FLORENCE, S.C. -- Florence City Councilmembers celebrated the recreation department’s eight-year-old all-star basketball team winning the South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association state championship during Monday’s meeting.
Coach Darrel Gaskins said the team had one week to prepare but brought home the title. A few of the players also won the state championship in football.
“I’m just proud of them and want them to keep going and doing what they’re doing,” he said.
A resolution of appreciation was presented to Dorothy Hines for more than 33 years of service on the city planning commission. The Wilson High School graduate and registered nurse was also recognized for her community service.
“I would just like to thank the mayor and city council for bestowing this honor upon me,” Hines said. “I worked with city planning for 33 years. One of the main reasons is because it’s my home and the city of Florence provided me an opportunity to be a productive person.”
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Hines said she loves Florence.
“I believe in the city of Florence,” she said. “We’ve made a lot strides from the time I began up until now,”
House of Hope of the Pee Dee Chief Executive Officer Jon Weiss Jr. discussed plans for an upcoming community resource building project.
The faith-based ministry focused on homelessness in the region operates the Courtney McGinnis Graham Community Shelter and men’s life recovery program along with a 24-tiny home village community for women and children.
“Right now we just started raising money for the community resource building,” Weiss said. “This will be a safe place that people can come during the day to not only get a meal but to have a shower, check-in their things in lockers and also have a church congregation in that community resource building as well.”
Weiss said case managers will assist along with working with partner agencies.
The building will be near the shelter, he said. More than $750,000 of the estimated $1.5 million cost of construction has been raised, according to Weiss.
In other business,
Resilience & Sustainability Advisory Committee and city of Florence proclaim April 22 as Earth Day. A clean-up with Keep Florence Beautiful will be held around Jefferies Creek will be held at 9 a.m.