Page 42 - Camden Kershaw 2018

than 300
applicants
from across
the country.
In June,
with group
members’
eyes on
the prize,
they went
to Denver,
Colo., for the
annual All-America City convention -- and they
brought it home -- all of it.
As it turned out, it was a “clean sweep” for
Kershaw County. In addition to winning the All-
America City designation, committee member
Johnny Deal was recognized for his work in
Social Media, tirelessly promoting the county on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
“I was just doing what I do every day, all
the time,” Deal said. Nonetheless, even as he
downplays his contribution, the fact is that his
efforts in Social Media have attracted more than
50,000 viewers and followers in a county with a
population of 65,000 people.
Clinton Washington, a senior at Lugoff-
Elgin High School, was one of two youth
representatives in the entire nation to earn a
NCL Youth Leadership award. In talking about
his experiences, he noted that his mother and his
community are major influences on his life.
“Without her, I really wouldn’t be the man I
am today,” Washington said. “And, honestly, I
wouldn’t be the man I am today without the rest
of the community as well. I told everyone … all
the awards we got, they’re great to have, but
they won’t mean anything unless we live up to
them when we come back to our county. While
we were there in Colorado, I made sure I told
the judges that Kershaw County … we are an
excellent community and just because we are in
a smaller area compared to the rest of the cities
we competed with, that doesn’t mean we can’t do
excellent things as well.”
What is the All-America City Award?
The NCL, based in Denver, awards 10 All-
America City designations nationwide each
year. While the award has the word “city” in the
name, the winner can be a town, city, county,
neighborhood or region.
The league, which has conducted this program
for more than 50 years, recognizes communities for
their diversity and their willingness to collaborate
for the greater good and achieve extraordinary
results. Twenty finalists
were named in 2018;
Kershaw County was one
of 10 -- and the only county
in the nation -- to earn the
title in 2018.
In fact, since 1965, only
11 communities in South
Carolina have earned
the All-America City
designation.
Carpenter realized
Kershaw County has a
number of such initiatives
in place. For example, one
key component in Kershaw County’s application
demonstrating the community’s willingness to
reach across community lines and develop deep
reaching and significantly impacting partnerships
is the Community Medical Clinic (CMC) of
Kershaw County.
Not only does the CMC provide much needed
primary care for an underserved population, it
is taking those services literally “on the road”
through a program called LiveWell Kershaw. Some
of those initiatives include a school based health
center in the Northeastern part of the county
which provides medical needs and mental health
services, care coordination through electronic
health records and community hub and pathway
software, and organizational and community
capacity.
Susan Witkowski, CEO of the CMC, said the
clinic, which has grown in reach and services
thanks to powerful and widespread community
2018/2019 s Discover Camden-Kershaw County s 67