Greenwood Women Care enjoyed an uplifting and joyous time together on Monday, May 24. Our social reception and program, “Arts in Action!”, was held in the Mays Reception Hall in The Arts Center.

We were greeted with four lovely selections presented by Palmetto Girls Sing! led by Amy Fennell and accompanied by Rodney Cleveland.  One of the selections was an original composition, “My Life is a Canvas,” composed by Richard Williamson, Professor of Music at Anderson University, and accompanied by Cleveland and flutist, Rhonda McGinnis, Chair of GWC Governance & Finance Committee. Amy Fennell informed us that Palmetto Girls Sing! was formed in 2015 and is comprised of 4^th – 8^th grade girls. They have enjoyed numerous trips and activities, and during a 2018 trip to New York they performed at Carnegie Hall.

During the reception, we enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvres and refreshing drinks. Carol Scales, Programs & Education Committee member, served as emcee for the program portion. Mary Woodiwiss, Chair of GWC’s Advisory Board, offered a warm welcome to Members and guests as we celebrated our first in-person meeting in 15 months. She announced that 14 women have joined GWC this year and that Members currently number 125.

Carol Scales introduced our program presenters: Karen Jennings, Executive Director of The Museum and Railroad Historical Center, and Sylvia Martin, Executive Director of The Arts Center. The Arts Center and The Museum are free and open to the public.

Karen Jennings spoke about the value of The Museum’s role in preserving local history and promoting learning opportunities. She announced that there will be a new permanent exhibit, premiering on June 10, that reflects Greenwood in the early 1900s. The Museum offers changing seasonal exhibitions, often including items on loan from community members in their exhibits and engaging volunteers in various capacities. Staff were thrilled to welcome over 10,000 guests to The Museum in 2019. The Railroad Historical Center has developed a partnership with the Greenwood High School Theatre department for their signature holiday program the “Polar Express”. Major enhancements have been made to the full collection of train cars in this stationary exhibit and other renovations of the facility and grounds have been completed or are in progress.

Sylvia Martin, Executive Director of The Arts Center, has served in various roles there since 2010.  She noted that investing in the arts has enabled Greenwood to become a successful regional hub. The Arts Center stages 9-12 exhibitions a year and is predominately funded by grants. Exhibitions often include artists’ talks and an opening reception for the public and, along with art programs and summer camps, are the heart and soul of The Arts Center. Sylvia and her staff continually look for ways to extend The Arts Center’s reach to more corners of the community. The Arts Center is also a tremendous resource for Greenwood as a venue for weddings, seminars, and other community events.

Lisa Smith, Programs & Education Committee member, presented children’s books contributed by GWC to the Greenwood County Library Children’s Collection in honor of our three guest speakers: Amy Fennell, Karen Jennings, and Sylvia Martin. Deb Maschoff, Co-Chair of the Membership Committee, reminded our Members that committee involvement is optional, but very rewarding, and that home gatherings are a great way to introduce prospective members to GWC. The Membership Committee is ready to support any member who would like to host a home gathering. Laura Bachinski, Vice Chair of GWC and Co-Chair of our Social Committee, introduced a fun new feature, “Member Minute.” Three members volunteered to speak impromptu at the close of the meeting by briefly sharing three facts about themselves. We enjoyed getting to know Summer Booker, Caroline Dennis, and Cindy Leary a little bit better. Edris Louise Robinson, Chair of the Programs & Education Committee, closed our meeting by thanking our speakers and committees and inviting everyone to our August meeting at Cokesbury College where we will greet our 2020 grant recipients and celebrate the progress they have made on their respective grants.

We are pleased to announce the recipient of the first GWC Women’s Health Grant! Greater Greenwood United Ministry (GGUM) has received $3250 in support of their newly established Women’s Health Clinic.

The clinic opened in March 2021 to serve women who cannot afford health insurance and are not covered by Medicaid or Medicare. Dr. John Eichelberger and Dr. Julius (Jukie) Leary donate their time as medical providers. The clinic focuses on the prevention of cervical and breast cancer and addresses episodic health issues for women served to improve their overall quality of life.

The GWC Women’s Health Grant was first offered this year. The grant supports holistic care and health education to improve the physical, mental, or social health and well-being of women in our community. It is funded by a field of interest fund endowed by Jim and Denise Medford and held by the Greenwood County Community Foundation. The award to the new GGUM Women’s Health Clinic was finalized at the conclusion of an application process that required a letter of intent followed by a full application. The GWC Women’s Health Grant will be offered again in 2023.

