School news: S.C. Sales Tax Holiday Aug. 7-9
Festival for rising kindergarteners set for Aug. 6
The 12th annual education festival Countdown to Kindergarten will be 5-7 p.m. Aug. 6 in Old Town. The free event supports rising kindergarteners’ transition into school.
Countdown to Kindergarten connects families with agencies to learn about available educational, health and community resources. Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Futures will provide free pediatric dental screenings. River Hills/Lake Wylie Lions Club will provide free vision screenings. Parents can gather information about after-school programs and children can climb aboard a school bus. School nurses will be available to answer questions about services.
Children’s musician Roger Day also will perform.
Community exhibitors will have school supply giveaways and a free book for each rising kindergarten to fifth grade student. Sign-up for a library card and check-out books at the York County Book Mobile. Main Street Children’s Museum will offer free limited admission.
S.C. Sales Tax Holiday Aug. 7-9
The Sales Tax Holiday weekend in South Carolina begins at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 7 and ends at midnight Aug. 9.
Shoppers will benefit from an exemption of the 6 percent state sales tax and applicable local taxes on the purchase of school supplies. In addition to shoppers saving about $3 million during the weekend, the Sales Tax Holiday benefits in-state businesses by encouraging taxpayers to do back-to-school shopping in South Carolina.
Sales tax will not be imposed on items such as clothing, shoes, school supplies, book bags, computers, printers, bedspreads and linens. Nonexempt items include the sale of jewelry, cosmetics, eye wear, furniture or items placed on layaway.
For details, visit the South Carolina Department of Revenue’s website.
North Carolina stopped offering a holiday sales tax last year.
Lions offering $3,000 for exchange program
The River Hills/Lake Wylie Lions Club is offering a new award for Clover High School students.
A member of the rising class of 2017 can earn up to $3,000 in airfare and tuition to participate in the 2016 S.C. Lions Summer Youth Exchange, which provides an opportunity to promote cooperation through friendship among American and international future leaders.
Host blood drive, earn scholarship
▪ High school and college students can win a scholarship by hosting an American Red Cross blood drive through Aug. 31 through the Leaders Save Lives program.
The Leaders Save Lives program encourages community-minded 16- to 24-year-olds to host blood drives. Students who participate as a blood drive coordinator are eligible to win a scholarship up to $2,500 for higher education and to earn a gift card.
Ten scholarships will be awarded via a drawing to students who achieve 100 percent of their blood drive collections goal. All students who achieve the designated blood drive goal will receive an electronic gift card to giftcertificates.com.
redcrossblood.org/leaderssavelives.
▪ The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas is calling on high school and college students for its seventh annual Students Saving Summer Scholarship Program.
Students who organize and host a successful blood drive with CBCC through Sept. 30 have the chance to earn scholarship money for their secondary education. The top five producing blood drives each receive a $1,000 scholarship from CBCC. Since 2009, CBCC has awarded more than 300 scholarships and grants.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must choose a location, recruit donors and collect a minimum of 25 units of blood. Each student will be paired up with a CBCC representative who will provide assistance with planning the blood drive. The CBCC scholarship donation must be directly transferred to the college, university or other learning establishment of each winner’s choice.
For more information or to register, call 704-972-4727 or email KLJones@cbcc.us.
This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 4:53 PM with the headline "School news: S.C. Sales Tax Holiday Aug. 7-9."