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TODAY'S
FOCUS
Survey:
Young professionals a force to be reckoned with
By KELLEE McGAHEY
Chair, Charleston Young Professionals
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com
JUNE
22, 2009 -- Recently, Next
Generation Consulting ranked Charleston No. 2 among the best
places to live and work for young professionals. The Charleston
Young Professionals (CYP) tries to actively engage and connect existing
and future young professionals to the tri-county region. This dynamic
initiative of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce seeks to
empower and inspire young professionals to advance their career
and ultimately impact the greater community. With more than 500
members, CYP is open to young professionals ages 22 to 39.
McGahey |
With
the help of Next Generation Consulting, CYP sent a survey to young
professionals in the community that included both members and nonmembers
to find out why young professionals are attracted to the Charleston
region. How do young professionals help make our community even
better? How engaged are the YPs in our community and how do we compare
to our competition (i.e., YPs across the country)?
With
the 411 responses, the survey found that young professionals in
Charleston are invested in the community. Nearly 96 percent are
registered voters and 85 percent voted in the last local election.
They are also involved in charitable work (64 percent volunteer
an average of five hours per month), and they donate, with 68 percent
donating more than $50 to nonprofits. It was also shown that most
are transplants (75 percent), well-educated (91 percent have a four-year
degree or higher) and perceive quality of life as important.
Top
issues for young professionals in Charleston include cost of living,
job opportunities, traffic and congestion.
Some
demographics from the survey:
-
84 percent are employed full-time; 15 percent indicated they own
their own business.
- 48
percent are married or living with a significant other.
-
80
percent do not have children.
- Most
are homeowners (57 percent), with an average home value of approximately
$250,000.
-
Most (57 percent) work in management, professional and related
occupations.
- They
earn a median individual income of approximately $47,500 and a
median household income of approximately $87,500.
- Most
(70 percent) were 25-34 years old, 63 percent were female and
90 percent were white.
The
survey results will provide the necessary data to better position
CYP and help prioritize the issues that matter most to young professionals
to continue to successfully engage, attract and retain them to the
Charleston region. Through programming and events, CYP is addressing
many of the needs of young professionals by providing opportunities
for constructive networking and professional development as well
as access to community leaders.
In
July, CYP will launch its third mentor/mentee program, which matches
professionals who have similar interests. This six-month program
gives mentees the opportunity to learn from business leaders in
the tri-county region and gain support and guidance, while offering
mentors an opportunity to strengthen their ties with the young professional
community. CYP also hosted a Leaders Breakfast on June 18, which
was a great opportunity for young professionals to meet with key
leaders in the community who are making an impact.
For
more information on CYP, visit http://www.charleston-yp.com.
Kellee
McGahey chairs the Charleston Young Professionals group and is also
assistant director at the Lowcountry Graduate Center.
CURRENTS
Questions for Dad on Father's Day
By
ANDY BRACK, publisher
JUNE
22, 2009 - Curiosity certainly killed the cat, and it almost got
me on Father's Day, thanks to an inquisitive 5-year-old named Avery:
Brack |
- "Daddy,
how do you open this peanut?" ("Push down with your
thumb on the little curled part and crack it open.")
- "Where's
Mr. Tree [one of the mascots at the game]?" ("I don't
know.")
- "What's
a million plus a hundred plus a million plus 80 million?"
("82,000,100.")
- "How
long would it take to count to that?" ("A long time.")
- "How
many cars are in the parking lot?" ("About 500.")
- "Can
I have some ice cream?" ("Yes.")
- "Why
is it so hot here in Charleston?" ("Because that's where
we live.")
- "Do
we need the sun?" ("Yes, because it makes the plants
grow and keeps the planet warm.")
- "What
about the moon?" ("Not as much, but it helps create
the tides in the ocean.")
- "I
just saw snow. Why is there snow here?" ("You didn't
see snow; no, you didn't.")
Those
are just 10 of the questions fielded during and just after the game.
Imagine what the morning was like.
*
* *
Surprisingly,
no one responded with ideas on how to stop or minimize mosquitoes.
If you have some special way that you deal with the pesky critters,
send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
*
* *
My
most recent weekly column on politics and government focused on
a monumentally stupid move by state legislators on the last day
of the session. What they did was so bad that even I want Gov. Sanford
to veto it. Click
here to read more. Have a good week.
Andy
Brack, publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com, can be reached at: publisher@charlestoncurrents.com.
FEEDBACK
Vent:
Send us your thoughts on community issues
Our
policy:
We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor.
Send your thoughts to editor Ann
Thrash. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
One submission allowed per month.
Make sure to include your name and phone number. Submission of
a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your
comment to 200 words or less.
