Employee might be soapy, but he's having fun at work

January 23, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

For most people, washing dishes is a chore.
But for Danny Hardy, it's a joy.
"It makes my day," the 41-year-old Greenwood resident said as his hands dived into white clouds of soapsuds to find another dirty dish.
Hardy, a client of the Emerald Center, is a full-time dish room attendant at Wesley Commons, where he has been employed since July 1990.
Hardy's duties in the kitchen include washing the dishes, cleaning and culinary attending - but it's no secret what his favorite task is.
"I like washing dishes - I've been washing them for many years out here," he said.
Hardy came to the Emerald Center in 1987 and was enrolled in the center's Adult Day Program and Residential Program, according to information provided by the Emerald Center. The programs provided Hardy with training in vocational skills, independent living, socialization, academics and recreation.
Though his first job was assembling mops in the Emerald Center's Work Activity Center, it didn't take Hardy long to move into the Competitive Employment Program, which gave him the opportunity to work with Marriott Food Service at Lander University.
When Hardy landed the job at Wesley Commons, he found his own transportation to work - a bicycle.
"He rode his bike to work every day for 15 years," said Amy Stabler, culinary general manager at Wesley Commons.
Hardy pedaled from his apartment each day until Dec. 15, when he moved into a new apartment and the journey became too far to make each day.
Stabler said Hardy's personality makes him popular among other workers in the kitchen.
"When he's around, he makes everybody smile. He's always telling jokes," she said. "Everybody knows Danny. All the staff, all the residents - they all know him by name."
Stabler said Hardy even went out of his way to make her feel welcome when she joined the kitchen staff about two years ago.
"When I first got here, he was one of the first to come over and introduce himself. He was the first person I got to know in this department," she said. "Danny gives me a hug each day."
His relationship with the residents of Wesley Commons is just as healthy, Stabler added.
"I like the people. They are funny and nice," Hardy said, adding that he has made many friends, both in and out of the kitchen at Wesley Commons. "They are all my friends."
"Danny is really excited about his job. He loves what he is doing and he looks forward to it," said Emerald Center Executive Director Felton Burton. "He has a great character and loves people."
Burton said Hardy also has a special knack for finding out the latest business news in Greenwood. The talent earned him the nickname "Mr. Chamber of Commerce" with Emerald Center employees and others.
"He gets information about what's going on all of the time. I don't know how he does that," Burton said, laughing.
In December, Hardy received a pin commemorating his 15 years of service at Wesley Commons.
"When they called his name, he got a standing ovation. Everybody in there was so excited - they were clapping and screaming for him," Stabler said of the ceremony.
Wesley Commons employs a number of Emerald Center clients, and Burton said Hardy is a perfect example of how a person with special needs can succeed in making a positive impact on the community and business world.
"He's been a good representation of what people can do if they want to," Burton said.
And though he may be a little soapy and wet when he leaves each day, Hardy said he has no plans to retire from dishwashing any time soon.
"I'll work here another 15 years," he said with a smile.

Area group hoping to increase community service

January 23, 2006

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

It doesn't take a lot to help people - just a little initiative, really. And it can be enjoyable.
Just ask Kristen Hudgens and Cary Patterson. For years now, the Abbeville siblings have been helping people through the Greenwood/Abbeville chapter of the South Carolina Jaycees. Hudgens is president and Patterson is vice president of management.
With the help of their fellow members and other chapters in the state, they've helped send hundreds of mentally challenged children to Clemson University's Camp Hope. The statewide residential camp for the mentally challenged provides outdoor camping experiences and social activities for the children to help them develop independence and responsibility. State chapters of the Jaycees raise money annually to pay about 35 percent of the cost for each child.
"The cool thing is that when you go visit the camp, they don't care who you are," Patterson said. "They just know you're a Jaycee and you helped make it possible for them to be there, so they're happy to see you."
The local chapter also raises money for local causes and helps families and people in the community going through tough times.
"There's just no way to describe how good it feels knowing you helped somebody in your community," Hudgens said.
Patterson is a charter member of the Greenwood/Abbeville chapter and Hudgens got involved through him, though at the time she was too young to be an official member. Members must be between the ages of 21 and 39. Hudgens joined officially on her 21st birthday.
Those who are too young for membership or who have "aged out" can still be involved, but don't have to pay the annual $55 membership fee and don't have voting rights.
The Jaycees are a nonprofit organization for young people and teaches leadership skills through community development. The group raises money for various projects and other organizations, including the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society.
The group also hosts training events on topics such as etiquette and resume writing, to help members become successful professionals.
The group's biggest fundraising project is its annual hash sale, which will take place Feb. 18 from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Abbeville Masonic Lodge on the corner of U.S. Highway 72 and South Main Street in Abbeville. Cost will be $8 per quart.
Patterson and Hudgens invite anyone who is interested in joining the Jaycees or learning more about the group to go out during the sale or the night before when members will be cooking the hash. Anyone interested is also invited to attend one of the group's meetings, which take place on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
The group has about 30 members, but only about eight are active, Patterson said. The group is always seeking new members who want to be active with the group, work and have fun, he said.
"We want to do a lot more in the community, but we need people to do it," Hudgens said.
For information about the Jaycees contact Hudgens at 378-0668 or Vice President of Community Development Wesley Carver, 378-0751.

