Bikers ride for needy kids

$7,000 worth of toys donated for holidays by motorcycle enthusiasts

November 27, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Bikers don’t always have the best of reputations, what with their tattoos, booming motorcycles and ... stuffed animals? Southern Roads Motorcycle Club sponsored the fifth annual Santa’s Cause toy run Sunday at the Greenwood Civic Center.
The event, also sponsored by South Carolina Highway Patrol District 2, Charlie B’s, Rush Heating and Cooling, American Speedy Printing Centers and Chandler Utilities, brought bikers of all kinds to ride from the civic center to the Old Winn-Dixie parking lot across from Greenwood Mall, said Tommy Calhoun, treasurer of Southern Roads.
About 375 motorcycles, along with some of Greenwood’s car clubs, joined with Highway Patrol cars and fire engines in making the trek.
Each person was asked to bring one unwrapped toy for the run, so bikers strapped Barbies to the back of bikes and donned Santa Claus hats for the event.
Southern Roads bought 77 bicycles and more than $7,000 worth of toys for the run, filling more than two enclosed car trailers, Calhoun said.
Carl Brown and wife Joyce, of Greenville, rode in the toy run. They’ve been participating for 16 years.
He said riding for needy children is the best thing motorcycle clubs can do.
“That’s what the spirit is about, isn’t it?” Brown said.
Ronnie and Linda Hallman, of Ninety Six, also rode in the toy run.
Everyone needs to chip in and help needy children because many won’t be getting a good Christmas at home this year without them, Ronnie Hallman said.
Last year, Southern Roads helped give 660 families toys for the holidays in Bogalusa, La., which was affected by Hurricane Katrina, Calhoun said.
Greenwood School District 50, 51 and 52 employees are scheduled to pick up toys for students in need by Tuesday.
R.C. Barbee and Charlie Ouzts, of Ninety Six, donated a stuffed Elmo and teddy bear respectively to Santa’s Cause.
Donating to kids helps break down some of the negative stereotypes about bikers being tough and mean.
“Not all of them are rough,” Barbee said.
Mike Louden of Greenwood rode with nine members of his motorcycle club, Wheels of Thunder, in the toy run.
Biker groups often bring their common interest of riding motorcycles together for charity toy runs.
“The old image is dying out,” Louden said.
Bikers aren’t all bad people.
Some are the friendliest people you want to be around, Louden said.
Gifts, such as portable air compressors and gift cards from local businesses, were given out at the end of the run, with a 50/50 cash drawing split between the winner and the toy fund, Calhoun said.

She is called a ‘Superstar’

Foster home organization increases awareness, recruits special-needs families

November 27, 2006

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

Carolyn Lanier is no bodybuilder.
That she is no towering example of strength is plainly visible as the tiny wisp of a lady walks softly into the room.
She says “hello” politely and takes her seat quietly.
Her eyes, speech and manners are soft.
But there is a hidden power and an unseen authority obscured by her tiny frame.
There is also love, and plenty of it.
To continue to do what she has done — provide specialized foster care to four siblings, all girls — takes Herculean quantities of strength and love.
She will tell you she is no hero.
Case workers of the Specialized Foster Home Services Greenwood office — an elite agency under the umbrella of the Division of Social Services, as well as part of the Managed Treatment Services agency — will tell you different. They call her their “Superstar.” It’s an endearment that seems to fit.
While most people her age are enjoying a peaceful retirement, Lanier chose to trade in her freedom (and her PT Cruiser) for a Jeep, and then a minivan.
It’s a decision that she has not regretted.
“I was retired and alone, I had the house all to myself,” Lanier said. “I wanted to see if I could do something to help someone. And I had all that room.”
She’d thought her minivan days to be over. If only she’d known that they’d just begun.
“I took the two girls (twins, age 4) and said that I would try,” Lanier said. “Then later they came back and said they had two more for me (the twins’ two sisters). Right then I said ‘Hold up,’ but it’s been a great experience. They are quite busy, but they called me ‘Grandma’ right off the top.”
Lanier’s is a success story.
Specialized Foster Home Services needs more of them. Special-needs children across Greenwood, Abbeville, Laurens and Newberry counties are counting on it.
Toiling in obscurity for most of its existence (2003-04), SFHS state coordinator Jaqueline Shuler says her agency’s toughest battle is against anonymity.
“People just don’t know that we are here,” said Shuler, in town to help spearhead the agency’s local recruitment effort. “They don’t know who we are and what we do.”
Children with specialized needs (they can come from abusive homes, have behavioral problems or have a special medical-care need such as cerebral palsy) are identified by the DSS and are referred to MTS.
MTS then picks up the phone and gives a call to Specialized Foster Care Unit supervisor Jaqueline Williams, of the local Greenwood office. They are looking for parents. And not just any parents, but specialized foster parents — parents who are licensed, have received at least 14 hours of training and are proficient in both CPR and first aid. To do that, Williams must first have parents to train.
“Recruitment is everybody’s business,” Williams said. “We need to get the word out about who we are. We need more people like Ms. Carolyn. She took on a sibling group of four girls and has done a great job.”
To that end, the agency has expanded the scope and scale of its recruitment. Booths have been set up in Wal-Mart, and others will follow in hospitals and schools. Churches will be contacted, as well as various government infrastructures.
“A person within the medical field that already has specialized training might best be able to care for a medical-needs-based child,” said Kimberly Tissot, a USC child welfare trainee.
All the agency really requires, however, is love.
New parents must acquire the proper training and clear background checks, among other requirements of course, but love is as good a starting point as any.
It was plenty good enough for Carolyn Lanier.
Though she’ll tell you the children are not the only ones who have been beneficiaries of the arrangement.
“I enjoy them,” she said. “We travel and stay very busy. We’ve been to New York, Virginia and all over the place.”
Lanier has done her part, but there are others.
Statewide, there are 5,000 foster children in need of care. There are only about 1,800 trained families to provide that care, leaving the Palmetto State woefully short as new children are added daily.
“We need more families,” Williams said.
In the meantime, Lanier will retain her “Superstar” status. And until the children are ready for reunification with their parents — a reality in the program — she’ll keep that minivan on the highway as much as possible. After all, the kids love to travel.