SPOTLIGHT
Pluff
Mud Connect
The
public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents
to you at no cost. In this issue, we highlight Pluff Mud Connect,
a new Web service that connects Lowcountry nonprofits and the businesses
that serve them. Nonprofit organizations register for free, and
can search across more than 100 categories or fill out a simple
form to request multiple quotes from local businesses. Lowcountry
sole proprietors, small businesses and corporations pay a low annual
fee to market directly to nonprofit organizations and receive requests
for bids via email. Pluff Mud Connect -- helping Lowcountry nonprofits
and businesses thrive. Click
here to send a message or visit online at: http://www.PluffMudConnect.com
- To learn
more about all of our underwriters and nonprofit partners, click
here.
GOOD
NEWS
Museums
to present 'Perspectives of Carolina' for teachers
Three
historic local museums are teaming up to offer teachers a free one-day
program focusing on the state's history. "Perspectives of Carolina"
will be offered from 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. July 8 and again on
July 29. It's free to any public school teacher in the Palmetto
State and is recommended especially for social studies and language
arts teachers in third, fourth, eighth and 11th grades.
The
program focuses on the fact that from its colonial beginnings, South
Carolina was established through the efforts of women and men of
all walks of life. By the eve of the American Revolution, the state
was one of the most influential and wealthiest in the western world.
Teachers
will see exclusive presentations on the state's history hosted by
experts from the Gibbes Museum of Art, the Old Slave Mart Museum,
and the Powder Magazine Museum. On the route between museums, teachers
will be guided by a licensed city tour guide and will have the chance
to discover more of the state's eventful past. Examples of lesson
plans using an integrated curriculum correlated to SC academic standards
will be presented as well.
For
more information or to register, contact Alan Stello at 722-9350
or alan@powdermag.org.
Mayor,
authors, civic leaders to take part in read-a-thon
The
Trident Literacy Association is sponsoring a summer read-a-thon
in which local writers, community leaders and friends of literacy
are reading from favorite books at local stores and libraries. From
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. June 24, the read-a-thon comes to the Books-A-Million
at 832 Orleans Road west of the Ashley. The event is free and open
to all ages.
For
more information, call Trident Literacy at 747-2223 or Books-A-Million
at 556-9232. The schedule of readers is: 1 p.m., Kate Jerome, author;
1:30 p.m., Elizabeth Reynolds, author; 2 p.m. Jason Zwiker, photographer;
2:30 p.m., Charleston Mayor Joe Riley; 3 p.m., Chief Greg Bulanow,
North Charleston Fire Department; 3:30 p.m., Frank Mlynarczyk; 4
p.m., Damon Fordham (with book signing); and 4:30 p.m., Tammy McCottry
Brown, Comcast Channel 2.
On
June 27, the read-a-thon continues at Dreamalot, 123-B S. Goose
Creek Blvd., Goos Creek. The event will be held from 2 p.m. to 4
p.m. and is free and open to all ages. For more information, contact
Trident Literacy, or call the bookstore at 572-4188.
Rawle Murdy brings
home top national PR industry award
The
Charleston public relations firm Rawle
Murdy recently won a national Public Relations Society of America
Silver Anvil Award, the only South Carolina firm to receive the
honor. The award recognizes the highest level of performance in
the PR industry.
Rawle
Murdy won in the category of Community Relations Campaigns and Issues
Management for a Business for its marketing campaign on behalf of
the Charleston Animal Society, in which the company crafted a mock
presidential race between Spike the dog and Biscuit the cat to help
rebrand the nonprofit and launch its new state-of-the-art center.
The
campaign was chosen from a pool of 900 entries, including submissions
by top international firms.
REVIEW
Send
us your recommendations
HAVE
A REVIEW? If you have a review of a book, movie, restaurant
or local arts endeavor, please send no more than 150 words to
editor Ann Thrash.
Make sure to include your name and full contact information.
HISTORY
SPOTLIGHT
Also
known as lady's fingers, gombo, gumbs, quingombo, okro, ochro, bamia,
and quiabo, okra is considered by southerners to be a delicacy,
in spite of its slippery quality. The poet James Dickey once told
an interviewer, "If God had made anything better He'd have
kept it for Himself."
Okra
(Abelmoschus esculentus and Hibiscus esculentus), a ribbed vegetable
resembling the shape of a manicured lady's finger, arrived in South
Carolina at the end of the seventeenth century via the slave trade
from Africa. It is doubtful that slaves were able to bring seeds
over themselves. Rather, it is believed that ship captains transported
the seeds and the African slaves devised the means for growing and
cooking it.
