Trident Area Agency on Aging Rocks to Help Seniors!

Every year since 1963, May has been the month to appreciate and celebrate the vitality and aspirations of older adults and their contributions and achievements. It is a proud tradition that shows our nation’s commitment to honor the value that elders continue to contribute to our communities.

This year’s Older Americans Month theme—“Unleash the Power of Age!”—emphasizes the important role of older adults. This May, communities across the nation will recognize older Americans as productive, active, and influential members of society.

Older Americans Month celebrations will acknowledge the value that older adults continue to bring to our communities by making an effort to applaud recent achievements of local elders and inviting them to share the activities they do to unleash the power of age.

While Trident Area Agency on Aging provides services, support, and resources to older adults year-round, Older Americans Month is a great opportunity to show special appreciation! We will continue to provide opportunities for elders to come together and share their experiences with one another, as well as with individuals of other generations.

Trident Area Agency on Aging is hosting a month long Golden Ribbon Awareness Campaign to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Older Americans Month, along with our 2nd Annual Rock A Thon. The Rock A Thon will be held at Tanger Outlet on May17th from 11:00am-6:00pm. Come to Tanger Outlet and support our twenty teams as the Rock to support our area seniors. Browse and bid on twenty one of a kind masterpiece rocking chairs and donate to support our area seniors. 100% of the funds raised stay local to provide home and community based services to Older Adults, Adults with Disabilities and Caregivers. Trident Area Agency on Aging has been providing assistance, advocacy and answers on aging since 1991! 

Contact us at 843-554-2276 or www.tridentaaa.org to learn more about our month long celebration of Older Americans Month and the 2nd Annual Rock A Thon.

North Charleston Fire Department’s Bianca Sancic receives statewide Educator’s Award

Bianca Sancic, Public Information Officer and Fire and Life Safety Educator of the North Charleston Fire Department, received the Educator’s Award from the South Carolina Fire and Life Safety Education Association. The Educator’s Award is a peer award presented to an outstanding individual, organization, or program that is making a difference in Fire and Life Safety Education.

Bianca has been employed with the City of North Charleston Fire Department since September 2007. She works daily in our local schools, daycares, and businesses to teach fire and life safety to all citizens of North Charleston.

Bianca is dedicated to preventing fires and saving lives through education and safety, teaching citizens to prevent home fires, to use fire extinguishers, and what to do in emergency situations. Bianca also assists with the After the Fire Program that aids individuals after a fire has occurred in their home and during recovery. She also serves as a liaison for residents and the American Red Cross and other support systems. 

Bianca is an active member of the Fire and Life Safety Education Association, South Carolina Fire Marshals Association, South Carolina Firemen’s Association, and Palmetto Alliance of Public Affairs and Information Officers.

North Charleston Fire Chief Greg Bulanow said, “Bianca’s passion and creativity make her very effective in delivering fire and life safety education. She is very deserving of this recognition from her fellow fire safety professionals.”

Photo: Bianca Sancic in the classroom

KaBOOM! designates North Charleston a “Playful City USA” Community for 3rd consecutive year

The City of North Charleston was once again named a “Playful City USA” community by KaBOOM!, the national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America’s children. KaBOOM! created “Playful City USA” in 2007 to help local governments address the play deficit by ensuring children have the time and space they need to play. 

This is the 3rd consecutive year the City has earned the honor. 217 cities and towns across the country received the designation of which only 6 were recognized from the State of South Carolina. 

"Kids need to play actively, every day, at home, in school and in their communities, yet play is disappearing," says Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM!. “Children spend nearly eight hours a day in front of a screen; almost half of all poor students are deprived of recess; and to make matters worse, only one in five children live within walking distance of a park. Playful City USA communities like North Charleston are creating innovative programs and initiatives and deserve recognition because of their efforts to give kids the childhood they deserve and best prepare them for their future." 

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey stated, “The North Charleston Recreation Department offers a wealth of activities and space for play that promotes healthy lifestyles, including sports for all ages at our many athletic complexes, senior programming in our community centers, afterschool and summer camps for our city’s youth, and passive play at the numerous playgrounds dotting the city.” Mayor Summey continued, “We take great pride in providing our citizens with play areas and programming that rival the best in the nation.” 

