Helping Out for Aug. 8, 2018

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Helping Out highlights some of the many charitable events and activities going on in the Charleston area. ATTENTION: Submissions should now be made using our online form.

Bright Ariail has been elected chairman of Save the Light Inc., a nonprofit organization formed in 1999 by a group of citizens who bought the Morris Island Lighthouse and created a plan to save it.

Ariail has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University and earned a law degree from the University of South Carolina. She practiced at Rosen Hagood in Charleston before opening a law practice on James Island.

Operation Home and Halos each received a $4,000 grant from Volvo Car U.S. Operations’ Community Investment Grant fund, administered by the Coastal Community Foundation.

The Operation Home grant will support home repairs for low-income tri-county families. Halos’ grant will support the agency’s Kinship Care Program.

The Lowcountry Food Bank has received the following donations:

• BJ’s Wholesale Club donated $50,000 from the BJ’s Charitable Foundation for the Summer Meals and School Pantry programs, which distribute meals to children and families.
• The Darden Foundation, a restaurant company that owns brands including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, has made a $10,000 unrestricted grant.
• Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation has donated $10,000 to support child hunger-relief efforts. The grant will be used for the Lowcountry Food Bank’s Kids Cafe program.

The Junior League of Charleston awarded a community project grant for $3,102 to Meals on Wheels of Charleston. The grant will cover raw food costs and operating costs for one day of Meals on Wheels of Charleston’s daily operating budget.

In addition to the donation, Junior League committee members will volunteer eight days between January and May 2019 in the following capacities:

• Ride along with a Meals on Wheels delivery technician, delivering 30 to 50 meals to seniors’ doors.
• Restock the food pantry, which provides emergency 30-day food boxes to people of any age from Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties.
• Host or organize a drive collecting proteins, grains, kitchen and laundry supplies, and bath and beauty supplies to restock the food pantry.

The Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired – Charleston is scheduled to host Strikes for Sight from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 23 at The Alley. Participants will be challenged to attempt bowling with four different types of glasses that simulate vision impairment.

Tickets are $25 and include bowling and two drink tickets. Food and additional beverages will be available for purchase.

The Charleston RiverDogs have gone live with their auction benefiting the campaign for the Medical University of South Carolina’s Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. Some items are up for bid now, and items will be added throughout the month.

Bidding will close at 11:59 p.m. Aug. 31.

TMI Counseling and Coaching has scheduled its annual Maskerade of Mental Illness – Conquering the Stigma benefit from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 27 at The Harbour Club. The event will include food, cocktails, music and a live auction.

Tickets are $100. Funds will be used to provide free or reduced-cost training for community members in Mental Health First Aid, a public education program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental illness, builds understanding of its impact and overviews common supports.