Wedding & Event Venue Near McCormick, SC.

McCORMICK, S.C. (WJBF) – People from around McCormick, South Carolina gathered at the River Grille at Tara Clubhouse for a chance to get up close and personal with some of their elected officials.

“One of the goals of a chamber is to have advocacy that makes government and business come together, and for the community to come together. It is to show our community that when we work together, these are the things that could happen,” said Executive Director of the McCormick County Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte Tallent.

Those who attended were treated to a nice lunch, a presentation and then got the chance to ask questions to Senator Shane Massey and State Representative Daniel Gibson.

“We had a great crowd today and I appreciate people being interested and paying attention. That’s the only way this system works is if people participate. I always think it’s important that people hear from us about what’s going on and it’s more important that we hear from them, and they can tell us what they’re thinking about,” said Senator Massey.

“We all have problems, we all have things that we need taken care of, but if you don’t tell me, I don’t know about it, so it’s a great opportunity for us, and Senator Massey and I to come out, and listen to people, I love taking there questions,” said Representative Gibson.

Not only were questions answered but several McCormick organizations were presented with checks.

“Today we announced great things for three of our organizations. It was our sheriffs department, the McCormick County Historical Commission, and the Arts council. Almost a million dollars in to our community,” said Tallent.

There were a lot of smiling faces at the McCormick Legislative Luncheon, and they appreciate the elected officials that came out for the special day.

“Our elected officials are great, when we ask them to come out, if it is at all possible, they are here, and this is what makes them real to the community, and then our community gets more comfortable with having conversations, and this is what’s happened. The positive things comes about if we’re all talking to one another,” said Tallent.

MCCORMICK COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) – A retirement community in McCormick County protests today at their local post office. They’re hoping to stop their mail service from coming to an end.

Many in the Savannah Lakes Village community already have to travel many miles to get their mail from the local post office. But, soon, they might not be able to get their mail at all.

The decision to stop mail stems from a U.S. Postal Service policy change for new developments after 2012, they’re requiring those newer homes with approved delivery to get cluster mailboxes.

Savannah Lakes Village opened in 1989 and sits on more than four thousand acres. Older homes in the community will still receive curbside delivery.

“It just doesn’t seem fair,” said Dale Farnsworth, a resident at Savannah Lakes Village. “And, on top of that, we have a postmaster that just won’t talk to us. And we can’t get anyone in the post office to talk to us. We think if they would talk to us in the first place- talk to the POA in the first place- this situation would never exist.”

Residents in the community remain concerned about accessibility issues in the neighborhood, especially for those with limited mobility.

“We have a lot of new population coming to the South, they build their homes and some of them are trapped in their homes- they can’t drive,” said Kinga Kiss-Johnson, a Savannah Lakes Village resident and U. S. Army disabled veteran.

For resident Terry White, the medications he gets from the VA through the mail are crucial.

“I’m on a limited income, so I don’t want to have to purchase a P.O. Box,” said White. “But, if I don’t and we don’t get CBUs installed, then she’s going to return our mail.”

With more than 500 property owners and 40 homes, the community tells me they just want the postal service to work with them on a reasonable solution.

“As much as we appreciate everybody coming out and the public support for this, I think the only way this is going to be resolved is through a court process,” said Charles Cook of the McCormick County Council.

We have reached out to postmaster Evelyn Case, left a message and are awaiting a response.

McCORMICK, SC. (WJBF) – There are nearly 400,000 children in foster care across the country, and communities in the CSRA are seeing it too.

The state of South Carolina currently has 3,665 children in foster care, one of many states in a youth housing crisis–it’s something that McCormick County Department of Social Services Director Daniel Lott sees everywhere.

“Yes, poverty exists in McCormick, it exists in every county. I live in Aiken County, and it’s in Aiken County too,” said Lott.

According to the Department of Social Services, out of the 9,764 people in McCormick County, 32.6% of children are living in areas of concentrated poverty.

But thanks to a new partnership with the non-profit group Lily Pad, they’re making a difference.

“We’re coming alongside the Department of Social Services because our spaces are in their offices, so we have a 5 year plan from when we started of having a Lily Pad space in every DSS office in the state of South Carolina,” said Lily Pad Co-Founder Jennifer Tice.

Lily Pad serves young people who are in the Foster Care system, giving them a “living room” -type space within the county D-S-S office.

“So we are installing living room type spaces for these children to always have a space prepared for them anytime they’re in the office. Whether that’s waiting for placement, visiting with family, or meeting with their attorney, the rooms are available for them,” said Tice.

Jennifer and her husband, Benjamin, have been married for 16 years, and first became parents in 2010, where they began fostering vulnerable children in the Palmetto state.

They have three children–Rhys, Zack, and Eric–but they have parented 35 children through foster care.

Last year, the Tice family said goodbye to a foster daughter, Lily, after raising her for 27 months.

As she reunited with her biological family, two more girls came into their home: a 15-year-old and an 11-year-old.

This experience opened Jennifer and Ben’s eyes to what older children experience when they are placed in foster care–so that inspired them to start the Lily Pad organization.