The
seed pod of a beautiful hibiscus and a member of the mallow family
(as is cotton), okra likely originated in Ethiopia, moving from
there to North Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, and India. Okra
is an African word (nkruma in one Ghanaian language) and appears
to have been used in South Carolina the way that the word "gumbo"
(from the Angolan word ngombo) is used in Louisiana. Best picked
when small and tender, when under an inch it can be eaten raw or
cooked with its cap on. Larger than that, the cap should be sliced
off high enough that the inner seeds do not spill out, then the
pod sliced. Because of a tendency to mold, it is best used within
a day or two of picking.
Predominantly
green, there are a variety of colors and shapes. Some have a fuzzy,
unpleasant coating that can - and should - be removed by rubbing
before washing. It is frequently seen pickled, but can be steamed,
boiled, braised, and sautéed. Its mucilaginous quality is
used to advantage when sliced and used to thicken stews (called
gumbos in Louisiana and okra stews in South Carolina).
- Excerpted
from the entry by Nathalie Dupree.
To read more about this or 2,000 other entries about South Carolina,
check out The
South Carolina Encyclopedia by USC Press. (Information used
by permission.)
SISTER
PUBLICATIONS
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encourage you to check out our sister publications:
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CREDITS
CharlestonCurrents.com
is provided to you twice a week by:
Address:
P.O. Box. 22261 | Charleston, SC 29413
©
2008-2009, Statehouse
Report LLC. All rights reserved. CharlestonCurrents.com is published
every Monday and Thursday by Statehouse Report LLC, PO Box 22261,
Charleston, SC 29413.
|
 THE
LIST
Hot list
Hot enough
for ya? Summer officially began on Sunday, although judging by the
temperatures, it could just as well have started Saturday. Both
were scorchers. Hot as it was, we didn't set any records. Here are
the five highest temperatures ever recorded in downtown Charleston,
according to the local
National Weather Service Forecast office.
1) 104
on June 2, 1985.
2) 103
on Aug. 1, 1999; July 22, 1977; and June 26, 1952.
3) 102
on many dates, most recently June 25, 1982.
4) 101
on July 13, 1980.
5) 100
on many dates, most recently July 11, 2001.
QUOTE
Government
and luck
O'Rourke |
"A little
government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool
trusts either of them."
-- American
humorist and political commentator P.J. O'Rourke (1947 - )
CALENDAR:
THIS WEEK
Managing
Health Care Costs: 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. June 24, Charleston
Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2750 Speissegger Drive, Suite 100, North
Charleston. Sponsored by the chamber's Charleston Area Business
Council, the workshop will show employers how to ensure that they
are not paying more than they need to in order to cover their employees.
Topics will cover what to do when you can't afford to provide health
care coverage and tips from small business on how to manage costs.
Cost: $15 chamber members, $30 nonmembers. Register
online.
Charleston
Harbor Fest: June 26-28, Maritime Center complex, downtown
Charleston. Free festival featuring tall ships open for touring,
maritime arts and crafts, an "Old Charlestowne" living
history camp, wooden boat displays, free sailing, air shows, live
music, food and, at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, a "Harborpalooza."
Schedules/more
info.
(NEW)
Carolina
Day: June 27 and June 28, Fort Moultrie, Sullivan's
Island. The National Park Service will celebrate Carolina Day with
artillery and musket firing demonstrations, a display of 18th-century
medical devices and more. Carolina Day marks the June 28, 1776 defeat
of British land and naval forces by patriots fighting for freedom.
It was the first decisive victory by the American Colonies in their
fight for independence and prevented the British from gaining a
foothold in South Carolina for another four years. Admission to
Fort Moultrie for the weekend event is free. More info: 883-3123.
S.C.
History Talk: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 27, Avery Research
Center for African American History and Culture, 125 Bull St., Charleston.
Historians Jack Bass and W. Scott Poole will lead a free discussion
of their latest book, "The Palmetto State: The Making of Modern
South Carolina," which presents defining episodes in state
history and traces the importance of race relations, historical
memory and cultural life in the progress of the Palmetto State.
More info: 953-7627.
Farm
to Plate Picnic: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 28, Thackeray
Farms, 1364 Harts Bluff Road, Wadmalaw Island. Picnic is a fundraiser
for Slow Food Charleston's Organic Garden Project at Sanders-Clyde
Elementary School. Guests should bring their own picnic dinner,
beverages and a blanket. Slow Food will host an "American Pie
Auction" featuring homemade pies that will be sold to the highest
bidder. Farm tours, live bluegrass and a book signing by local author
Holly Herrick are also planned, with a portion of book sales benefitting
Slow Food Charleston. Tickets: $10 for Slow Food members, $20 for
nonmembers. More info: 225-4307 or by
email.
CSO
Benefit Concert: 5 p.m. June 28, City Gallery, Waterfront
Park, 34 Prioleau St., downtown. Charleston Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster
Yuriy Bekker, violinist, will perform in works by Cesar Franck and
Claude Debussy in a concert to benefit the CSO's upcoming season.
