Beaufort County thank-you letters, Dec. 11, 2015
The family of Burton Firefighter Alvin Wilson would like to thank all who participated in a softball tournament and raffle drawing to help contribute to helpHOPElive in anticipation of Alvin's liver transplant.
Special thanks to Matt Bowsher, Chip Cooler, Scott Harris, Justin Blankeship and Nichole Bright for coordinating the tournament. This tournament would not have been possible without the help of F.A.S.T., Bluffton Township Fire District, Lady's Island St. Helena Fire District, Burton Fire District, Parris Island Fire Department, Beaufort Police Department, Beaufort Fire Department, Colleton County Fire-Rescue, and all the local businesses that generously donated.
It is nice to live in a community where people unite to help to those who are facing difficult times.
Patty Wilson
Beaufort
At around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 17, my husband and I were in an automobile collision and sustained injuries. That accident occurred on U.S. 21 (Lady's Island Parkway), heading onto Lady's Island from the Woods Memorial Bridge -- a short distance beyond Meridian Road and in front of the CBC Bank.
In no time at all, a young man stopped to help us, and assisted my husband with his injuries. He used excellent skills in caring for my husband's wounds and reassuring him, staying with him as we waited for the EMS team to arrive. Then, like the Lone Ranger (who was that masked man?), he disappeared.
He was the first on the scene. Next to arrive was a policeman, then the ambulance. When I mentioned to him that he was the first to arrive to help, he replied "we always are" ... you see, though he was not in uniform, and we do not know his name, we do know he is an active-duty Marine and also a lifeguard.
Well, sir, we want to tell you how very grateful we are for your immediate and excellent care, and staying until we were aboard the ambulance.
If anyone knows who our rescuer is, please give him our deepest appreciation for his unhesitating and excellent assistance at a moment's notice.
Norman and Dollie Morrall
Lady's Island
Thank you to the wonderful people working at the polling station at the Rotary Community Center during Bluffton's runoff election.
I raced home from work to make it in before closing, and there turned out to be a database discrepancy regarding my precinct. I felt so disappointed, thinking I wouldn't get to vote after all. The poll workers stayed late and went through several extra procedures to ensure that I got to cast a ballot in accordance with state law.
I'm sure nobody expected they'd have to deal with such a complicated situation minutes before closing, and I appreciated their help so much. It is vital to our democracy to have poll workers who care about protecting the right to vote, and I'm very thankful to have those people in my community.
Allison Diercks
Bluffton
To the Bluffton-Hilton Head Island community:
The Aragon family is very grateful for everyone who has donated to "Beat MS With Josh."
To the individuals, the organizations, the businesses, the sports teams, and the school groups who donated time and money, we say "thank you."
To the individuals, such as Sue Cullinen, our fundraising chairperson; Karen and Dwane Wilkins; Bob Brown; Rose and Cliff Ligato; Jason Ayers; Melissa Tyler; Greg Taulbee; Jason Brahm; Rob Hummell; Gavin Cox, Karen and M. T. Davis -- thank you for your time, your talent, your resources. To Josh's friends and the bands that combined their efforts to make the Nov. 15 event such a success, we thank you.
The result of everyone pulling together in the last seven months is that Josh, age 38 and diagnosed with MS 12 years ago, will be able to receive Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) treatment in January 2016. Since this treatment is not funded by his insurance, this would not have been possible without this community's support.
Thank you for stepping up and giving generously and lovingly of time, talent, and money to help Josh beat MS.
Lindy and Leon Aragon
Bluffton
On behalf of the Beaufort Symphony Orchestra, I want to thank the Beaufort community and The Beaufort Gazette for the outstanding support we received in "Keeping the Music Live" for our hometown audiences.
We now have enough funds to complete our 2015-2016 season and we are looking forward with renewed enthusiasm and dedication to our remaining concerts.
We hope to see some new faces as well as familiar ones at the "Winter Wonderland" holiday concert on Dec. 17 and Dec. 20 at Sea Island Presbyterian Church on Lady's Island. Bring your family and friends and celebrate the spirit of this wonderful season with us.
Please go to our website at www.beaufortorchestra.org for details on these and our other upcoming concerts, then take advantage of our discounted ticket prices for the remainder of the season, by purchasing any three of the four remaining concerts.
For our 2016-2017 season our music director, Frederick Devyatkin, will explore new and more diverse musical offerings to appeal to younger audiences while maintaining a repertoire of classical favorites for our traditional concertgoers.
We are very grateful for the generosity of our supporters and look forward to "Keeping the Music Live" for the Beaufort community for many years to come.
Please continue your donations and ticket purchases to help ensure our success.
Ed Like
President
Beaufort Symphony Orchestra
Beaufort
The Hilton Head Island Council of Garden Clubs and Island Beautification Association extend warm thanks to the Green Thumb Nursery for its generous contributions to our annual Southern Arbor Day event on Dec. 4.
We appreciate its gift of a tree and the time and patience in getting two trees planted at the Veterans Memorial Park at Shelter Cove. What a wonderful community spirit.
Betsy Jukofsky
Beth Evans
Arbor Day Committee
Hilton Head Island
I have heard a lot of compliments about Beaufort Memorial Hospital and its dedicated service, but I have not seen much written publicly. I was in Beaufort Memorial for five days recently and was treated extremely well.
From surgery by Dr. James Tober and assistants in the operating room, to doctors in the Emergency Room, hospital doctors, RN's and assistants in Room 314 and Room 214, RN's and assistants in recovery, I have never been treated so well medically, professionally and personally.
And to a lot of others at Beaufort Memorial, my wife and I say thank you.
Leonard Allen
St. Helena Island
Bluffton American Legion, Post 205, sponsored a golf tournament to celebrate its 10th Anniversary.
A special thank you to all those in the community who were there to support the Post.
These included: The Lunch Lady, Katie O'Donald's, Wooster Dental Care, Synergy Homes, Eye Site of Bluffton, Markel's Card & Gift Shop, Hilton Head Buick GMC, Sauls Funeral Home, BPC Motorworks, Al Petty, James Gilliard, John and Linda Finch, Fiesta Fresh, Mellow Mushroom, NTB Tire/Service Center, Golden Bear Golf, Callawassie Island Golf, Old South Golf Links and The Drive Tee.
A special thanks to Rose Hill Golf Club for the use of its beautiful facility.
The contributions given so generously by all allows the American Legion to pursue its goal to assist veterans, youth groups and the community at-large.
Art Ranta
Bluffton
Thank you to St. Andrew By-the-Sea United Methodist Church, Congregation Beth Yam Men's Club and Jacob Preston Studio for their generous donations to Second Helpings.
Their gifts allow us to help thousands of people in the area every week have access to nutritious food. More than 60 food pantries, soup kitchens and nonprofits are counting on Second Helpings for food deliveries, and we don't want to let them down.
The generosity of these organizations make it possible. Thanks to their commitment and dedication, no one in our community will go hungry.
Maureen Korzik
Executive Director
Second Helpings
Hilton Head Island
NAMI Lowcountry -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness -- is pleased to announce receipt of a grant from the Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation that will enable us to provide free mental health education and support services to the more than 9,000 Latinos who live and work in the Hilton Head/Bluffton area.
The Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization whose goal is to help nonprofits improve lives by funding projects that address the basic human needs of the most vulnerable residents of the Bluffton community and neighboring Beaufort County.
Sarah Eliasoph
Executive Director
NAMI Lowcountry
Hilton Head Island
This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Beaufort County thank-you letters, Dec. 11, 2015."