Opportunities for play are increasing in the City of North Charleston. The Danny Jones swimming pool was recently enclosed for year-round aquatics, Pepperhill Park was renovated, and Wescott Park, a baseball complex and Cal Ripken training facility, will soon open. 

In November 2009, KaBOOM! donated and assisted in building a state of the art, handicap accessible playground on Brookside Drive in North Charleston. KaBOOM! representatives, local non-profit The Sustainability Institute, community volunteers, and civic leaders participated in the single-day build of the playground. View photos of the build day. 

For more information on the KaBOOM! Playful City USA program, www.kaboom.org/playfulcityusa.

Police Department to posthumously award Medal of Valor to fallen officer

On May 9, 2013 Mayor Keith Summey and City Council, along with Police Chief Eddie Driggers and members of the North Charleston Police Department will posthumously award the Police Department’s Medal of Valor to Patrolman Robert (Tony) Way. Way’s widow, Audrey, along with other family members will accept the award in Council Chambers at 7:00 p.m.

On February 18, 1985, Patrolman Tony Way and an assisting officer responded to an alarm call at Rose’s Hideaway Bar on Rivers Avenue. Unbeknownst to the officers, there was a suspect lying in wait with a plan to carry out an ambush in retaliation from a prior incident with police. Upon their arrival, Patrolman Way went to the rear of the building to make sure that the business was secure. It was then that the suspect was encountered but he fled from the scene and Patrolman Way pursued on foot. As the pursuit went around the building, a gunfight began with the suspect firing the first round that struck Patrolman Way on his right side. The gunfight continued with the suspect firing two additional rounds that struck near Way’s heart. Undaunted, Patrolman Way returned fire with two rounds striking the suspect in the lower back and four rounds making contact in the suspect’s abdominal area. The suspect died on scene within minutes and Patrolman Way died shortly thereafter at a local hospital.

Since the first recorded death in 1791, almost 20,000 law enforcement officers in the United States have made the ultimate sacrifice and been killed in the line of duty. Mayor Summey has proclaimed May 12, 2013 through May 18, 2013 as National Police Week in the City of North Charleston in memory of those Law Enforcement Officers, who through their courageous deeds made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities. 

North Charleston City Hall Turns Art Gallery with Works by International & National Artists

Pursuing New Lands by Reynier Llanes

The halls of North Charleston City Hall have been transformed into viewing spaces for three special visual art exhibitions presented as components of the 2013 North Charleston Arts Festival. Contemporary works by an assortment of artists from Cuba, art quilts by African American fiber artists from across the nation, and abstract fiber pieces by the City’s Artists-in-Residence are currently on display and will remain on view through June 20. A reception in honor of the exhibitions will be held at North Charleston City Hall on Thursday, May 9, from 6:00-8:00pm. The exhibitions and reception are free and open to the public.

Contemporary Artists of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba - International Group Exhibition
The third floor of City Hall features the international group exhibition, Contemporary Artists of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba. Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, is an area steeped in rich culture and history that has been the birthplace and home of many of the country’s most outstanding writers, musicians, and visual artists. In this group exhibition curated by Reynier Llanes, nine professional contemporary artists from this westernmost province of Cuba present a collection of post Cuban Revolution art in a variety of mediums and styles that capture their unique culture and heritage as is relates to the land, life, and the essence of community. Featured artists include Javier Ampudia, Arquimides (Nelo) Lores, Juan Suarez Blanco, Livan Ricardo Hernandez, Reynier Llanes (curator), Yaciel Martinez, Juan Carlos Morales Lemus, Danys Milo Ozuna, and Juan Miguel Suarez. These artists are not tied to the historical 1940’s early modern traditions of pre-revolution artistic expressions, or the 1960’s revolution presentations of ideological social realism, or the politically sanctioned and government supervised expressions of art of the 1970’s and 80’s. Rather, these artists are products of the 1990’s, creating work based on the ideas of freedom of expression and experimentation in both mediums and styles. Featured works include representational landscapes, figurative expressions, magic surrealism, and abstract expressionism styles of contemporary art in Cuba today that are a clear testament to the artists’ creativity and imagination, advanced education, rich cultural bonding, sense of humor, and vitality. Llanes will give a brief lecture during the reception at 6:30pm. For additional information on the artists featured in the exhibition, visit ReynierLlanes.com.