Opinion

Too much time on hands is too much time on hands

November 27, 2006

Almost all South Carolinians have time on their hands these days ..... too much time. Some use it for productive reasons. Others just think too much, it seems.
Some just kill time, and that validates the old saying that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Then there are those who just kill time, time they can never get back. That, without a doubt, validates that old saying about an idle mind being the devil’s workshop.
We see evidence of it every day. Some new directive comes from Congress or the federal bureaucracy. We even see it on the state level.

ONE OF THE REASONS WE have “extra” time is because we have, since the end of World War II, been the recipients of so many things that we’ve never had before, things that have turned many into couch potatoes ..... or worse.
That’s not all bad, though. We enjoy and appreciate a lot of conveniences of the modern age. They have given us more time to spend with families and to pursue a lot of positive things. Otherwise, we might not have ever had an opportunity to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Most of our “conveniences” help improve the quality of our lives.
However ..... there always is a “however,” it seems. Unfortunately, those “helpers” of the modern era apparently give a lot of time to many people who come up with ridiculous instead of sublime ideas that also affect our quality of life.

MANY GOVERNMENT PEOPLE, for sure, come up with all kinds of make-work schemes. Business people, for example, can complain, but does it help? Most of the time they want to pull out their hair or cuss or kick something.
Some government/bureaucratic ideas are good, naturally. However, it might help if somebody ordained that those “creators” of stacks of unnecessary paper work and other stupidities spend more time at productive pursuits.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, some, if not most of them, must spend too much time “thinking” when they maybe don’t have the qualifications for that kind of duty. That means every South Carolinians are among the millions who pay for it.

Obituaries

Charles F. Bagwell

Charles Furman Bagwell, husband of Nancy Bagwell, of 25 Royal Oak Drive, formerly of Easley, passed away Nov. 25, 2006, in Lexington.
Born in Pickens County, he was a son of the late Bruce Bagwell and Maude Owens Bagwell. Mr. Bagwell was a graduate of Clemson University with a B.S. Degree and a graduate of Executive Development of USC. A former Vice President of Kent Manufacturing in Pickens, he was a former member of the board of Pickens County Country Club, a member of Easley Lions club and a 30 year member of Easley First United Methodist Church. He was currently a member of Main Street United Methodist Church in Greenwood.
Surviving in addition to his wife are daughter, Maria Bagwell Ellison of Lexington; son, Joseph Bagwell and wife Sharon Hughes of Greenwood; sister, Evelyn McEnytre of Easley; brother, Larry Bagwell of Easley; 5 grandchildren, Megan Bagwell, Anna Greer Bagwell, Adrienne Bagwell, Timothy Joseph Scott, Charles Daniel Scott. A brother, Bobby Bagwell predeceased him.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006 at Easley First United Methodist Church with the Reverend Jim Corell officiating.
A reception will follow at the church fellowship hall.
The family is at the home of Larry Bagwell, 505 Laurel Road, Easley.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Hospice of South Carolina 600 E. Washington Street, Suite 614, Greenville, SC 29601 or the charity of ones choice.
Online condolences may be made by visiting www.dillardfunerals.com.
Dillard Funeral Home of Pickens is assisting the Bagwell family.

