
Colin most recently was Interim Chief Operating Officer with Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri. She also served as Vice-President of Mission Delivery; Senior Director of membership, and Director of Membership and Volunteer Engagement with this organization. The Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri is an organization serving 25,000 members and a total staff of 67 employees. Colin was with the Girl Scouts from 2015-2024. She holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Central Missouri and a Certification of Volunteer Administration. Colin and her husband recently moved to Bluffton.
Marcus Tanner has been named Director of Operations, a new role which is grant-funded through the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. Tanner, formerly the organization’s Executive Director, will be responsible for all aspects of food rescue, while assuming new responsibilities for managing Second Helpings’ truck fleet.
“Last year Second Helpings rescued and distributed more food than in any other year in our history,” Board President Bell commented. “As we continue to grow and focus on efficiently deploying our trucks and volunteers to serve our community, having a senior leader with Marcus’ experience, capabilities and passion dedicated to operations will be a great benefit. We are grateful to the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry for their support and their recognition of this opportunity to provide focus and build capabilities to expand our impact.”
Tanner, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, joined Second Helpings in 2022. He has led the implementation of a data-driven approach to food distribution, which directs food donations to agency partners based on persons served. In this time, Second Helpings also added eight new agency partners in under-served geographies in Beaufort and Hampton counties.
To learn more about Second Helpings and how you can get involved, go to www.secondhelpingslc.org.
About Second Helpings:
Second Helpings is a nonprofit food rescue organization striving to eliminate hunger in the South Carolina Lowcountry. We collect and distribute food which would have otherwise ended up in landfills. Our 468 volunteers delivered 3.4 million pounds of food in 2023, free of charge, to 54 agencies in Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton counties which serve more than 10,000 people every week. Second Helpings is a United Way Agency. For more information, visit www.secondhelpingslc.org , find us on Facebook or call 843-689-3689.
FEMA Hurricane Helene relief updates
South Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene can apply for FEMA Assistance and SBA Disaster Loan at the same time
COLUMBIA, S.C. –In addition to applying for FEMA assistance, homeowners and renters in designated South Carolina counties have the option to apply for a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration at various stages of their recovery.
While FEMA doesn’t require survivors to apply for an SBA loan before being considered for FEMA assistance, the SBA can offer financial support to individuals and business owners to aid their recovery.
Homeowners and renters in Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties and the Catawba Indian Nation can apply for federal assistance.
How To Apply for FEMA Assistance
The quickest way to apply is to go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.
To get in-person assistance, you can visit any Disaster Recovery Center. To find a center close to you, please go to fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362.
You can also apply using the FEMA App for mobile devices or calling toll-free 800-621-3362. The telephone line is open every day. Help is available in many languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.
For a video with American Sign Language, voiceover and open captions about how to apply for FEMA assistance, select this link FEMA programs are accessible to survivors with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
FEMA assistance is available for people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
How To Apply for SBA Disaster Loans
The SBA offers disaster loans to assist businesses, private nonprofits, homeowners and renters with their recovery. Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for disaster loans to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate and damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for loans to cover physical damage. Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are also available to qualified businesses and nonprofits to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster.
The Alliance Group Realty Partners with Howard Hanna | Allen TateHoward Hanna Real Estate Services, in partnership with Allen Tate Realtors®, has acquired The Alliance Group Realty, a real estate firm with offices in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, S.C., serving Beaufort and Jasper counties and surrounding areas.
This announcement marks Howard Hanna | Allen Tate’s entry into the South Carolina Lowcountry region and the growth of a homegrown business as The Alliance Group Realty joins a family of the nation’s top independent real estate brokers.
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is the #1 family-owned and operated independent broker in the country. The full-service real estate company has more than 500 real estate, mortgage, insurance, title, and escrow service offices across 13 states, including Allen Tate Realtors in the Carolinas.
Allen Tate is the Carolinas’ leading real estate company, with 16,665 closed transactions and $7.5 billion in closed sales volume in 2023. The 67-year-old company operates more than 70 local real estate offices spanning the Charlotte, Triad, Research Triangle, High Country, Highlands/Cashiers and Asheville/Mountain regions of North Carolina and the Upstate and Low Country regions of South Carolina.