Pianist Ghadi Shayban will accompany Bekker. Tickets: $100 per person,
which includes a post-performance reception with the artists; to
reserve, call 723-7528, ext. 110.
Spiritual
Journey: 7 p.m. June 28, Circular Congregational Church,
150 Meeting St., downtown. The newly formed Charleston Symphony
Orchestra (CSO) Spiritual Ensemble will perform "A South Carolina
Spiritual Journey" to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
state law making the spiritual the official music of South Carolina.
Tickets: $10 at the door. More
info.
CALENDAR:
ONGOING AND SOON
Archaeology
of Charleston's Colonial Fortifications: 6:30 p.m. June 30,
Charleston County Main Library, 68 Calhoun St. Members of the Mayor's
Walled City Task Force will review the findings from the recent
dig on East Bay Street. See images and artifacts and hear about
the latest discoveries of Charleston's early waterfront fortifications.
More info: 805-6930.
Fourth
of July Blast: 4 p.m. to midnight July 4, Patriots Point
Naval & Maritime Museum. Hosted by Patriots Point and the Town
of Mount Pleasant, the 13th Annual Fourth of July Blast is a free
event with live music, a play area for kids, a 40-foot Ferris wheel,
food, drinks and more. Fireworks show over the harbor begins at
10:05 p.m. and will be set to patriotic music. Admission to the
Yorktown will be reduced to $5 after 5 p.m. Festival-goers are asked
to bring a canned food item to benefit local charities.
People
of the Land Exhibit: Through July 15, Charleston County
Main Library, 68 Calhoun St. The work of Lowcountry native and documentary
photographer Vennie Deas Moore will be featured. Moore has devoted
much of her career to exploring the vanishing traditions along the
S.C. coast, and her photographs show the connections between cultures,
the value of work and the symbiotic relationship between the black
and white communities. On June 28 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Moore
will discuss her photographs and her new book, "Home: Portraits
from the Carolina Coast." More info: 805-6930.
(NEW)
Shagging
on the Cooper: 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 25, Mount Pleasant
Pier at Memorial Park, foot of the Ravenel Bridge in Mount Pleasant.
Shag under the stars at the new pier. Music provided by The Sneakers
(four-piece party band playing beach music, jazz, funk and blues).
Beverages available for purchase on-site. Tickets: $8; only 800
tickets will be sold and must be purchased at the event (no advance
sales). More info: 795-4386.
ON
THE BOOKSHELF
In this section,
we offer a list of good reads that you might want to consider reading:
- A
Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson
- The
Book of Marie, Terry Kay
- Charleston
Jazz, Jack McCray
- I'll
Be Sober in the Morning: Great Comebacks, Putdowns, and Ripostes,
Chris Lamb (List)
- Plain
Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman, Merle Miller
- Suggest
a book to us
FOCUS
ARCHIVES
9/3:
Deaton:
Thrive Prize
8/31: Rawl:
Charting courses
8/27: Jurcova-Spencer:
Creatives
8/24: Brooks:
Rural Mission
8/20: Yarian:
New local music CD
8/17: Fisher:
Uses of social media
8/13: Hall:
Time for renovations
8/10: Morris:
Dog days at Drayton
8/6: Lindbergh:
Gifted school
8/3: Jackson:
Insurance tips
7/30: VanBogart:
Singles
7/27: Stewart:
Get it clean
7/23: Rosenberg:
Elect women
7/20: Nathan:
Turtle release
7/16: Johnson:
Online school
7/13: Thiers:
Protect skin
7/9: Lee:
Scoring supplies
7/2: Shockley:
Company wellness
THRASH
ARCHIVES
9/3:
Cold
comfort, more
8/27: Being
a fan
8/20: Good,
bad, spineless
8/13: Locals
on Runway
8/6: Cookie
contest
7/30: Vote
on car tags
7/23: True
confessions
7/16: New
way of tithing?
7/9: Lookout
for manatees
BRACK
ARCHIVES
8/31:
This
and that
8/24: SC's
treasures
8/17: RIP
to old clunker
8/10: Lots
to squeeze in
8/3: On
flying Delta
7/27: Conspiracy
theories
7/20: Protect
carriage animals
7/13: Economic
thaw here?
LIST
ARCHIVES
9/3:
Free
legal clinics
8/31: CofC
Class of 2013
8/27: Citadel
Class of 2013
8/24: 7
stores, 7 days
8/20: You
know you're from...
8/17: On
the school menu
8/13: Wines
for grilling
8/10: First
Day Fest facts
8/6: Sales
tax holiday
8/3: Twittering
tips
7/30: Fall
planting
7/27: 5
for teens
7/23: Consignments
7/20: Beach
reads
7/16: Save
the books
7/13: Hot
plants
7/9: Staying
cool
7/2: Old
Exchange 5
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