Lander hoops face tough challenge in Clayton State

January 23, 2006

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

Returning to the friendly confines of Finis Horne Arena benefited one of the Lander University basketball teams, while the other will face a tough challenge to put its season in order.
The Bearcats, who were coming off three straight road losses, picked up their first Peach Belt Conference win of the season, beating USC Aiken Friday night at home to improve to 4-10 overall and 1-6 in the conference.
"For one standpoint, the guys should feel good because we got a win," Lander men coach Bruce Evans said. "We kind of got that monkey off our backs, but Clayton State is going to be a tough ballgame for us. Obviously, us playing at home gives us a comfort level.
"And if we can continue to do well and play well Monday (today) and win that ballgame that will give us even more confidence."
Meanwhile, the Lady Bearcats, who are still playing short-handed, saw their losing streak increase to four straight and seven consecutive defeats in PBC play. The Lady Bearcats (4-10, 0-7), who have dropped eight of their last nine, host the second-place team in the conference, Clayton State, at 5:30 tonight, with the men scheduled to tip at 7:30.
Lander women coach Kevin Pederson knows his depleted team faces a tough task at ending its losing streak against a team of the quality of Clayton State (12-3, 6-2).
"Clayton is the second best team in the conference and for us to beat them, we have to win the battle of the boards," Pederson said. "And the way we're playing now, it's not possible. So, we have to learn how to be a better rebounding team and learn to limit our turnovers. If we do those two things, we can beat them."
Pederson's Lady Bearcats face a Clayton State team that ended its longest losing streak of the season, defeating Francis Marion, 60-47, Saturday to end a two-game skid.
The Lady Lakers preceded the losing streak with eight straight wins, with five coming against PBC opponents. Jasmine Patterson is the key for Clayton State. The senior forward is averaging a team-high 15.2 points per game, and is averaging one point better in conference games. Patterson is also hitting 41 percent of her 3-point attempts on the season (34-83) and leads the team in rebounds (7.9 per game) and assist (7.9).
Patterson isn't the only Lady Laker to up her performance in the PBC, Sharon Wiles (13.6), Shelcey Harp (11.7) and Teri Willis (11.2) are all scoring in double figures against conference opponents.
For the Lady Bearcats, Shatora Irby continues to lead the way with 16.2 points a game, but she managed only six points in Saturday's loss to USC Aiken.
Lately, a key figure for the team has been Tara Nyikavaranda.
The 6-foot-2 center is averaging 9.2 points per game on the season, but has scored in double figures in each of the last seven games, including 17 points with 11 rebounds against Georgia State and a career-high 21 points Saturday against USC Aiken.
"I hope what she has is contagious," Pederson said of Nyikavaranda. "I hope people can look at her and say 'she's made great steps and taken advantage of a great opportunity and maybe I can do the same thing.'"
Bryony Crouch, the Lander women's second leading scorer at 15.9 points a game, is still hampered by a injured left ankle. Crouch played 11 minutes, going 0-for-4 from the field, Saturday.
Pederson said Crouch is still restricted to 10-15 minutes a night because of the ankle.
With Crouch limited, Pederson looks to starting backcourt Lashundra Dubose and Jennifer Hukill and freshman forward Shaquanta Glaze to pick up some of the slack. Dubose is averaging 8.3 points a game and dished out nine assists Saturday, while Hukill and Glaze provided 11 and 14 points, respectively, against USC Aiken.
Evans doesn't expect his Bearcats to rest on the laurels of their win over USC Aiken, especially not after the season they've had thus far.
"I don't think there's any way we can to that (be complacent). We're not good enough and our record indicates that," Evans said. "We can't slack off and say 'We're back.' We're going to have to come in and give the same effort and more against a very good Clayton State team."
But Evans was pleased with the way his team performed in Saturday's redeeming victory. He was especially contented with seeing four players in double-digit scoring, with leading-scorer Jarred Jackson finishing with the third highest total (11 points).
The second-year coach got 15 points from backup guard J.T. Greene, who is averaging only 6.7 a game, and 13 points from power forward/center Emanuel Hodrea, who had a 8.3 scoring average coming in.
Jackson entered Saturday's game as the team's only player in double figures, with 13.4.
"We need other guys to be in double figures in scoring other than Jarred Jackson because teams are concentrating on him," Evans said. "We need to be able to score both inside and outside, and if we can do that, we could be very dangerous."
The Lakers' offense is keyed by junior guard Todd McLaurin, who is bringing in 17.5 points a game and 18.4 in PBC play. Second on the team in scoring is backcourt mate Brandon Kelley, with 11.5.
Clayton State is hitting only 32.8 percent of its 3-point shots, but the McLaurin and Kelley, the team's only double-digit average scorers, are hitting 42.4 and 44.4 percent from 3-land, respectively.
One key for the Bearcats tonight will be controlling the glass. The Lakers come in averaging 40 rebounds per game, four more than the Lander men on the season, led by 8.3 rebounds per game from 6-foot-7 forward John Beugnot.