“It’s huge to address these children’s needs, and show them they’re valuable at a young age to help keep them from falling into a situation where they would be victims. Poverty I think plays in all those different areas,” said Tice.

Lott also emphasizes the importance of bringing this issue to light.

“Imagine if you were in high school or middle school and you’re on the football team,” said Lott. “You have an important game coming up on Friday night with your friends, and all of a sudden–due to no fault of your own–law enforcement appear at your home and tell you you have to go with DSS staff. It is traumatic, and we want to take every step to prevent that. But for entries into foster care, we want to take every measurable approach to make that as less traumatic as possible.”

The McCormick County location is Lily Pad’s 12^th in South Carolina.

“This is a great place. What they did was they came into our office and took and completely redid it, and now it honestly looks like a living room you find in a house,” said Lott.

Tice says as they continue to address this ever-growing issue, they need more help from the communities they serve.

“We all can be doing something. We all can be doing something to serve the children of our state, even if that doesn’t mean bringing them into our home,” said Tice.

Tice adds, “I would encourage individuals in the CSRA to reach out to your local Department of Social Services. Ask them what needs they have. They might have a specific need for a specific child, or they may have some general needs.”

Tice says that contributions could be bringing a new pair of shoes or pajamas to your child, or even a backpack full of toiletries.

The Lily Pad organization also has a monthly donor program, where you can donate just $10 for this cause.

To find more information about Lily Pad, you can visit their website here.

McCORMICK, S.C. (WJBF)- Tucked away in McCormick County is 1310 acres of land, which is home to the SC Governor’s School of Agriculture at John de la Howe.

They were founded in 1797, but for the last three years they’ve been a governor’s school, allowing students to learn more about the outdoors.

“Our school has to offer a very hands on approach to education, and hands on approach to agriculture. It serves a great purpose because agriculture is the #1 industry in the state of South Carolina,” said Principal Greg Thompson.

Those students learn alongside two other governor’s schools in the state. But what sets them apart are the residents halls for men and women the nearly 100 students have at John de la Howe.

So in a way, it’s like a college campus for high schoolers.

Principal Thompson says students have an opportunity to choose from four different agriculture programs that are offered.

“We have horticulture, plant and animal science, natural resources and ag make. So they choose one of these pathways to focus on when they enter school here,” said Thompson.

Students say they have enjoyed every minute at John de la Howe, and feel it has prepared them for the real world.

“I’ve loved every day here. I’ve gotten to do challenges, last year I got to do a lumberjack competition and we took home first place and the trophy is sitting in the office of the school. I just love all of the venues we have here,” said senior Sam Bennett.

“Each day is pretty new, and you look forward to each new day instead of it just being a dredge and repeating every single day. I’ve been able to grow by learning a lot of very genuinely helpful social skills that you wouldn’t get in a normal schooling environment,” said senior Logan Doty.

“I want to be a John Deere Marketer. And John Deere looks at kids that specifically come to this school, and once they graduate they can hire them right out of high school. So that’s why I wanted to come here so bad,” said junior Kelly Tasch.

Thompson says on top of the educational experience they will get, it’s also about how they finish, and prepare for the next step.

“We want to help them fulfill their dreams. When they leave here, and they shake my hand and give them a high school diploma, every kid will have a post-secondary plan,” said Thompson.

PIO Tony Baughman says times are exciting for the school right now, but the future is even brighter.

According to Baughman, over the next 5 years there will be work going on to add new cabins, horse riding trails, and two new programs for agro-tourism and culinary arts.

Students received electronic devices Sunday morning, as they will be back in the classroom Monday morning.

McCORMICK, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - An XFL football player is being honored where his career began: McCormick High School.

Mataeo Durant currently plays for the Saint Louis Battlehawks, but here at home, he’ll always be known for wearing McCormick red.

For the first time in the school’s history, they retired Durant’s jersey in his honor.

“McCormick wasn’t that good, but he was exceptional,” said one of his coaches.

Exceptional is putting it lightly. Listen to his coaches.

MORE | ‘Name, image and likeness’ change holds promise for teen athletes

“Work ethic, I can cross that off,” said the coach.

His mom, Nakesha Durant, said: “Beginning to play football at the age of nine, we knew that something was very special about Mataeo.”

They all say the same thing. He owns the record book for rushing for more than 3,000 yards in a Chiefs uniform.

That Chief’s uniform, the block number 3, will never be worn again.

“I’m a big believer in, you know, people remember you more for how you made them feel and what you did for them,” said Mataeo.

It’s the first time McCormick has retired the red and white.

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“You only get to be the first to do something one time. So I just feel like it’s a testament to the community,” said Mataeo.

Nakesha said: “He wanted to pave the way for everybody else.”

McCormick put him on the map. He’s hoping to exchange the favor.

Mataeo said: “There’s understanding what the game is and remembering why I started playing the game and how fun it is.”

Nakeshia said: “He wanted someone else from McCormick to be, you know, be successful and he’s paved the way and I think that some more kids can follow suit.”

While playing for Duke, Mataeo became the ninth player to surpass the 2,000 rushing yard mark. He was the second Blue Devil of all time to rush more than 800 yards in consecutive seasons.

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