Thumbs up to officials for conducting public hearings

Thumbs up to Florence County planning officials who are conducting public hearings in and around Florence this month to give residents a chance to see the county’s proposed future land-use plans. The Future Land Use element of the county’s comprehensive plan is undergoing an update, which state law requires every 10 years. The element doesn’t regulate zoning, but it will lead to the zoning designations throughout the county. The updated Future Land Use element will be parcel-based and focus on sustainable growth and water quality, county planning services officer Scott Park said. County residents can view a copy of the proposed Future Land Use maps at the Florence County Planning & Building Inspections building, at 518 S. Irby St. The Florence County Library System also has copies of the maps along with instructions for residents who wish to mark the areas they think are stable or in need of improvement, Park said. Residents also can view the maps on the Web at http://www.florenceco.org/planning. For those who missed the first hearing this past week, the next two in Florence are scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m., with presentations at 6 p.m. Thursday at Eastside Christian Church fellowship hall, 3541 E. Palmetto St. and March 26 at Family Life Church of the Nazarene fellowship hall, 2812 W. Palmetto St.

Thumbs up to Carolina Kids LLC, a nonprofit agency that began operating in Darlington County in 2006 and has provided various services to the community since. The agency operates two community clothing closets: one from the Thornwell School for the Arts campus on Carolina Avenue in Hartsville and the other at 72 Public Square in Darlington. Needy children are identified by school officials, who then give the children vouchers for free items that can be redeemed at the closets. Carolina Kids now is working to establish a Hunger Buster program, being piloted at Southside Early Childhood Education Center in Hartsville. The program provides nonperishable food items to needy children every Friday so they have the food to eat at home during the weekend. In the current state of the economy, the service Carolina Kids provides to feed and clothe needy children in the community is perhaps more important than ever. Those who would like to volunteer with or donate to the organization can stop by its Hartsville site, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Tuesday, or its Darlington location, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Thursday.

Thumbs up to Lisa Penny, who organized a haircutting marathon Tuesday at the Hair Place Barber Shop in Florence to benefit McLeod Children’s Hospital. The event featured the “Fastest Haircutter in the World,” Ivan Zoot, director of educational training at Andis Clipper Co. and the holder of Guinness Book of World Records titles for the most haircuts in a 24-hour period, the world’s fastest haircut and most haircuts in an hour. Penny said Zoot helped train her on clipper cutting and, when she heard he was coming to South Carolina, she thought it would be a perfect chance to raise some money for a worthy cause. “I’m a McLeod baby, and my kids are McLeod babies ... so (I chose the McLeod Children’s Hospital),” said Penny, who first learned from her father how to cut hair. Davis Sawyer, fund manager for the McLeod Children’s Foundation, said events such as this one Penny organized are vital to the hospital’s ability to provide care to area children. “When the community gets involved, it makes a real difference in the hospital,” she said.