2022 End of Year Newsletter
The 2022 Newsletter was mailed to all current member in December 2022. It include a supplemental flyer highlighting some accomplishments.
Dear Edisto Island Community Association Member,
2022 was a record year for donations to the Gordon Locatis Scholarship Fund! We kicked off the year with $8500 entrusted to us when former non-profit Community Services of Edisto dissolved and received a $2500 donation from the Episcopal Church on Edisto. McConkey’s Jungle Shack hosted a 4th of July Fundraiser ($450 raised) and followed that up with choosing EICA to receive the proceeds from the their Turtle Tide Auction statue. A heated auction resulted in $9000 from Robert Redfearn. The Edisto Lions Club donated $3000 from their summer bingo proceeds, and The Sunshine Foundation came in at year’s end with $1000. To top everything off, individuals donated over $4000, leaving us with a very healthy end-of-year Scholarship Account balance of over $21,000. We thank everyone for their generosity!
One first-year student and six continuing students received a total of $8000 in scholarship funds. We are so proud of each of them for pursuing higher education, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in school and their careers. Students and schools are listed on the insert.
Due to this record year, as well as increasing costs faced by students, the Board and Scholarship Committee are working together to increase the maximum amount that can be awarded per student per year. It is currently $2000 for first-year students and $1000 for continuing students. We aim to provide more next year and in years to come.
This past year has also been an exciting year in terms of community discussion regarding a certain rezoning application for a proposed Dollar General Market. While the Community Association does not have an official comment on the application at this time, the discussion has highlighted the fact that our organization, and other services providers, must better understand the needs of the community.
We will be kicking off 2023 by conducting a Community Needs Assessment mailing a paper needs assessment survey to every address on Edisto Island and Edisto Beach. The survey asks each household to answer questions about housing, transportation, employment, food access and other topics. We encourage everyone, whether you have all of your needs met or you are in very great need, to please respond to this anonymous survey. Encourage your neighbors, friends and family to respond.
We plan to create a report that will be available to all community members and organizations. Knowing how many households need what makes it easier to apply for grants for services, request assistance from our county governments, and consider the merits of different projects and proposals in the future. We will also be speaking with representatives of Edisto’s many community organizations to figure out what needs they see, what services they provide, and how organizations could work together.
Another focus for 2023 is on bringing back community information meetings. Prior to COVID, EICA often hosted meetings about topics of interest. We plan to host at least 3 community information meetings in 2023. Please bookmark our new website, www.edistoislandcommunityassociation.org and follow us on Facebook to make sure you keep up with all the great events. Sure, we’ll email you and mail some reminders, but we are very proud of our new website. Let us know what you think!
We were also glad to bring back the Oyster Roast in 2022, and we’re happy to say the 2023 Oyster Roast will be on March 4! Mark your calendar! We are committed to keeping ticket prices affordable for all community members, as it is wonderful to have everyone together enjoying the oysters, chili, and companionship.
With these renewed focuses on better understanding needs and providing high-quality information, we are in need of monetary donations to support website hosting, the community needs assessment mailing, keeping Oyster Roast ticket prices low, supplies for community information events and more. When you renew your membership this year, we ask that you please consider a donation to the Operations Fund to support this work, and the expansions we are pursuing in 2023. You mail us a check with the enclosed membership form, or you can renew online on our new website.
Please reach out if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns. We hope to see you soon!
Sincerely,
The Edisto Island Community Association Board
Damian Jones, President
Pat Neumann, President Elect
Otiva “Peaches” Jones, Secretary
Abi Locatis Prochaska, Treasurer
Board Members: Lavinia Armstrong; Abraham Gadsden; Henry Jenkins; Jenny Leckie; Geno Middleton; Francine Morrison; Fred Palm
