New ‘Haigler Club’ aims to combine service, fun at the greenway

Adventure is combined with volunteer service, leadership and social events with the Anne Spring Close Greenway’s new Haigler Club.

The young adult adventure club supports the Greenway with service activities and is a place for young adults to come together and meet new people, said Caitlin Anderson, the Greenway’s volunteer coordinator,.

Anderson, 24, who moved to Fort Mill from Minnesota a year ago, said while the Greenway offers many activities for families, she formed the club as a way to attract the young adults in the Fort Mill area.

“Fort Mill is not just a family town anymore,” she said.

Anderson said just a small percentage of the Greenway’s hundreds of volunteers are between 21 and 39 years old, a gap she hopes the club will help fill through volunteer service and social opportunities.

“It’s a great way to make friends, but we’re also going to make a difference,” Anderson said. “It’s going to be fun to watch that play out.”

The club’s Paddle and Play kickoff meeting is May 19 at Lake Haigler and will give residents a chance to learn about the club, socialize, kayak and enjoy beverages from Legal Remedy Brewing and a bonfire from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“Hang out and learn about the mission,” Anderson said. “We’re embracing adventure, and the retro, organic, local vibes.”

The club’s premiere event on May 31 will be helping the Greenway prepare the Comporium Amphitheater for the first concert of the Summer Concert Series, which kicks off June 2, Anderson said. The club will sprinkle flora and fauna on the concert grounds and renovate areas that need it. The service will be followed by a social outing.

There will be a Haigler Club tent at the June 2 concert as well. Future events include an Adopt-a-Highway trash pickup and working on the Plant-A-Row for the Hungry Garden at the Greenway.

With more than 80 events annually, the Haigler Club will always have a chance to help out, Anderson said.

“There are so many adventures to have on the Greenway,” she said.

For more information, visit ascgreenway.org/join/haiglerclub or contact Anderson, at CaitlinAnderson@ASCGreenway.org or 803-547-1009. All Haigler Club members must register as Greenway volunteers, a free process. The Haigler Club also has a page on Facebook.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 7:07 PM with the headline "New ‘Haigler Club’ aims to combine service, fun at the greenway."