Opinion

We rush children to 'do' and 'rob' imaginations

January 23, 2006

Thanks to political candidates, the term "soccer mom" has become a fixture in the vernacular of the day. The implication, of course, is that a "soccer mom" stays so busy hauling kids from one event to another, she hardly has time to catch her breath.
There's a lot of truth to that, too. Try to keep up with one and the truth is obvious. From athletic and cheerleader practices, to games, to school and back and back again, to parties, to sleep-overs, to dentist and doctor appointments, to the movies, to Sunday School to ….. the list seems endless. Just thinking about it is enough to work up a sweat.

SOME "EXPERTS" SAY THAT such a hectic schedule is good ….. for the kids, not necessarily for the beleaguered mom always ricocheting from place to place at a frantic pace. The theory often is that if kids are kept busy in controlled circumstances they won't have time to get into trouble.
That probably is effective to a point. When, though, do the kids with such a break-neck schedule have time to be kids? We fill their plates with so many activities and obligations these days that they just may lose valuable time needed for doing nothing ….. nothing but developing their imaginations.
Without imagination, of course, how far would Walt Disney have gone? How about Irving Berlin, or Hank Williams, or Mark Twain, or George Washington Carver, or Elizabeth Barrett Browning or thousands of others who left their imprints on the history of humanity or, as they say, their footprints on the sands of time?

IN THE HURRY-UP, INSTANT-everything, throw-away world we all live in these days, sometimes it can be easy to push our children so much they just don't have time to be children. That's a shame, too. The records show that many kids "doing nothing" but filling their heads with day dreams have turned out to be some of the most creative and productive people history has ever known.
Let children be children. Let 'em be what they're supposed to be. They have so little time, anyway, before they are overwhelmed with responsibilities and we're left with nothing but memories. Given a chance, though, they just might surprise us at what they become ….. in spite of ourselves.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

James R. Lollis

WARE SHOALS - James R. Lollis, 69, of 2 Holloway Drive, husband of Hazel Lollis, died Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006 at his home.
He was a son of the late James W. and Lilly Belle Gambrell Lollis. He served in the Navy and was of the Baptist faith.
Survivors are his wife of Ware Shoals; two sons, Jimmy Lollis and Jamie Heath Lollis, both of Ware Shoals; a sister, Marlene Wooten of Possum Kingdom; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Graveside services are 2 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Olive Baptist Church Cemetery, conducted by the Rev. Brian Burgess.
Pallbearers are Richard Ross, Rayford Nelson, Christopher Baldwin, Edward Free, Jonathan Cobb and Sidney Lee Brown.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at Parker-White Funeral Home.
The family is at 23 Pearl St.
Parker-White Funeral Home is in charge.

Milton Seawright

ABBEVILLE - Thomas "Milton" Seawright, 79, of 210 Bell Road, husband of Ruby Wilson Seawright, died Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006 at the Hospice House of the Piedmont in Greenwood.
Born in Abbeville County, he was a son of the late George Gary Sr. and Bessie Ferguson Seawright. He was retired from the maintenance dept. of the South Carolina Highway Dept. and a veteran of the Merchant Marine Corps. He was a member of Little Mountain Presbyterian Church and a former deacon.
Survivors include his wife of the home; three daughters, Darlene Creswell of Abbeville, Carol Lambrose of Honea Path, Lynn Mabrey of Abbeville; a brother, George Gary Seawright Jr. of Abbeville; two sisters, Juanita Ashley Clamp of Anderson and Frances McGaha of Donalds; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and a step-grandchild.
Services are 2 p.m. Tuesday at Little Mountain Presbyterian Church, conducted by the Revs. John Parks and James Long. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of his daughter, Darlene Creswell, 11 Stevenson Road.
Memorials may be made to Hospice Care of the Piedmont, 408 West Alexander St., Greenwood, S.C. 29646 or to Little Mountain Presbyterian Church, 3836 Hwy. 28, Abbeville, S.C. 29620.
The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home is in charge.

Jessie Wilson

HODGES - Jessie Wilson, 91, of 2808 Nation Road, died Sunday, Jan. 23, 2006 at the HospiceCare of the Piedmont Inc.
The family is at the home and the home of her son, James L. Wilson, 2810 Nation Road.
Services will be announced by Robinson-Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals.