Ten at the Top
Upstate News

February 3, 2014 - Vol 5, Issue 2
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
February 11th
Senior Issues Committee Meeting
10:00am-12:00pm
124 Verdae Boulevard, Suite 202
Greenville, SC

February 11th
Regional Summit Steering Committee Meeting
3:30-4:30 pm
124 Verdae Boulevard, Suite 202
Greenville, SC

February 13th

Ten at the Top Board Meeting

12:00-2:00 pm

Mauldin Cultural Center

101 East Butler Road

Mauldin, SC

 

February 27th

Upstate Professional Planners Meeting

9:00-11:00am

Mauldin Cultural Center

101 East Butler Road

Mauldin, SC  

Register Here 

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TOP TEN 2013 ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR TEN AT THE TOP

Since 2010, Ten at the Top has conducted more than 322 regional engagements with over 19,000 regional participants. During 2013, Ten at the Top was extremely active in working with others across the Upstate on activities that positively impact economic vitality and quality of life in the region.  

The 2013 "Top Ten" for Ten at the Top are: 

 

10.) Senior Issues Group looks at gaps in senior services across the Upstate


9.) Bringing together water and waste water utility directors from across the Upstate to sign a joint statement related to state water availability and planning


8.) Partnering with other regional organizations to convene two Upstate Elected Officials Meetings


7.) Coordinating the Clean Air Upstate education and outreach campaign


6.) Partnering with the Barbara Stone Foundation to convene meeting of organizations that support individuals with disabilities 

 

5.) Conducting 97 Regional meetings, presentations, programs and forums with 3,300 participants


4.) Partnering with Hughes Investments to create the Elevate Upstate Community Vibrancy Grants program and awarding the first three program grants


3.) Coordinating increase in the number of Upstate schools participating in the DHEC Breathe Better no-idling program from 14 to 33 

 

2.) Partnering with USC Upstate to develop a list of 50 community
vibrancy initiatives from across the country and holding four
Community Vibrancy Workshops across the Upstate 

 

1.) Convening the seven United Ways in the Upstate and supporting their effort to create the Upstate Born Learning Early Childhood Education Messaging Campaign

 

For a complete copy of Ten at the Top's Year in Review, click here.

 

UPSTATE ALLIANCE ANNUAL MEETING

Join the Upstate SC Alliance and business leaders from across the region as they celebrate the successes of 2013. And don't miss nationally acclaimed Bruce J. Katz and his message on the Metropolitan Revolution that is changing our economy and the way we compete globally. Katz is a vice president at the Brookings Institution and founding director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

He is also co-author of The Metropolitan Revolution (Brookings Press, 2013), a distillation of his work on the emerging metropolitan-led "next economy" and its practitioners around the country working to produce more and better jobs driven by innovation, exports and sustainability.  

 

The meeting will be March 26th from 11:30-1:30 at the TD Convention Center in Greenville. For more information and to register visit: www.upstatescallianceannualmeeting.com.

 

PENDLETON PLACE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013 

In 2013, Pendleton Place provided 8,653 days of residential care for 52 children and youth. They helped children cope with trauma by facilitating over 400 hours of on-site therapy and healthcare. Children at Pendleton Place need to visit family, go on recreational outings, to court appointments, sports practice, the dentist and more.  

 

Pendleton Place hosted 1,708 family phone calls and visits, enjoyed 25 group trips or outings, made 72 trips to the dentist, 28 trips to the optometrist, and performed over 1000 hours of community service. They served 60,523 healthy meals and snacks. All of this was just for the children located at Pendleton Place. 

 

Pendleton Place has been able to expand our programs to work towards achieving our vision of a community in which children are safe, families are strong, and victims become whole again. They launched the Family and Child Assessment Center and began providing comprehensive assessment services for children and families entering foster care. These assessments, completed through partnerships with Greenville Health System's Children's Hospital and Greenville County DSS, allowed them to provide critical information to DSS and the court system so that children and families receive needed services and can work towards permanency, safety, and well-being.  

