Campaign Letter
Published in The Sun News and The Horry Independent
A Proven Leader We Can Trust
Dear Editor,
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My grandfather, Duane Oliver, was chairman of the Horry County Republican Party for several years. My father, Kevin Hardee, served on Horry County Council for eight years and now serves in the South Carolina House of Representatives. I spent much of my life attending meetings and events around Horry County. The one familiar face I knew I could expect to see was Mrs. Lois Eargle. If you don’t personally know Lois, I hope you’ll trust me when I say that she is someone we can all admire. Over the years, I learned of her many contributions in serving the public and began to appreciate her for more than just the truly amazing person she is, but also for her strong leadership, values and judgment.
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Lois Eargle shattered the glass ceiling years ago, paving the way for women to serve in leadership positions at the local, state and national level. Eargle was appointed by the Governor to serve as president of the first Citizen’s Congress with the purpose of recommending necessary reforms to the South Carolina judicial system. She went on to be the first woman and the first non-lawyer or non-jurist selected to serve on the Board of the American Judicature. She was the first woman in Horry County to run for the state legislature where she served four terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. President Ronald Reagan appointed Lois Eargle to serve on his Commission on Mental Retardation. Today, she serves as the only woman ever elected as Horry County’s Auditor, and she will be on the ballot this June for re-election. She has an impressive track record, and there is no one more proven.
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Lois doesn’t just talk about honesty and responsibility to the people she serves; she lives and breathes it every day. It all provides reassurance that there are still some good, trustworthy and deserving people elected to public office. Lois loves serving the community and the Lord. She is both fearless and humble. It just doesn’t get any better than that. Please vote Lois Eargle for Horry County Auditor on June 14.
Respectfully,
Grayson Hardee
Company Profile
A company that places helping others above all else
Ocean Lakes Family Campground recently received a call from the Make A Wish Foundation about a young boy who wished to spend a week camping at the beach. He wanted to grill hotdogs, roast marshmallows, and play on the beach with his family.
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“Word went out to management and before the end of the day, we had the nicest camper, transportation, and medical care for them while they were here and each day of their stay lined with events and shows,” said Kevin Alford, a manager at Ocean Lakes. “It was a great experience to spend time with him and his family.”
It’s things like this that set Ocean Lakes apart from other campgrounds.
Ocean Lakes made its grand opening in 1971. The family-owned campground features 859 campsites and 2,562 annual lease sites on 310 oceanfront acres with nearly one mile of beachfront. There are five bathhouses and more than 450 employees in the height of the camping season. It is the largest campground on the East Coast east coast and one of the largest in the United States.
More importantly, Ocean Lakes is ranked in the top 1 percent of campgrounds in the United States, and it is easy to see why.
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For breast cancer awareness month in October every year, Ocean Lakes holds a dinner for a charity called “Little Pink Houses of Hope.” Campground employees and volunteers come out to share love and compassion with breast cancer fighters, and survivors and their families from all across the country.
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“All the families who came were so grateful to enjoy time together at the beach away from the daily burdens of treatments, diagnoses, financial strains, emotional distress and all that accompanies this horrible disease, not only to the ones diagnosed, but also those who love them most,” said Kristin Thompson, a volunteer at the event. “It was such a blessing to serve them...to be touched by their optimism, to witness their strength and see all the love being shared in that room.”
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Ocean Lakes thrives because it makes helping others its top priority. Amazing guest service is one of many things campers know they will receive while camping at Ocean Lakes.
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Not only do guests receive special treatment, but so do employees. Ocean Lakes employees are referred to as “teammates” to remind all of the campground employees that they work together as a team.
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Teammates receive numerous discounts for camping, golfing, food and more. Before new hires begin working at Ocean Lakes, they must first attend an orientation session that is led by the vice president of the Jackson Companies.
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In this orientation session, teammates learn about the history of Ocean Lakes and the Jackson Companies. Learning about the history of Ocean Lakes increases the employees’ appreciation for the campground and motivates them to work hard to maintain the campground’s impressive reputation.
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Ocean Lakes works hard to “create family memories that last a lifetime.”
Press Release (hypothetical)
Charleston Battery • 1990 Daniel Island Dr. • Charleston, SC • 29492 • 843-971-GOAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2017
CONTACT: Grayson Hardee
Director of Media Relations
843-971-1234
Charleston soccer team to give back to local kids
Charleston, S.C. – The Charleston Battery soccer team has partnered up with the Charleston County Library and the Charleston Promise Neighborhood elementary schools to kick off the “Reading Is Cool” campaign to encourage reading among second-graders in local inner-city schools.
The month-long campaign will have two events.
The first will be Just For Kicks, where two Charleston Battery soccer players will go to the downtown library every weekday from 9-11 a.m. in November to read books to second-graders.
The second event will be the Battery Book Bonanza, a book drive sponsored by the Battery organization for people to donate new/slightly used books for Charleston Promise Neighborhood schools. Drop-off locations are at all CCL branches, or people can donate money for new books via www.batterybookbonanza.com.
“Kids need to be motivated,” said Anthony Dixon, principal of Sanders-Clyde Elementary School. “They don’t have a lot of role models at home, but professional athletes provide a great role model of how to be successful doing something these kids know is fun.”
This campaign is to improve literacy and encourage more reading among students attending four inner-city elementary schools in the Charleston Promise Neighborhood - Sanders-Clyde, James Simons, Chicora and Mary Ford.
The purpose is to show athletes as positive role models to help motivate students to become more avid readers.
The soccer players are excited about the campaign and its upcoming events.
“I really believe it is important for kids to be good readers,” said Justin Portillo, Charleston Battery midfielder. “I grew up a migrant worker and learned to read as a teenager, so I know what it’s like to miss out on opportunities because you can’t read.”
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The Charleston Battery is a professional soccer league in Charleston, S.C. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the United Soccer League. Their colors are black and yellow. The Charleston Battery is one of the more successful lower division clubs in the United States. With six first-place finishes, the team is considered to be the most successful club in the history of the unofficial Southern Derby competition.
News Story (hypothetical)
Flames engulf Charleston’s Music Farm during concert
One person suffered severe burns in a fire at Music Farm last night while 151 people were taken to MUSC with minor injuries.
The fire caused $90,000 worth of damage, according to owner Pat McAuley, and Music Farm will be closed indefinitely.
A sound tech noticed the fire backstage around 9:15 p.m., and everyone began flooding the exits.
Firefighters were on scene within three minutes and able to evacuate everyone before the building went up in flames.
“That was totally crazy. One minute I’m drinking beer and dancing and singing along, and the next we’re all running through smoke to get out the door. So glad I wasn’t too far from an exit. Tomorrow I’m just going to stay home and study,” said Jordan Hassel, senior CofC business major.
It took nearly two hours before the blaze was contained.
“We think it was probably an electrical short circuit that started the fire, but we are still determining that for certain. We were really lucky to get everyone out before the building collapsed in flames,” said fire chief Susan Rico.