The Alliance Group Realty was founded in 2011 by Bob Clarkson, as a new start-up unaffiliated brokerage. The company has grown to more than 70 agents and employees and is ranked among the top brokerages in the Hilton Head – Bluffton area. In 2023, the company closed 260 transactions totaling $140 million in sales.
The company operates offices in Hilton Head Island and Bluffton. The Hilton Head Island office opened in 2011, and moved to its current location at 23D Shelter Cove Lane in 2020. The Bluffton Office, located at 45 Calhoun Street in the Old Town area, opened in 2016.
“The Alliance Group Realty name reflects a group of individuals who are aligned in terms of ethics, integrity and overall character. From the beginning, our company has been focused on providing the tools, facilities and support that our agents need to deliver excellence to clients in today’s complex market. So it was very important for us to join a company that shared these same values and goals,” said Bob Clarkson, founder and owner, The Alliance Group Realty.
“I’ve watched Howard Hanna and Allen Tate grow and expand throughout the Carolinas for many years. They’re a rock-solid, proven success story, with great people and excellent systems. I’m also a big fan of independent brokerages because they understand how our business works, at the street level. The network connections, marketing opportunities and overall synergy is the next logical step for our Realtors,” Clarkson said.
The Alliance Realty Group will now use the tagline A Howard Hanna Tate Company as part of its name and logo. Clients will also have access to Howard Hanna and Allen Tate Essential Services, including mortgage, insurance and title.
Clarkson will continue with the company as area manager and broker in charge. Shaun McTernan will serve as sales manager, and Lynn Anesi will continue in her role as director of operations.
A career professional, Clarkson has worked in real estate for more than 45 years. He has held positions including residential and commercial real estate sales, office manager, senior director at a national real estate franchise, consultant and speaker.
Clarkson and his wife, Rochelle, reside in Bluffton. She is a former ballerina and Disney performer and currently owns and operates Alliance Dance Academy in Bluffton.
“We are proud to welcome The Alliance Group Realty to the Howard Hanna Family of Companies,” said Howard W. “Hoby” Hanna IV, president, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.
“Bob and his team have grown their business to become one of the most successful independent real estate firms in the Lowcountry. This is a company that shares our values and commitment to excellence. We are pleased that The Alliance Group Realty has chosen to partner with Howard Hanna | Allen Tate in this beautiful, growing area, and we look forward to many opportunities,” said Gary Scott, president, Allen Tate Companies.
“We are excited to announce Howard Hanna | Allen Tate’s expansion to the coastal region of South Carolina. This further solidifies our market position in the Carolinas and the Southeast,” Hanna said. “This also marks Howard Hanna’s second acquisition this week, following the acquisition of Big Hill Realty in Dayton, Ohio.”
Allen Tate is the Carolinas’ largest real estate company based on closed sales volume, with more than 70 offices and 1,800 Realtors in the Charlotte, Triad, Triangle, High Country, Highland/Cashiers and Asheville/Mountain regions of North Carolina and the Upstate and Low Country regions of South Carolina. Allen Tate is a partner of Howard Hanna Real Estate, the largest privately held real estate broker in the United States. The full-service real estate company has 500 real estate, mortgage, insurance, title, and escrow service offices and more than 15,000 sales associates and staff across 13 states. For more information, visit www.allentate.com and www.howardhanna.
Sports Around the Lowcountry
USC Salkehatchie Soccer stars shine, earn NJCAA Region 10 All-Region honors
ALLENDALE, S.C. – USC Salkehatchie is proud to announce that three of its soccer players have been recognized for their outstanding performances on the field by earning spots on the NJCAA Region 10 All-Region Team.
- Dyvenson Decime – 1st Team All-Region
- Joseph Anderson-Saavedra – 2nd Team All-Region
- Alexander Alvarez – Honorable Mention
These dedicated athletes have consistently demonstrated exceptional skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship throughout the season. Their contributions to the team’s success have been invaluable, and their recognition as All-Region players is a testament to their hard work and commitment.
“We are incredibly proud of Joseph, Alexander, and Dyvenson for achieving this significant honor,” said Bill Glass, head coach of USC Salkehatchie soccer. “Their talent, dedication, and passion for the game have made a substantial impact on our team. We congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.”