Members of this year’s GWC Women’s Health committee are: Anne Craig (Chair), Kelly Addy, Anit Vettukattil, Alice Hodges, Priya Kumar, Marilyn Murphy, Sally Kauffman, Sharlene Greene, and Mary Woodiwiss.

Pictured here are: Sharlene Greene, Mary Woodiwiss, Anne Craig, GWC Women’s Health Grant committee; Brenda Milford, Medical Administrative Assistant; Donna Trapp, Medical Clinic and Pharmacy Coordinator; Rosemary Bell, GGUM Executive Director, Julius Leary, MD (OB-GYN); Edith Pineda, Patient Navigator; Gail Alison, LPN; (back row): Mary Lewis Hamrick, RN; Coleman Robinson, MD, GGUM Medical Director.

GWC’s first Quarterly Meeting of 2021 convened with a warm welcome by Laura Bachinski, Co-Chair of the GWC Advisory Board. She stated that the focus of this Quarterly Meeting would be “Community in Crisis Response”. Also, she noted that GWC is 115 Members strong and growing and welcomed our guests by name.

Edris Louise Robinson, Chair of the Programs & Education Committee, said that during our meeting we would have presentations from three spokespersons:  Rosemary Bell of Greater Greenwood United Ministry, and Vicki Jackson and Kim McIntyre of Lighthouse for Life. She gave a definition of crisis and expressed how any one of us may experience a crisis at one time of another.

Mamie Nicholson introduced Rosemary Bell, Executive Director of Greater Greenwood United Ministry (GGUM), noting that Rosemary has been involved with health care for a number of years and the Executive Director of GGUM for the last seven. Rosemary Bell discussed the origin of GGUM and how it has evolved. Since 1996, it has operated a free clinic serving uninsured community residents as their medical home. Currently, GGUM also has a pharmacy, provides financial assistance for utilities and rental eviction and financial counseling, offers dental screenings, and assists clients with some other dental treatments. And, with the assistance of the Greenwood and Mathews Lions Clubs, GGUM provides free eyeglasses.

GGUM was begun by the collaborative effort of many area churches and continues to receive support from multiple congregations.  Self Regional Healthcare is also a primary partner. GGUM has recently begun a monthly women’s clinic with the services of retired OB-GYN physicians. The GGUM Crisis Ministry’s activities for 2020 and 2021 included not only financial assistance for utilities and rental eviction, but also distribution of food and help with job searches. Rosemary ended with an uplifting anecdote about a resident who received life-changing services through the free clinic.

Carol Scales introduced the next two speakers: Vicki Jackson and Kim McIntyre (a minister), of Lighthouse for Life. Vicki Jackson gave a thorough explanation of Lighthouse for Life’s work in helping victims of human trafficking become survivors. She enlightened us about various aspects of trafficking, e.g.., domestic servitude, forced begging, and meeting coercive sales quotas. She discussed how there are at least 40 million victims of human trafficking worldwide and how to be alert to the signs and red flags of trafficking in our own interactions. She also spoke of the objectification of women, citing examples from literature and last year’s Super Bowl halftime show. She reminded us that boys could be victims, too. She noted how important it is to pay attention to the activities of young children you know and to believe them if they are brave enough to tell you of abuse. She gave a phone number for reporting, 1-888-373-7888, shared this link for a video entitled “Can You Spot Human Trafficking in Your Neighborhood?”, and said that volunteers for Lighthouse for Life are always welcome.

After the presentations, Lisa Smith thanked our program contributors stating how enlightening the information was and announced that Greenwood Women Care would be donating two books, Song of Creation and The Fabled Life of Aesop, to the Greenwood County Library children’s collection in their honor.

Edris Louise Robinson recognized Catherine DiBenedetto, Communications Committee Co-Chair, who reminded everyone to RSVP within their evite invitations to our gathering.

Mary Woodiwiss, Co-Chair of the Advisory Board, thanked all the Zoom attendees, presenters, and guests, then gave several GWC announcements. She requested that Members look for an email next month containing links to a ballot for GWC officers, a few survey questions, and a 2020 GWC year in review video, and wished everyone a good evening.

A video of our meeting may be found here.