Chiropractic Care in Seabrook Island, SC

By Thad Peterson for The Island Connection

Each year, the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook awards grants to organizations in the Lowcountry whose mission is to help the citizens of Johns and Wadmalaw Island. This year’s award ceremony, held Nov. 2 at the Seabrook Island Club, was a celebration of the great work being done by these organizations for the community. Recipient organizations are identified by Club member committees in five categories and organizations are vetted in detail, and in many cases Club members conduct on-site visits with the organizations prior to making the awards. It’s not unusual for the relationship between the organizations and Club members to extend beyond the grant, with Club members providing counsel and serving on the boards of various organizations. Since the program was launched, the Club has granted more than $2.5 million to organizations supporting Johns and Wadmalaw Island. Representatives from recipient organizations attended the event and were recognized for the significant contribution that they make to the quality of life on Johns and Wadmalaw Island. The Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook is a service organization committed to community enrichment through the support and development of programs which focus upon the prevention of child abuse, youth development and education, Americanism, and community outreach.

The Club holds dinner meetings about every two weeks, providing an opportunity for fellowship and fun, along with a guest speaker discussing some aspects of life in the Lowcountry. Other activities include an annual holiday event and excursions to the Charleston Symphony throughout the year.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THIS YEAR’S AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR EACH CATEGORY:

Community Service/ Hunger and Mentoring

• Backpack Buddies

• Blessings Basket

• Meals on Wheels

• Sea Island Cares

• Sweetgrass Garden Co-op

• New Webster Food Pantry

• Fields to Families

• Hebron-Zion Food Pantry

• Hebron-Zion Senior Citizens

• AMOR Kitchen

• St. James Bethel AME Sunday Dinner

Health and Housing

• Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic

• Paraclete Foundation

• Habitat for Humanity

• Water Wellness Mission

Child Abuse/Prevention

• Dee Norton Advocacy Center

• Florence Crittenton Programs of SC

• Low Country Orphan Relief (LOR)

• HALOS

Youth and Education

• Angel Oak Elementary School

• Camp Happy Days

• Camp Hi Hopes

• Charleston Collegiate School

• Community and Schools

• CSO Education

• Edith Frierson Elementary School

• Haut Gap Middle School

• Mt. Zion Elementary School

• Youth of the Month

• High School Scholarships

Americanism

• Friends of the Fisher House

• Seabrook Island Veterans Day Golf Outing

If you are interested in learning more about us, please fill out a membership application form at ecks.memberclicks.net/ or contact Bob Leggett at rmlegg8@gmail.com.

South Carolina is known for its spectacular landscapes, with Charleston being one of its major attractions. Charleston offers many things to experience, but its beaches are definitely at the top of the list. While each of these beaches comes with unique features, spectacular views, an incredibly quiet atmosphere, and gorgeous shores are common characteristics. Whether looking for secluded spots for a relaxing vacation, Charleston is the best place to be. Here are the city's 10 beaches travelers can't afford to miss.

Burkes Beach

Tourists can experience the best of South Carolina’s sunsets and sunrises from Burkes Beach, which is easily accessible by bike. Travelers can always rent bikes nearby if that's the way they'd like to get around. There is so much to experience at the beach, from beach volleyball to playing tennis and basketball on the courts. There are beach amenities like umbrellas, chairs, and a fenced dog park, where vacationers can take their dogs. If someone is coming in a car, there is a parking space at the end of Burkes Beach Road.

Folly Beach

Folly back is one of the best island beaches in Charleston and is a popular surfing spot, if not the locals' favorite. The beach is packed with several colorful shops, restaurants, hotels, and beach rentals – and it is a perfect time to spend a relaxing moment. The beach is reachable via a short drive from downtown Charleston, making it a gateway to some of the city's most iconic attractions. Travelers should know that summers can have this beach crowded, so arriving early, perhaps by 10:00 am, is the trick.

