Rock Hill company donates bikes for children, York County residents celebrate wins
Each month, The Herald shares accomplishments from the York County region. Here are the highlights:
Rock Hill company donates bikes for children
Williams and Fudge in Rock Hill raised $15,000 to purchase 272 bikes for York County children in need, a release states. On Dec. 5, the company held its 15th annual bike race for the kids.
Williams and Fudge each year purchases bikes to be donated to Toys for Happiness and distributed to less fortunate children living in York County.
Toys for Happiness is one of the efforts involved in the Holiday Partners program that provides gifts to families in need.
“Each year, our staff come through in ways that continue to surprise my family and me, in a way that makes us incredibly proud,” David Williams, president of Williams and Fudge, said in a prepared statement. “We are very thankful for what we have and are glad that we get to give back to our community.”
York County couple finalist for S.C. Farm Bureau award
Samuel and Lindsey Hall of the York County Farm Bureau have been named one of two state finalists for the 2020 South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award, a release from the bureau states.
The award recognizes individuals for their work for the Farm Bureau and in agriculture and their communities, the release states. The S.C. Farm Bureau is a not-for-profit organization that support family farmers.
As a finalist, the couple received $1,000 and the chance to win $33,750 toward the purchase of a truck, the release states. The Halls also have the opportunity to represent the state at the 2020 bureau conference along with fellow award finalists Justin and Maggie Ables of the Oconee County Farm Bureau.
The winner will be announced in January during the Young Farmer and Rancher Conference in Charleston, the release states.
York County students win at art show
The annual York County High Schools Art Show exhibited more than 100 works by 98 students, a release from the Arts Council of York County states.
Winners were announced during the Dec. 5 reception. They are:
Best of Show, in memory of Sandra Schug Stevens, educator and artist: “Neon Nights” by Jordan Robinson, Clover High School
First Place: “Warrior in Me” by Joshua Lind, Rock Hill High School
Second Place: “Forest of Feelings” by Meliah Hipp, Catawba Ridge High School
Third Place: “Carried Away” by Anna Newton, Rock Hill High School
Honorable Mention: “Self Portrait” by Ethan Johnson, Nation Ford High School
Honorable Mention: “The Feeling Within” by Caroline Prain, Fort Mill High School
Honorable Mention: “Self Portrait” by Lake Rucker, Nation Ford High School
Winthrop professors earn top honors
Winthrop University honored two professors with top teaching awards at the Dec. 14 Commencement ceremony, a release states.
President Dan Mahony presented Alice McLaine, assistant professor of athletic training, and Chris Van Aller, political science professor,
with the James Pinckney Kinard and Lee Wicker Kinard Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
The awards honor faculty members who have demonstrated their dedication to teaching, according to Winthrop.
McLaine, a certified athletic trainer for more than 35 years, came to Winthrop in 2002 and helped develop the university’s athletic training program, the release states. She is overseeing the program’s transition to a master’s degree in athletic training.
McLaine earned her bachelor’s in biology from Ohio University and a master’s in exercise fitness from West Virginia University, according to Winthrop. She holds a Ph. D. in higher education from Iowa State University.
Van Aller joined Winthrop in 1990. He was promoted to associate professor in 1996 and professor in 2008, the release states.
Van Aller has taught a variety of courses at Winthrop, spending many years teaching Model United Nations, according to the university. He also leads students to regional Model United Nations competitions in the Southeast.
Van Aller earned his bachelor’s degree in English and history at Hamilton College. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph. D. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, according to Winthrop.
York county programs receive grants
The Arts Council of York County awarded $5,200 in grants for the third quarter of 2019-’20, a release states. The recipients are:
Carolina Crown: The not-for-profit performing arts organization received $700 for its HonorBAND program, which brings together York County middle school musicians for a two-day workshop with students from throughout the country. Students audition to join the HonorBAND. Their public performance is Jan. 30, 2020 at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill.
Karen Collins: Collins is the festival director for the Underexposed Film Festival in York County. The $1,000 grant will support the international short film festival.
Early Learning Partnership of York County: The $1,000 grant supports Rock Hill Reads, which offers early literacy programs for preschool-aged children in the Saluda Street corridor.
Marge Moody: Moody, a Winthrop University professor, has been accepted to the Visiting Arts and Scholars Program, which invites artists and scholars to the American Academy in Rome, Italy. Moody will be visiting the academy in spring of 2020. She plans to exhibit her works created in Italy in June 2020 at the National Association of Women Artists in New York City. The $1,000 grant will support her room, board and materials costs in Rome.
Susan Vinson Sherlock: The $500 grant will help Sherlock, a musician, bring singer/songwriter Joe Newberry to York for a songwriting workshop and concert on Jan. 25, 2020. Newberry, a Missouri native and North Carolina resident is often a guest on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and has taught guitar, singing, songrwiting and banjo at multiple camps and festivals in his career. January’s workshop starts during the day at Etta’s Cre8tive Emporium, 35 N. Congress St. The evening event is at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 108 E. Liberty St.
Strauss Moore Shiple: The $500 grant will support the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day concert with Dawn Anthony and the Lovell Bradford Quartet. The concert is Jan. 17 at the York Senior Center, 14 N. Congress St. in York. Anthony and Bradford are teaching artists, performers and lecturers from Charlotte.
The next deadline to apply for an Arts Council grant is March 1, 2020 for programs in April, May or June. For more information, visit www.yorkcountyarts.org.
Rock Hill church celebrates 150 years
First Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill celebrated its 150-year anniversary in November. The church began in 1854 under Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, according to the church’s website. The church was chartered as First Presbyterian in 1869.
The church supports a missionary in Korea, according to the website. The Presbyterian Medical Center provides gospel and medical care for residents in Jeonju, Korea.
First Presbyterian members also started Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill, which today has more than 800 members, according to the website.
