It didn’t start with one big idea. Going Places didn’t even have a name at first. Yet, over the course of the past four and a half years, this Mount Pleasant-based nonprofit has gifted more than 2,500 children in need with their first brand-new shiny bicycle. How did this small miracle happen? It started with an elementary school teacher, Katie Blomquist, who heard one of … [Read more...]

The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have touched nearly every aspect of life – health, jobs, supply and demand and the global economy, to name just a few. In short, life has not been easy for many people this past year, and getting back on their feet is even harder when they fall behind a few steps. Luckily, East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) has been steadfast for … [Read more...]

There’s nothing that bonds a parent and child like a shared hobby. But whether right or wrong, many hobbies carry the weight of gender bias. Fishing and hunting are seen as “manly,” while dancing and singing are stereotyped as female interests. But outdated labels shouldn’t stop a boy mom or girl dad from having meaningful ties with their children. Here are the stories of three … [Read more...]

By Bill Farley No word yet as to whether the members of the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s Harbor Patrol have been studying Malay, Tamil or Mandarin. But if they have, they’d be paying homage to a tradition of service that dates back to the 1860s in the faraway multi-lingual port of Singapore. That’s when the international trading hub established the first official … [Read more...]

By Pamela Jouan The appeal of Mount Pleasant from a biker or walker’s perspective is obvious: temperate weather, meandering marshes, sprawling live oaks and an abundance of native wildlife.  While the beginnings of Mount Pleasant Way were officially incorporated into the town’s comprehensive plan in 2018, it’s safe to say the concept was on the minds of staff and … [Read more...]

By Colin McCandless It is no secret that rent and home prices in Mount Pleasant are expensive, and rush hour traffic is tedious, but thanks to a community partnership among elected officials, businesses and nonprofits, steps are being taken to address these two interconnected issues. In February, Mount Pleasant’s Town Council approved the first workforce housing … [Read more...]

By Janet E. Perrigo On November 3, 2020, 8-year-old Stella Rasheed accompanied her parents on a top-priority mission. It was not her first experience of this kind, but she was both pleased and excited to be included again. Although the first part of the journey involved standing in line for over an hour without complaint, Kristie Rasheed had warned her daughter in advance, … [Read more...]

Charleston County schools closed on March 16th, 2020 to prepare for a worldwide pandemic, and although it was unknown at the time, this was the last day the graduating class of 2020 would walk the halls of high school. As March turned into April and April turned into May, it became disconcertingly clear to students and parents that many of the milestone moments of high school, … [Read more...]

Too often, it seems our children have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Some of it is normal teenage angst, while other cases are more severe. The pressure to succeed in life — preceded by the pressure to excel in high school and college — can manifest as early as elementary school. Principal Gayle Morris of Cario Middle School was alerted to stress and anxiety as … [Read more...]