2012 women to watch

2 Wednesday, October 24, 2012Summerville Journal Scene

The Summerville Journal Scene’sWomen to Watch has grown year-to-year since it’s beginnings in 2007.Every year the list of nominees fromour readersgrows, andevery year weintroduce to ourreaders tenWomen toWatch. Theselection is ad a u n t i n gprocess – onewe look forward to each fall. Just as inyear’s past, the 2012 honorees repre-sent a wide mix of professions andcharitable organizations of whichthey are an integral part.

They will be recognized at a recep-tion in November at which time theywill be presented with a framed photowith their story as a remembrance oftheir recognition as a 2012 Woman toWatch.

This year’s honorees follow animpressive list of past winners:

Words from Watts2007

Rita BerryLoren BetheaVi Matheny

Deb CampeauJill Henry

Monica KaramVicki Ellis

Kristin SaglioccoKathy RandallHolly Patterson

2008Barbara DunningBabette Hamilton

Jenny HornePJ Johnson

Alix KassingSharon LaneyKay Phillips

Candy PrattGeorgia ToneyDiane Walker

2009Miler

Cristy SandersKelly WilliamsNaomi Nimmo

Lynn HaneySingletonBecky FordJan Parsons

Tiffany ProvenceTony FivecoatAnnette Young

2010Lori Dibble

Alessa Bertoluzzi

Bette ThomasBetty Settle

Deborah CloutierJan Waring-Woods

Kelly KnightLaura Perdue

Marie WilliamsSusan Morris

2011Melony Are

Sarah Coleman-LeeAngie CrumElena FurnariMartha Green

Cyndy JacksonLissa Lara

Maité MurphyJennifer Schlette

Angela Vest


Yvonne CarusoA sharp mind helps others

BY JIM TATUMThe Journal Scene

t may have been happen-stance that Yvonne Carusocame to work for a smallmanufacturing company inSummerville -- but a lot ofpeople are very happy thatshe did.

Caruso is the President ofGrand Forest, a manufacturing company locatedin the Jedburg area of Dorchester County, nearSummerville. The company has three divisions,Gransfors Bruks, which is a distributor of handcrafted axes, Swedpro, which manufactureschainsaw safety equipment, and Woolpower, adistributor of wool undergarments.

“It all kind of started as a fluke,” she says witha laugh. “I have a background in management,and a friend of mine asked me to come here tohelp him with this small company inSummerville. That was 27 years ago.”

What started out as a short term consulting jobturned into a successful career on many levels,although Caruso is going to sing the praises of

others rather than talk about herself.The people who buy the company’s products –

folks who work in dangerous jobs often in harshconditions – constantly send letters and testimo-nials thanking the company for their products.

“We make protective chaps for people in theforestry industry, people who work with chain-saws every day in all kinds of weather,” she said.“You have to understand that a chainsaw has onlyone function – to cut things efficiently – thereforeif someone has an accident with one, it can bevery serious. The garments we make – and weknow this because we get letters all the time –have actually saved many people from serious,even fatal injuries. That in itself makes what wedo absolutely worthwhile.”

The company employs around 25 people, all ofwhom have worked there for many years, shesaid. Grand Forest makes it a point to take care ofthe people who make the company successful,she said.

“We take care of our people – they’re the reasonfor our success,” she said.

In 2007, a fire burned the plant to the ground.Not only did this occur around the holidays, but

See CARUSO Page 12Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene

5Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Summerville Journal Scene

Sarena JamesUnderstanding, perspective and sensitivity

BY LESLIE CANTUThe Journal Scene

arena James knows whatyou’re thinking when hersix-year-old son has a melt-down at the store.

She hears the clucks andsees the eye rolls.

She doesn’t have time inthe moment to explain the

situation, but she believes in shedding light on thechallenges faced by families with children on theAutism spectrum, and to that end she shares herfamily’s story on a website that has become agathering place for similarly affected families.

“It’s as cozy as your living room,” she saidrecently on a “mommy field trip” to Starbucks,something the stay-at-home mom of three rarelygets to enjoy.

James hopes to encourage all people to consid-er the three principles of understanding, perspec-tive and sensitivity when they encounter a childwith special needs – and to remember that thosespecial needs might not be obvious.

Her son, Grant, doesn’t appear any different

than any other child, so strangers don’t realizehow subtle sensory changes – things like the airconditioning clicking on or the lights flickering –can unsettle him and lead to one of those melt-downs, like the one in Target that promptedJames to start her website, On Aisle 9.

With the start of that website, James created acommunity, as well as a sounding board for con-cerns. She’s not ashamed of her child’s diagnosis,but she finds many families still carry shame andare eager to talk to her for relief.

Not so long ago, James and her husband, TVanchor Raphael James, didn’t know anythingabout autism themselves.

When Grant was diagnosed at almost threeyears old, James only wanted to know whetherher son would ever learn.

Only time would tell, she was told. So the James family set about on a regimen of

therapies to try to release the boy buried beneatha mask of nothingness.

“You just wondered, what’s actually in there?”James recalled.

While other families celebrate milestones, theJameses celebrate “inchstones,” she said.

See JAMES Page 14Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


Wendy LeePublic service runs deep


ome people spend a lifetimetrying to figure out what todo with their lives.

Not Wendy Lee. For as farback as she can remember,Wendy Lee wanted to be anEMT.

“Truthfully, it was alwaysthere,” she said. “It’s always been something Ipursued – I can remember even in the first gradewhen they asked you what you wanted to bewhen you grew up, I said I wanted to drive theambulance.”

Public service runs in her blood; several mem-bers of her family also work in the public sector,in law enforcement and EMS.

“I went to nursing school -- hated it,” she said.“I’ve always wanted to do EMS; it’s what I’mabout, and I’ve never really wanted to do any-thing else.”

In high school she started doing just that andmore, attending EMT school and landing her firstjob at age 18 with Summerville Ambulance, aprivate company that ran emergency medical

calls in this area until Dorchester County EMSwas created in 1994.

She joined Dorchester County EMS that yearand has never looked back, although she admitsher motivations have changed a little over theyears.

“When I look back, what originally drew me tothe service was the flash of it all, the excitement,”she said. “As you mature, though, your perspec-tive changes. It’s really about the people, abouthelping and comforting people who are afraid,who are sick or hurt, taking all their needs intoconsideration. It’s taken me to a different level.”

“I would like to become the director one day,”she said.

In recent years, she has taken yet another step inher journey, teaching EMS classes at TridentTechnical College.

“I want to be the one to teach them how to do it,to bring in new blood,” she said. “You get to thepoint where you want to help others, to teachthem what it’s all about. There’s no doubt thatEMS is not something one just sort of falls into –it’s a calling; you love it or you don’t.”

Lee doesn’t talk much about her career accom-plishments, other than to say she is very happy

See LEE Page 14Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


hen Marlena Myers arrivedin Summerville 12 yearsago as the bride of thetown’s beloved mayor,Berlin Myers, she knew vir-tually no one and no oneknew her.

It’s a different picturetoday, as Myers has immersed herself in the com-munity and become an invaluable supporter oflocal organizations focused on child welfare,health care access and the arts.

“I love Summerville. I think it’s a unique town,”she said.

Summerville’s former first lady is everywhere –persuading people to open their homes to hun-dreds of strangers for the ScrumptiousSummerville Kitchen Tour, kindly judging localcelebrities in the Dancing with the ARK’s Starscompetition, and acting as an ambassador for heralma mater, Columbia College.

Myers is especially passionate about highereducation, and she credits the college for the tra-jectory of her life and even for meeting her hus-

band and moving to Summerville. Myers was born in Georgia, but her family

moved regularly as the Army posted her father todifferent bases. She graduated from high schoolin Virginia, at which point her South Carolina-born father told her she could go to college any-where, but he would pay for her to go to collegein South Carolina.

Myers ended up at Columbia College, awomen’s college, that in the early 1960s, hadplenty of rules for its students.

“We had lots of rules and regulations. Lots of‘don’t do’s,’” she recalled.

Myers didn’t finish, though. Not then, anyway.She dropped out to get married and have two chil-dren, and she became involved in charitableorganizations in Columbia, including sitting onthe board of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

It was during a Big Brothers board event thatshe ran into a former professor, Dr. Selden Smith,who recognized her. When she admitted she’dnever graduated, he urged her to return to school.She didn’t think much of the encounter until threedays later, when a letter arrived at her house fromthe professor, again urging her to return.

“That was a life-changing event,” she said.


Marlena MyersEducation, fundraising her passions

See MYERS Page 15Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


Lisa HamiltonKeeping natural resources beautiful

BY ROGER LEEThe Journal Scene

isa Hamilton’s passion forthe environment seems tobe contagious.

“Mrs. Hamilton is leavingan indelible mark on thiscommunity in myriad-ways,” said Pren Woods,who nominated Hamilton

as a Woman to Watch. “Her work with environ-mental issues in our local schools, our communi-ty, and the state level is legendary but she doesnot do this work alone. Her contagion for goodenvironmental stewardship has spread to a gen-eration of young students and their parents.”

Hamilton is one of one of first 13 students toever earn an Urban Studies degree from theCollege of Charleston. After college sheembarked on an economic development career,working with the Charleston RegionalDevelopment Center for eight years. But she isbest known for the volunteer work she has donesince giving up her career to start a family.

Hamilton has been a member of the Keep

Dorchester County Beautiful board of directorsfor 11 years and served as chairman eight times.With her help, the organization has won 38national and state awards.

She has been involved with numerous innova-tive programs that range from a fashion showfeaturing recyclable clothing to landfill tours foryouth groups.

“We have a limited number of (natural)resources so I feel I have to do what I can to helpkeep those beautiful in Dorchester County andspark a change in others,” Hamilton said.

“You have to have pride in your communityand take responsibility for the trash you produce.Littering is a conscious choice. We have a lot ofeducation ahead of us but at least it’s getting bet-ter here.”

Hamilton is very active in local schools. In fact,when her son Wade was a first-grader at SpannElementary School they teamed up with CarolynTomlinson to create the Recycling Troopers pro-gram. Nine years later, it is a national programthat has inspired countless numbers of students toimplement and maintain recycling programs at

Paul Zoeller/Journal SceneSee HAMILTON Page 14


Whitney RinglerThe loving fighter within


ery few words gut-punch aparent like the phrase, “Yourchild has cancer.”

Like all who go through it,when Whitney Ringler tookthat punch five years ago,she was completely unpre-pared for it.

Her son, Chase, then bare-ly three years old, was diagnosed with stage 4neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous systemthat causes solid tumors, often in the adrenalglands or pelvises of infants and small children.Generally, the younger the patient, the better theoutcome. Chase, however, was on the older endof the spectrum; 30 percent of children his ageand stage survive, she said.

“It’s almost like being in a bubble,” Ringlersaid. “You’re in a fog. You read nothing but badthings.”

Then you fight. You’re in the fight of your life,she said.

“It becomes your life,” she said. “People askhow you manage, how do you do it – you just

step up and do it. You have to. It’s very intense –each day you don’t know what to expect – lifebecomes all about the cancer. You’re not fightingfor you; you’re fighting for your child. It’s a verydifferent perspective.”

If there is any upside to such a situation, it is thatat least children are resilient, she said. They aren’tworried like their parents are. Her son was youngenough that he didn’t really know that the trips tothe hospital, the treatments, everything they doare not what all families do.

One thing she quickly found – much to her dis-may – is that there just is not very much money,and therefore not nearly as much research, intochildhood cancers as other forms of the disease.In fact, barely 3 percent of the $46 billion spent incancer research in the U.S. each year goes tochildhood cancers – and that three percent is splitup between 12 forms of childhood cancer.

“About $18 million is all that goes into child-hood neuroblastoma research,” she said. “Itsounds like a lot of money – and it is – but com-pared to what is spent total it’s barely a drop in thebucket.”

Yet thanks to new clinical trials and experimen-tal procedures and treatments, Chase has recov-

See RINGLER Page 14 Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


Monica ShowsIt’s about the arts


onica Shows minces nowords when it comes to theimportance of the arts.

“How can we be a civi-lized community or even asociety without the arts,”she said. “It is part of thestructure and fabrication of

our community.”As a high school senior she wanted to go to a

fine arts school but her father reminded her howmany actresses wait tables so she shifted focusand the performing arts remained her avocationrather than becoming her vocation.

Her artistic talents did lead to her landing acareer as a mechanical designer.

“I do artistic things, but I do it in a very linearworld,” she said.

Her vocation brought her to the Lowcoutrywhere in 1985 Kendle Shows, now her husband,introduced her to the Flowertown Players. Thetheatre had always been her first love so shequickly immersed herself in their projects.

But she didn’t just perform for the group, shebecame integral to its development and subse-quent survival.

“I got to meet a lot of the movers and shakerswho created the Flowertown Players,” Showssaid. “While I was not part of the old guard, I feelvery much like a kindred spirit because I am partof the next generation that learned how importantcommunity theatre is from them. I became pas-sionate about what they had created and while Iwanted to grow it, I wanted to preserve the ideol-ogy that was behind it.”

Shows used her passion and talents to help cre-ate crowd-pleasing productions, but also to helpthe group’s board of directors shape the Players’future. She has been the board’s president multi-ple times and is its current president.

Once she herself became a mover and shakerfor the Players, other nonprofit groups came call-ing. Shows gladly obliged several of them.

“Monica Shows has been integrally involvedwith several of our Arts nonprofits in DowntownSummerville the past several years and when sheis involved she gives it her all,” said SusanMorris, who nominated her as a Woman to

See SHOWS Page 14Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


Ashton JohnsonSpecial relationship defines life

BY ROB GANTTThe Journal Scene

ften, true inspiration can bediscovered in the people andplaces we see on an every-day basis.

For 23-year-oldSummerville residentAshton Johnson, growingup with an older, mentally

challenged sister stoked a fire that perpetuallyburns and led her into a long lasting relationshipwith Special Olympics.

It all began, as far back as she can remember. Her only sister, Melissa, was oxygen deprived

while in the womb and suffered severe braindamage. That sisterly love and desire to connectwith Melissa, five years her elder, has helpedmold her into the driven person she is today. Thetwo spend a great deal of time with one another,finding extra meaning and richness in life throughtheir relationship.

“She’s taught me more than I’ve ever taughther,” said Johnson, a recent graduate from theUniversity of South Carolina and formerSummerville High School soccer player. “I wish

I could smile nearly as much as she does.”Ashton and Melissa are generally inseparable.“We do pretty typical sister stuff,” Ashton said.

“We go shopping and get our nails done. Whenwe’re out there competing in a sport together, wecheer for each other.”

Sometimes that’s around the house. “I usually cook the family dinner and just the

other night, she came in and said I was doing agreat job. She never fails to give the right compli-ment at the right time… Her vocabulary andspeech are minimal but she does a good job get-ting her point across.”

The depth of Ashton’s commitment to her sister,and others similar to Melissa, is immeasurable. Itmanifests itself in her participation with SpecialOlympics.

“Living and growing up with somebody whohas a disability, you have to figure out a differentway to bond with them,” Ashton said. “You haveto come up with that bond.”

Her volunteer involvement with SpecialOlympics goes back at least half of her life. Whileat Gregg Middle School, she began helping outwith a buddy soccer program and later coached

See JOHNSON Page 14Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


DeeAnn FarrellFeeding hungry kids, families


eeAnn Smith Farrell gave upthe teaching profession yearsago but she is still veryinvolved with local schools.

After graduating from theCollege of Charleston with adegree in Early Childhoodand Elementary Education,

she spent a few years in the classroom before giv-ing it up to become a fulltime mother. As her kids,Chandler and Madison, got older she volunteeredat their schools. The older they became, the moreinvolved she became.

These days she juggles the responsibilities of par-enthood with the challenges of running a businesswhile also serving in key roles at both DuBoseMiddle School and Summerville High School.

“It started out my husband just needed some helpwith the PTSA,” Farrell said. “I had always volun-teered for various things at my kids school and inthe classroom because I was a teacher. I was neverthe person in charge but my husband asked me toget involved with the DuBose PTSA leadership.”

The business experience she received co-manag-ing the family owned Fancy Trimmins shop endedup making the transition into her larger volunteerrole an easy one. Thanks largely to her work asvice-president of the organization, the DuBosePTSA was able to drastically increase its annualbudget to $30,000.

“You think these days kids have everything but ifyou talk to the kids and the teachers you realize

what some of them face,” Farrell said. “Not all ofthem go home to a good meal and someone will-ing to help them with their homework. It’s impor-tant to give kids positive referrals for good behav-ior and grades and the PTSA helps provide that.”

Farrell has written several grants that led to localschools receiving valuable funding.

“I didn’t have any experience writing grants but Ifigured it wouldn’t hurt to try,” she said. “There aresome fabulous companies out there, like Kohls,that offer grants if you are willing to look.”

Farrell spearheaded the founding of a food bankat DuBose that now helps provide nutritous mealsto the families of more than 40 students. After herhusband, Kenny, was named the new principal forSummerville High School she began also helpingwith that school’s food bank.

“When you look around our schools you don’tnormally notice there are kids who aren’t beingfed, but there are a lot of them,” she said. “We havekids who come to school hungry. Summervillehigh school has 46 percent of its students on free orreduced lunch.”

Practically every Sunday she makes a 57-mileround trip to Sam’s Club to purchase supplies forthe Snack Shack, which raises the majority offunds for the DuBose PTSA, as well as for the SHSand DuBose food banks. Along with members ofher family, she also frequently carries cases ofdrinks and boxes of food up the tall flight ofbleachers at Memorial Stadium to the Principal’sBox where SHS faculty members are treated to apre-game meal.

About five nights a week you can find her root-

the fire occurred exactly oneyear after Caruso’s husband hadunexpectedly passed away.Caruso personally worked tomake sure the employeesremained on the payroll untilplant operations could get up andrunning again, which took sever-al weeks.

That Caruso enjoys her job andgets satisfaction out of helpingothers is evident in everythingshe does. She is an active mem-ber and currently serves on theBoard of Directors for theGreater Summerville/DorchesterCounty Chamber of Commerce.She also serves as the Chair forthe Oakbrook Council. She isalso a member of the RotaryClub of Summerville where she

has not only been a member formore than 16 years but has main-tained perfect attendance sincejoining. She has also served in avariety of roles, including presi-dent, secretary, and FoundationChair to tirelessly volunteer withmany fund raisers over the years.She also has volunteered for“Women’s Day Build” with theDorchester County Habitat forHumanity.

“I like to give back to the com-munity – that’s important,” shesaid. “I am heavily involved withthe chamber and I’ve been amember of Rotary since 1995. Ireally enjoy that – I’ve met a lotof great people in the communi-ty and I truly believe in (the mis-sion of) that organization.”

She also is active in a numberof trade associations, includingthe Forest Resources Associationand ASTM, formerly the

American Society of Testing andMaterials, which develops test-ing and safety standards for avariety of industries, she said.

But she also makes time forherself; she enjoys playingBridge and is an avid reader. Shealso enjoys traveling; indeed thatis not only a major perk of herjob now but also looms large inplans for a not so distant retire-ment, she notes.

She enjoys spending time withher three children – two sons anda daughter -- now grown up andon their own, she said.

And she especially loves thebeach, she said.

“I’ve been to the Ice hotel,” shesaid, referring to the resort locat-ed about 60 miles from the NorthPole and carved every year fromthe ice. “But I love the beach –the sun is my soul mate, forsure!”

CARUSOfrom page 4

See FARRELL Page 14

Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


Amy KarpusSpinning plates, feeling fortunate


ometimes the separatethreads of one’s life twinetogether to produce some-thing new and beautiful.

That’s what’s happened,and is continuing to happen,in the life of Amy Karpus.

Her friend Angela Reedernominated her as a Woman to Watch becauseKarpus is an entrepreneur, active communitymember, overseas volunteer, mom and wife.

But Karpus said she accomplishes the thingsshe has only because of her network of familyand friends. When she read Reeder’s accolades,she said, “I look at that and think, ‘Yeah, we didthat, but it wasn’t just me.’”

She’s motivated to give back to the communitybecause, she says, she knows she wasn’t born inthis country, into a good family, just for her ownbenefit.

“God has given us so much. We’re so blessed.We’ve got to give back,” she said.

Karpus is a physical therapist by training. She

was always involved in sports, and wanted to dosomething in medicine, so when a mom shebabysat for – who happened to be a physical ther-apist – got her a summer job in a physical thera-py office, Karpus found her niche.

She met her husband, Chris, at the University ofIllinois, then the two headed to South Carolina.

At the same time, Karpus always held a softspot in her heart for Africa. That fondness grewwhen the family hosted four children from theRoyal School and Orphanage in Uganda as theirchoir toured the Southeast.

Karpus began to feel she needed to go to Africa,but her youngest child was only a toddler, so sheset that thought aside.

As her three children, Kate, Sam and Josh,grew, Karpus continued doing physical therapywork.

One day about five years ago, her father cameto her with an idea. Her parents had moved toSouth Carolina, and he worked for a companythat had created a new type of rubbery materialthat he thought would make a good hand exercis-er.

Karpus had specialized in geriatric physical

See KARPUS Page 15Paul Zoeller/Journal Scene


and fulfilled in her chosen careerpath and glad to be able to servethe people of her hometown. Buteven if she doesn’t talk muchabout what she has done, the factremains that she has accom-plished more than most peopleever do.

Lee started opening day,ground floor, with DorchesterEMS and rose through the ranksto become a shift supervisor andfinally Deputy Director in 2006.In her off hours she has not onlyworked with various civic groupsand committees includingKiwanis, Dorchester CountyGrievance Board, Lowcountry

Regional EMS Council Board ofDirectors, and RegionalHomeland Security Board, butshe has also earned a bachelorsdegree online and is currentlyworking toward her mastersdegree.

She is also currently the treas-urer of the S.C. EMS Assocation.

As Deputy Director, second incommand over 75 employees,she has learned an entirely differ-ent, but no less important side ofthe service. Navigating her waythrough days of balancingadministrative, operational, andeven political issues is a new setof experiences for her, but she islearning a lot and enjoying it. Shecredits EMS Director DougWarren with teaching her a great

deal throughout her career andsays she hopes to one day be ableto fill his shoes.

“I would like to become thedirector of Dorchester EMS oneday,” she said. “This is my home;this is where I belong.”

Ultimately, Lee says her bestadvice to anyone starting outanywhere, but especially in EMSor any other public service occu-pation, is to understand that theimpression you make is whatpeople are going to remember.

But most of all, one shouldnever become complacent, butalways seek to learn and grow,she said.

“You have to make somethingout of yourself – if you don’tsomeone else will,” she said.

LEEfrom page 6

ered; the official diagnosisnow is “no evidence of can-cer,” Ringler says.

It was because of that lack offunding for such proceduresthat saved her son’s life thatRingler decided to organize alocal fund-raiser they called“Chase After The Cure.”

Three years later, they haveraised more than $275,000 forchildhood cancer research, andwhat had started as a one-timelocal event has grown into afull-fledged, non-profit chari-

ty.“Compared to others, we’re

pretty small potatoes but forour size, we’ve done prettywell, I think,” she said. “Ithink we would like to eventu-ally expand nationwide.”

Ringler also noted thatintense adversity does help onefind inner strength. Chase’sdisease most assuredly anddramatically changed her life,but it also matured her andhelped her find her place, herquest, her fight, she said. Shehas purpose, she says, and thatis to do her part to help all chil-dren suffering with childhoodcancers.

“One thing is for sure – younever know what is going toturn into your passion and yourlife’s work,” she said.“Certainly, I never expected tobe president of a charity.Chase is doing well now – somy focus is now these otherchildren.”

She also notes that it onlytakes one person to start some-thing.

“You just never know howwhat you’re doing is going toreach other people,” she said.“Right now, we’re just goingto keep plugging along.”

RINGLERfrom page 9

baseball and softball in theLittle League challenger divi-sion with her brother Justin, anewly enlisted Marine.

Just last year, she assistedwith paddle boarding andkayaking.

“When I realized there weremore opportunities to beinvolved I took advantage ofthem,” Johnson said.

Ashton recently landed theposition as race director for thethird annual Special OlympicsAnnual Run on Folly Beach.She was involved with allfacets of organizing the race,including rounding up spon-sors and promoting the event.

“We had everyone circle offand do a stretch with the ath-letes,” Johnson said.“Everybody got to talk withthe athletes. That helped build

our race. You actually get tosee the athletes you’re runningfor.”

The end result saw largerparticipation in the event, oneof the top three fundraisers inthe state for Special Olympics.

“Events like that are to raiseawareness of the SpecialOlympics and to give the ath-letes the courage and determi-nation to finish the race,”Johnson said.

Other aims were accom-plished too.

With Ashton’s help, Melissafought her way through theshifty sand and crossed the fin-ish line first in her division.

Parents Keith and Patriciadid their part to galvanizeAshton for the future. Bothserved the United States forover two decades, Patricia inthe Coast Guard and Keith inthe US Marine Corps. Justinhas also volunteered withSpecial Olympics.

“My parents have been aninspiration for me,” Johnsonsaid. “… They’ve always sup-ported me in everything I’vedone. I’ve got a great familysupport system.”

The Johnson family movedto Summerville a dozen yearsago from Jacksonville, N.C.

“I’ve never had a badmoment here,” she said.

Already armed with a degreein Biology and minor in psy-chology, Johnston longs to bet-ter herself academically too.She currently works as anoffice manager for her father’sconstruction company but hasapplied for nursing school, andis mulling over the idea ofgraduate school.

Perhaps a paid position withthe Special Olympics organi-zation is in her future.“Hopefully something like thatcould unfold for me,” she said.

JOHNSONfrom page 11

ing on one of the schools’ sportsteams, often with a cooler full of

Gatorade by her side to ensurethe athletes don’t get dehydrated.And when she has a spareminute, which isn’t so often, youcan typically find her lobbying alocal business owner in an effort

to foster a business partnership

for a school or talking to some-

one about what her own compa-

ny might be able to chip in for a

local charity auction.

FARRELLfrom page 12

Watch. “I tease her that the onlyboard she has not been on latelyis DREAM and that we are goingto have our turn sometime. I def-initely feel like she is a womanthat gives a lot and has a lot togive.”

Shows has been on the boardfor the Arts Business CivicCoalition since the early 90’s.

“To me getting a variety of arts-oriented groups working togetheris something very vital to theSummerville area,” Shows said.“When groups cross-promoteeach other it helps build ourentire downtown community andhelps push people toward the the-atre. It allows us to spread theword in multiple arenas.”

She has played major roles inhelping groups establish businesspartnerships and served as theboard’s secretary. Recently, she

volunteered to produce a dinnertheatre to raise funds for theCoalition. The project was a hugehit and she went on to producefour other dinner theatres.

She has also worked diligentlyfor Summerville’s Arts Educa-tion Week initiative, localPTSAs, the Summerville HighSchool Backstage Boosters andfundraisers such as Wine in thePines and Critique my Antiquefundraisers.

SHOWSfrom page 10

She remembers the first time helaboriously wrote his name, onthe chalkboard-paint coveredwall next to her kitchen, whileshe cooked.

Frankly, it wasn’t even clear heknew his name, and suddenly hewas putting all the letters togeth-er and writing it out.

“It was the manifestation ofeverything we’d been pouringinto him,” she said.

As with so many other “inch-stones,” it was the sudden visibleflowering of a seed that had beengerminating for a long time, andJames knows there are moreblooms ahead.

There are missteps, too.She smiles ruefully at the rook-

ie mistakes she made when Grant

won the “terrific kid of themonth” award at SpannElementary.

She failed to prepare him forthe changes of the day. Instead,he heard “no” all day long – no,you’re not riding the bus likeusual, you’re riding in the carwith mommy; no, you can’t wearshorts, you have to wear a suit –until, she said, “on the terrific kidday he had one of the biggestmeltdowns of his life.”

Autism is a foe that can jumpup and sucker punch her at anytime, she said. Nonetheless, shefights constantly against havingher son relegated to the “other”pile, the “discard” pile.

“He’s going to do it in his way.He’s going to do it on his time.But he’s going to do it,” she said.

She recalls a recent victory,when Grant asked to go outsideduring a rainstorm. Grant hates

the sensation of raindrops fallingon his head, so she was takenaback by his request.

He was purposeful, though, soshe let him go. The effort it tookhim to stand in the rain was visi-ble; he stood there clenching hisfists and fighting the urge to runinside.

But he kept repeating, “It’s justwater. It’s just water.”

For any other child this would-n’t seem a big deal, but for Grantit was huge, and for his mother itwas yet another small moment ofbeauty and grace.

“I have a six-year-old teacher inmy house,” she said.

She’s learned to slow down andappreciate such moments, andshe is hopeful about Grant’sfuture.

“I think I’m going to be pleas-antly surprised by what he’s ableto do,” she said.

JAMESfrom page 5

their schools.“My little fellow came out

of the gate loving recyclingand the trash truck which ofcourse warmed my heart,”Hamilton said.

She continues to work withfirst-graders, teaching themabout good environmentalpractices and helping themcheck the recycling bins attheir school.

“I have friends who are intocompeting in triathlons, but I

like picking up trash on theside of the road,” Hamiltonsaid. “That is just what I doand I love it. Kids are dear tomy heart so it is easy toimmerse myself into schoolprojects.”

She helps schools securegrants and manages ateacher’s closet that has nowserved 1,000 teachers.Hamilton works with localbusinesses, encouragingthem to donate materials toteachers that would likelyjust be thrown away other-wise.

She has served on school

improvement councils,PTSA boards and the AlstonMiddle School ParentLiaison and PrincipalReplacement committees andbeen a team mom for theSummerville High Schoolswim team, Pine Forest swimteam and Summerville Stormcross country team. Just thisyear, she became a shadowfor a fifth-grade student atKnightsville ElementarySchool.

Hamilton is also a motherof three and a Sunday Schoolteacher at SummervillePresbyterian Church.

HAMILTONfrom page 8


therapy, and she typicallywouldn’t use the resistancebands already on the marketbecause they hurt herpatients. The new materialwas much stretchier, but alsosoft and comfortable.

Karpus and her fatherworked together to designnew physical therapy tools,and in 2008 they brought theproduct to market.

A new company, Re-Design, was born. Theresponse from therapists wasphenomenal, and Karpusquickly branched out bydesigning tools specificallyaimed at children.

Karpus also made her com-pany a tool for giving. Tenpercent of the net proceeds ofeach Internet sale goestoward charity.

And some of the tools shedesigned are now in thehands of children in Uganda,after Karpus was finally ableto travel there as part of aPalmetto Medical Initiative

team. The experience was amaz-

ing, Karpus said. She sawincredible poverty, so farbeyond poverty in this coun-try, and she read and thoughtabout tackling poverty in away that produces change.

One of the things thatimpressed her about PMI ishow it focuses on improvinghealthcare in a sustainableway. It has established ahealth clinic in Masindi that isrun by Ugandans and chargesa small fee so it can sustainitself.

Now it’s expanding healthservices to the small rural vil-lages, and it’s to those areasthat visiting Americans trav-el.

Karpus and her group of 30saw 1,500 patients over thecourse of five days, and shewas astonished at the prob-lems, like a leg broken threeyears ago that had never beenset and so didn’t heal proper-ly.

She was most astounded bythe fate of disabled children.

“If you have a disabilitythere, you’re probably going

to die, plain and simple,” shesaid.

Karpus wants to changethat. She wants to change thelives of disabled children indeveloping countries, and hernext project is to design awalker that can be used ondirt and rocky paths.

Karpus is also concernedabout the fate of disabledchildren here, and to that endshe serves on the board of thePlay Today Foundation,which seeks to install accessi-ble play structures near theMiracle League fields so ther-apists can do integrated thera-py with their young patients.

Sometimes all this activityfeels like spinning plates, butKarpus feels fortunate to havethe ability to give and to livein this time when the Internetempowers people and shrinksthe world.

She thinks of their driver inUganda, who exchangesmessages with her onFacebook.

“They’re not so far away,”she said. “They’re peopleGod loves just like us.”

KARPUSfrom page 13

“You never know what a randomact of kindness can do. I trulybelieve that. … (but) it was notuntypical of some of the professorsthere,” she said.

Myers did return, as a continuingeducation student studying historyand public affairs, simultaneouslyworking in the continuing educationdepartment and encouraging otherwomen to complete their degrees.She earned her degree in 1980 andimmediately set to work in the col-lege’s development office, whereshe worked for 18 years.

She enjoyed her time in the office,which involved traveling all over thestate to raise money -- including tothe home of Summerville’s mayor,whose wife Janie was also aColumbia College alumna.

Fundraising has been a major partof her professional and charitablework. Asking for money is intimi-dating for many, but Myers saidshe’s OK with it for causes that are“near and dear” to her heart.

“I don’t mind asking people tosupport a cause I believe in strong-ly,” she said.

“If you don’t ask, you won’t get a

‘yes’ or ‘no’,” she said. She was also willing to jump into a

completely new, and rather public,life with Berlin Myers. Both wid-owed, the pair married in May 2000.

Myers decided the best way to getto know her new home was to getinvolved, and early on she attendedan information session by the fledg-ling organization called Children inCrisis.

“It was really an eye-opening ses-sion for me. The statistics wereastounding,” she said.

At first, she said, the organizationintended to build a children’s shelter.But as state and federal funding pri-orities shifted, supporters realized ashelter wasn’t the way to go.Instead, they began to focus on cre-ating a children’s advocacy center.

The center provides for a central-ized place to handle abuse victims’cases. Children don’t have to be re-traumatized by telling their story tomultiple officials, and representa-tives from all involved agencies cansit down together and work out aplan for each child, Myers said.

Myers said she’s always impressedby the “incredibly qualified staff.”

Of course, none of that existed 11years ago, and supporters were cast-ing about for ideas to raise money.

Pam Linton brought up the idea of

a kitchen tour, and she and WellynMoore went to a few to gather ideas.

The Summerville group decided todo something more than what otherkitchen tours were doing. Instead ofallowing people just to look athomes, they decided to bring inchefs and offer tasting menus. Theyadded musical entertainment andfloral decorations, and they clus-tered the tour homes in one locationso people could easily walk fromhome to home.

The idea was a hit. The group,which had about $20,000 in thebank, raised $75,000.

“After the first year, we realizedwe had hit on something unique,”Myers said.

The tour has continued each year,and the weekend of events sur-rounding the kitchen tour brings inabout 15 percent of the center’sbudget.

As Myers considers the path herlife has taken, she says she feelsblessed.

“Along the way I’ve met someincredible people and made someincredible friends,” she said.

“It’s wonderful to look back onyour life and see those moments thatwere life-changing,” she said.

MYERSfrom page 7

2012 women to watch

Documents

small company insummerville

care ofthe people

years honorees

andevery year weintroduce

u n t i n gprocess onewe

honorees repre

woman towatch

inyears past