Edisto Beach

Boasting four and a half miles of gorgeous coastline, Edisto beach is one spot not to miss, especially if into a relatively calm and quiet place. It is also among the most family-friendly beaches, offering numerous activities for both adults and kids. Nestled in Edisto Island, about an hour's drive from downtown Charleston, Edisto Beach is an excellent spot for night camping, picnicking, and looking for seashells, perhaps with family or friends. It is located in a state park, giving access to numerous hiking and biking trails to explore.

Isle Of Palms

Isle of Palms boasts seven miles of beautiful shoreline, and being a close community; families can have the best beach vacation experience here. It is a great place to watch sea turtles and enjoy the beautiful white sands. Plus, there are many activities to explore, from golfing to fishing to boating and water sports. If not with kids, visit Windjammer’s beach bar once the sun goes down after spending a whole day outdoors. The bar’s atmosphere is great, and it serves well-mixed drinks and a pool.

Kiawah Island

It takes a forty-minute drive to get to Kiawah Island from the Historic Charleston if travelers take the State Road 2-10-20. With so many things to see and do on this beach, including swimming, sunbathing, going on nature walks, and biking, it is definitely one of the best to visit in Charleston. The island boasts an incredible shopping village, golfing and tennis opportunities, boating, and fishing. The island's beaches are beautiful, and they feature white sand.

Sullivan’s Island

Located north of the Charleston harbor, Sullivan's Island boasts a population of about 2,000 people and offers. From the island, vacationers will enjoy magnificent views and a fantastic dining scene – and it is a spot loved by the locals. It is important to note that there are no hotels on the island, so vacationers can only make their visit a day trip. Travelers should arrive there early because parking can be a problem. The beach doesn't have public lots for parking, and vacationers can only use one side of the street.

Seabrook Island

Located amidst Edisto and Kiawah Islands, Seabrook Island boasts beautiful beaches that vacationers can't regret exploring. The island's main beaches are located in a private beachfront community and provide a perfect relaxing spot on beautiful sands. Families should opt for Pelican Beach, as it boasts calm waters and is far away from the hustle and bustle of other beaches in Charleston. Travelers looking for breathtaking sunset views should head to North Beach,

Capers Island

Boasting a perfect stretch of sand, beautifully lined with palm trees, Capers Island is incredibly dramatic and is among the best places to explore on South Carolina's coast. Visitors can only get there on boat rides, but Sullivan's Island has some charters vacationers can use. Canoeing and kayaking are other means to get there, but only for travelers into adventures. The beach is located about 20 miles away from downtown Charleston. Capers Island is a great place to go shell hunting, see the tree skeletons, and explore marine life, including some dolphins.

Pawleys Island

Nestled in Georgetown, Pawleys Island is spectacular, and it takes a 25-minute drive to get there from downtown Charleston. It is one of the oldest beaches in South Carolina and is brimming with stunning historical sites, chic cottages, and some gorgeous natural spots. Its beaches are breathtaking and are perfect for lounging and having a peaceful getaway. The island's seafront is gorgeous, and its sand dunes are spectacular. Plus, there are some of the most impressive lakes to explore on the island, so fishing is another activity to enjoy.

Cherry Grove Beach

Located on the northern side of the world-famous Myrtle Beach, Cherry Grove Beach is one of the best beaches to visit in Charleston. One of the most impressive attractions on the beach is the fishing pier, an incredible spot to catch some big fish and watch other sea creatures. The beach offers several activities, including golfing, shopping, and fantastic seafood options in the top-notch restaurants spread throughout the beach.

By Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol for The Island Connection

The Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol completed another exceptional season in 2022. More than 125 Seabrookers volunteered their time for the SITP. The primary sea turtle found on Seabrook is the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (scientific name – caretta caretta) which is South Carolina’s official state reptile. In South Carolina, the season typically runs from May through October. In 2022, the first Loggerhead nest was found on Seabrook on May 10 and the last was laid on July 25. The final nest inventory was performed on Oct. 3. In total, there were 79 nests laid on Seabrook, besting last year’s second best number of 76 nests. SITP was pleased to re-introduce publicly announced inventories after a two year hiatus. Most inventories were publicized and members of the public were once again able to have the wonderful opportunity of watching hatchlings crawl to the water. Members of the education committee attended each public inventory to inform the public about sea turtles and the importance of good beach behavior so these turtles will have a better chance of surviving.

Adult loggerheads average 200 to 300 pounds, can live 70 to 80 years or more and begin nesting upon reaching sexual maturity at about 20-30 years of age. Loggerhead turtles are found worldwide and Seabrook’s population is classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Many human activities have a negative impact on Sea Turtles including entanglement in abandoned or lost fishing gear, vessel strikes, egg poaching, beach erosion, beach front development and marine pollution.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, everyone can do their part to help this amazing species by observing the following:

• Reduce marine debris that may entangle or be eaten by sea turtles.

• Reduce plastic use to keep our beaches and oceans clean.

• Refrain from releasing balloons, they’ll likely end up in the ocean where sea turtles can mistake them for food.

• Keep nesting beaches dark and safe for sea turtles. Turn off, shield or redirect lights visible from the beach.

• Do not disturb nesting turtles, nests or hatchlings.

• Remove recreational beach equipment like chairs, umbrellas and boats at night so sea turtles are not entrapped or turned away.

• Fill in holes and knock down sandcastles before you leave the beach.

In addition to human activities, 2022 was not without its natural challenges on Seabrook.

A total of 14 nests were at least partially depredated by raccoons. Turtle patrol walkers, who walk every part of the beach each morning, were sorry to discover that five of those 14 nests were completely dug up by raccoons during the previous evenings. In addition, two nests were washed over by September’s King Tides. Neither of those nests produced hatchlings. Events such as these reinforce the fact that in addition to human risks, the sea turtle population faces many natural hazards. Nonetheless, this season was a great success. SITP welcomes everyone’s cooperation, support and well wishes and looks forward to an even more successful season in 2023.

SITP is licensed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and is supported financially by the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association, the Town of Seabrook and public donations.

SEABROOK ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - An ongoing battle over short-term rentals is brewing on Seabrook Island, where homeowners say uncontrolled growth of properties is affecting their quality of life.

Homeowners Ted Flerlage and Paul McLaughlin said although they do not want to end short-term rentals on the island, the effects of recent growth have prompted them to call for a cap on short-term rentals.

“If you come here in July, around July Fourth, as a resident walking out boardwalk one, let’s say, to north beach, there’s no space, and that is a rental issue,” Flerlage, who has lived on the island since March 2020, said. “That is a noise issue. It is a parking issue because every spot on the limited parking area is taken.”

The two homeowners have spearheaded the Preserve Seabrook effort. A letter sent to residents as part of the effort says concerns “center on the uncontrolled growth of short-term rentals, especially on streets where there are many full-time and private residential properties.”

“We aim to retain a reasonable offering of properties that can be rented by guests who love to visit and vacation on our beautiful island, while ensuring Seabrook does not gradually morph into a resort community,” the letter states. “We believe adding a cap on the number of resort properties on Seabrook would protect the unique qualities of our island while allowing revenue generated through rental properties to continue to flow back to the town through state and county accommodation taxes that the renters pay.”

Over 300 residents have signed a petition to cap the number of short-term rentals on the island, according to McLaughlin.

The petition seeks a single question on the Nov. 2, 2021 ballot that asks if voters support:

“Seabrook, when I bought here in 2002 and built our house here in 2009, it was more like ‘Cheers,’” McLaughlin said. “Everybody knew your name. Now, with the influx of 500 rental properties and growing, it’s changed a lot, and the quality of life on the island has changed a lot.”

Seabrook Island Mayor John Gregg said a petition from those calling for a cap has been sent to a committee, which will conduct a factual inquiry and then report to town council with recommendations.

“The object for the ad hoc committee was to identify inquiries of factual matters that could inform council as it considers whether or not it is warranted to do further regulation,” Gregg said.

The mayor added that to operate a short-term rental on the island, homeowners need to have a business license and a permit from the town.

McLaughlin and Flerlage said they welcome the data-driven effort but want more communication from the town and to work with them on a solution.

“Our question to them: What is the tipping point? If 500 isn’t the tipping point, is it 600? Is it 700? Is it 800? So, in the meantime, we need to figure it out,” McLaughlin said. “We need to halt what’s going on. Everybody keeps what they currently have, and we study the problem, and we figure out what the solution would be. We don’t make the problem worse while continuing to study it.”

“These are people who live in South Carolina and vote in South Carolina who live on the island and vote on the island,” Flerlage said. “These are the people who are their direct constituents – the people who vote for the mayor and the town council. It’s more than 300 of those people who signed up, which is nearly as many as who voted for them in the last election on Nov. 2, and in our opinion, there has been no communication and we’ve been getting fairly short-tripped on the issue.”

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.

DeeDee and Chris Gibson have spent time on Kiawah Island, about 25 miles south of Charleston, for about four decades. “DeeDee and I built a house here, and one request she had was that we had a hospital close by for emergency needs,” he said.

But there wasn’t one. Now, thanks to the generosity of the Gibsons and other donors, that’s about to change. The mayors of Kiawah and Seabrook islands joined leaders from MUSC on Sept. 8 to break ground for the MUSC Health Sea Islands Medical Pavilion.

DeeDee Gibson, who with her husband contributed $2 million to the project, was on hand to see it. “I’m just glad to be a part of it. We just needed it so badly.”

The pavilion, on Seabrook Island Road near the Bohicket Marina, will serve Kiawah, Johns and Seabrook islands and the surrounding area. Pat Cawley, M.D., CEO of the MUSC Health system, said the goal is to bring health care to the people who need it. “We would establish this by providing a 24/7 emergency room, more primary care, more specialty care and all of this would be backed up by a world-class academic health system.”

Here’s a little more detail about the features Cawley mentioned. The free-standing Emergency Department will have a helipad for people who need to be flown to MUSC Health’s downtown Charleston hospital, four exam rooms, two trauma rooms and fast-track triage, along with X-ray, CT scan and lab services.

Other services in the medical pavilion will include:

David Cole, M.D., president of the Medical University of South Carolina, said the pavilion symbolizes the future health of the community and thanked everyone who helped make it possible.

“Your dedication to the health and wellness of this community will have an impact for generations to come. This marks a major milestone for this community and the many who will come after you and also the many who will serve here on a daily basis, certainly a beginning of a journey.”

That journey is possible due in part to the real estate investment firm South Street Partners. It donated the land for the medical pavilion and has strong ties to the area, including a luxury senior living site under development near the medical pavilion.

But the journey to this point hasn’t always been easy. Charles Schulze, chairman of the MUSC Board of Trustees, noted the time and effort that have gone into it.

“As an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam war, I know the importance and necessity of teamwork. When you have a complex mission ahead of you, in those situations, your unity as a team is your biggest strength. And it didn’t matter where you live, where you were from or what your background was in our military. You learned that persistence, perseverance, collaboration and expertise are critical to the success of a mission,” he said.

“And it’s been no different in this case. When the board began to discuss the feasibility of this project, we knew it wasn’t going to happen without teamwork and vision. Not only from everybody at MUSC, but also from the community here in the Sea Islands.”

Leaders of those islands were happy to help realize that vision. They thanked MUSC Health for bringing badly needed care to the area.

“We look forward to having better availability of care, ranging from emergency room treatment to advanced diagnostics for the ailments, bumps, pains, scrapes, stings and strains that come with having an active and diverse population,” said Mayor John Gregg of Seabrook Island.

Kiawah Mayor John Labriola said he also looked forward to seeing the healing, restful green space and garden adjacent to the new facility that his town donated $1 million for.

MUSC is still raising money to build the medical pavilion. Of the estimated $30 million needed, MUSC is committed to raising $17 million in private support. So far, it has more than $9.5 million in confirmed gifts, with many coming from local residents such as the Gibsons. They said it’s rewarding to be able to help.

“We’re really excited to be a part and contribute to MUSC and really look forward to having the medical needs for everybody on Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands,” Chris Gibson said.