Once Upon a Quilt: Welcome to My Quilted Story Book – 7th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition
City Hall’s first and second floors feature the 7th annual African American fiber art exhibition, Once Upon a Quilt: Welcome to My Quilted Story Book. Curated by award-winning and nationally exhibiting textile artist, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this annual exhibit showcases African American fiber artists from across the nation creating works through a variety of traditional and non-traditional fiber techniques. The 7th installment features pieces inspired by the artists’ favorite story; written or oral, fiction or non-fiction. Through this exhibition, these quilts are able to tell their own stories with messages that encourage, inspire, comfort, and enchant. Featured artists include Cathy Alvarez (Marietta, GA), Yvonne Anderson (Laurelton, NY), Pauline Barrett (Killeen, TX), Carolyn Brackat (Conway, SC), Lenora Brown (North Charleston, SC), Angela Ferguson (Austel, GA), Cookie Keeling Patterson (Decatur, GA), Arianne King Comer (North Charleston, SC), Catherine Lamkin (Charleston, SC), Aisha Lumumba (Atlanta, GA), Bridgett Murray (Walterboro, SC), Laquita Tummings (Vallejo, CA), and Torreah “Cookie” Washington (SC). Washington will give a brief lecture during the reception at 7:30pm.

Wash Over You – Works by Kristy Bishop
On City Hall’s second floor, opposite the art quilts, viewers will find fiber works of another kind. In her exhibition of abstract textile pieces, titled Wash Over You, Kristy Bishop presents intricate pieces composed of hand-dyed silk that is cut, gathered, and sewn. Thousands of tiny pieces of fabric are manipulated to create color transitions and gradients that translate human emotions. The featured pieces are left untitled so that the emotions the artist experienced while making each piece do not necessarily influence the interpretation of the viewer. Ultimately, the artist hopes that individuals viewing this series allow themselves to feel whatever emotion it is that the colors elicit. Bishop currently offers residencies to North Charleston schools and community groups as the City’s Artist-in-Residence. Her work has been featured in the pages of Charleston Magazine and presented in a number of group exhibitions, both locally and nationally. She will give a brief lecture during the reception at 7:00pm.

North Charleston City Hall is located at 2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC 29406. Exhibition viewing times are 8:00am-8:00pm, daily through June 20. Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854. For full details about the North Charleston Arts Festival visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

Riverdogs ticket sales to benefit North Charleston's Double Dutch Jump Squad

Charleston Riverdogs present City of North Charleston night on Saturday, April 27 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.  A portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to the North Charleston Recreation Department and the Double Dutch Jump Squad.

Purchase tickets for only $7 at http://tinyurl.com/nchas13, using Password: nchas

Traffic Alert: Nighttime lane closures to allow resurfacing of International Blvd & Montague Avenue

Flickr user Horia Vorlan

Charleston County Government announces the following traffic alert for nighttime lane closures in North Charleston:

International Boulevard

• Nighttime lane closures will occur April 23-26 between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. on International Boulevard between S. Aviation Avenue and Michaux Parkway so workers can resurface the road. 

• Workers will be present to direct traffic through the closures. 

• All road work is dependent on weather. If the weather is poor April 23-26, work will continue on the next weather-permitting night. 

E. Montague Avenue

• Nighttime lane closures will occur April 24-29 between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on E. Montague Avenue between Rivers Avenue and Gaynor Avenue so workers can resurface the road. 

• Workers will be present to direct traffic through the closures. 

• All road work is dependent on weather. If the weather is poor April 24-29, work will continue on the next weather-permitting night. 

Drivers traveling through the project’s construction zone are asked to be aware of equipment and crews working in the area at all times. The public is also asked to notice traffic control signs, reductions in speed limit and message board information.

The work is part of the Charleston County Transportation Committee (CTC) 2012 Resurfacing Project in North Charleston. Visit the official website at www.charlestonctc.org for information about all CTC road projects.