Debbie Curry

McCORMICK — Debbie Strom Curry, 49, resident of 500 Pine St., wife of Guinn Curry, died Nov. 24, 2006, at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born September 20, 1957 in McCormick, she was a daughter of Carolyn Langley Strom and the late James Preston “Jimmie” Strom. She was a graduate of McCormick High School and attended The College of Charleston. She was formerly employed as a paralegal with the county attorney’s office of Charlotte County, Va. and was the pianist for a time at Troy United Methodist Church where she was a member.
Surviving in addition to her husband of the home and mother of McCormick are a daughter, Rhiannon Kerensa Larson of New York; two sons, Erik Stephen Larson of Charlottesville, Va. and James Levi Larson of New York; two sisters, Judy and husband David Crotts of Greenwood and Allyson and husband Dave Switzer of Myrtle Beach; two nieces, Mandy and Erin Crotts; and her first husband, William Stephen Larson of Va.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at Troy United Methodist Church with Rev. George Boyd and Rev.
Keith Polk officiating. Burial will be in Overbrook Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Harvey Talbert, Alfred Langley, John Langley, Edwin Langley, Jimmy Chandler, Johnny Brinkley, Stacey Brinkley and Shane Brinkley.
The family is at the home of her mother Carolyn Strom, 1642 Greenwood Highway, McCormick.
Memorials may be made to the newly formed McCormick Humane Society, c/o the Humane Society of Greenwood, 1616 Highway 72/221 E., Greenwood, SC 29649, or to the McCormick County Mental Health Clinic Indigent Fund, 202 Highway 28 N., McCormick, SC 29835.
To make online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Curry family.

Howard K. Hipp

NINETY SIX — Howard K. Hipp, 81, of 5803 Kinard Road, husband of Eunice Clemmons Hipp, died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, at Self Regional Medical Center.
The family is at the home.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home & Crematory.

Timothy Jones Jr.

CALHOUN FALLS — Timothy O’neal “Lil Tim” Jones Jr., infant son of Timothy O’neal Jones and Nacasha Williams, died Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006, at Elbert County Memorial Hospital, Elberton, Ga.
Surviving are his parents of the home; three sisters, Jamya Jones of the home, Maquila Jones and Shakai Jones of Elberton, Ga.
Graveside services will be held Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006 at 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Heights Cemetery in Elberton with Pastor J. T. Heard officiating.
Public Viewing will be Monday, Nov. 27, 2006 at the Abbeville & White Mortuary, Inc. from 1-8 p.m.
The family is at the home, 209 Lee St., Apt. 212.
Online condolences can be sent to awmort.wctel.net.
Abbeville & White Mortuary, Inc. is in charge of arrangements.

Buddy Roberts

Eugene W. “Buddy” Roberts Jr., 77, resident of 321 Gatewood Drive, widower of Ann Kinard Roberts, died Nov. 25, 2006, at his home.
Born in Winnsboro, Oct. 17, 1929, he was a son of the late Eugene W. and Mary Harris Roberts. He was a graduate of Ninety Six High School and received his BS Degree in Textile Engineering from Clemson College in 1951. While at Clemson, he was a member of the Pershing Rifle Precision Drill Team. After Clemson, he served in the US Air Force where he obtained the rank of Lieutenant. Mr. Roberts retired in 1989 as Executive Vice President of Greenwood Mills where he also served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the company. He was a 15 year member and past chairman of the Piedmont Technical College Area Commission. He was a recipient of the Presidential Medallion from Piedmont Technical College. A member of Main Street United Methodist Church, he was also a long standing member of the Greenwood Country Club, a past member and president of the Greenwood Kiwanis Club and a past member of the Ninety Six Lions Club.
Surviving are two daughters, Ruth Carroll Roberts of Hilton Head and Angela Roberts Baker and husband Rhett of Greenwood; a son, Eugene W. “Rob” Roberts III of the home; a brother, John Harris “Butch” Roberts of Charlotte N.C.; two granddaughters, Julia Garland Baker and Ann Meriwether Baker, both of Greenwood.
Graveside services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Rev. James D. Dennis Jr.
officiating.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home where the family will receive friends from 7-9 Monday evening.
The family requests that flowers be omitted and memorials be made to Main Street United Methodist Church, 211 North Main Street, Greenwood SC 29646.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Roberts family.