 

The Family Bridges program opened its doors in the summer of 2013, providing the only supervised visitation and safe custody exchange site in the Upstate. Through this program, children are able to establish and maintain positive relationships with their non-custodial parent in a safe and healthy way.

 

They were able to expand the residential program to include a new community-based initiative; together, these services are now known as the Smith Supportive Services program. Through the community-based initiative, they are able to provide critical after-care services for youth aging out of foster care and targeted case management for at-risk youth and their families.

 

For more information about Pendleton Place, check out their website

 
FURMAN UNIVERSITY ONE OF FOUR FINALISTS IN SECOND NATURE'S 2014 CLIMATE LEADERSHIP AWARD
Second Nature, a national nonprofit that works to create a healthy, just, and sustainable society by transforming higher education, has announced the finalists for the 2014 Climate Leadership Awards. The awards are in their fifth year. This is an annual, national competition among colleges and universities that are signatories of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).

Second Nature has partnered with Planet Forward in a public voting competition featuring the finalists' climate leadership and campus innovations during Earth Month (April 2014). Last year's public voting process garnered around 50,000 votes.

 

Furman University has been selected as one of four finalists among baccalaureate universities in Second Nature's 2014 Climate Leadership Awards. The annual award recognizes innovative leadership in education for sustainability and the Shi Center for Sustainability, under the leadership of Dr. Angela Halfacre, continues to be a leader in this field. 

 

Awards Timeline

The awards will feature a public, online voting component. Each of the 20 finalists will produce a video that promotes its specific sustainability efforts. Voting will be open during Earth Month, April 2014. The Second Nature Board will then choose the award winners in late Spring.

 

For a complete list of award finalists, click here

 

 NXLEVEL FOR EXISTING ENTREPRENEURS

The Spartanburg SBDC, SCORE, Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce, USC Upstate/The George, City of Spartanburg, Wofford, Spartanburg Community College, and the Upstate Workforce Investment Board have partnered in order to bring an eight-session workshop to entrepreneurs who want to expand their existing business and need the skills to make it grow.

 

NxLevel is the national entrepreneur and small business training program that provides you with the framework and basic skills to develop and grow a small business. Trained facilitators, who are entrepreneurs themselves, will take you through an interactive process to help you evaluate your business concept, set your financial goals, identify your marketing niche and needs, and build your business plan.  

 

NXLEVEL FOR EXISTING ENTREPRENEURS will be held at THE GEORGE (USC Upstate Business College) located at 160 East St. John Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306 on TUESDAYS, FEBRUARY 11, 2014 through APRIL 1, 2014 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Room 270. Parking is available in the City Parking Garage located behind The George.

 

To reserve a seat for this workshop, please register online at:www.clemson.edu/sbdc

Price: $195.  

 

For more information, please contact Beth Smith at the Spartanburg Small Business Development Center via e-mail or by telephone: 864.592.6318.

 

PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT FOR CONSTRUCTION FUNDING

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is seeking comment from the public on a proposed amendment to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) that would increase and add construction funding for improvements to sections of  I-85 in Greenville County and I-526 in Charleston County.   

 

A copy of the press release announcing that public comment is being sought, the STIP Entry document and project location maps are available for public review and comment until February 12, 2014 here. Spanish Translation (Traducción en Español) is provided on the webpage.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Information provided, including name and address, is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

 

UPSTATE INFORMATION HUB HIGHLIGHTS PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
The Upstate Information Hub continues to offer a "one-stop" internet location to find links to resources and events from across the Upstate.

Overall, the Information Hub has listings of hundreds of local calendar events and more than a thousand local community resources from across the 10 counties of South Carolina's Upstate. 

In addition to the events and resources available on the web site, you can also sign up  for the weekly "Uniquely Upstate" e-newsletter, which highlights the "hot events" happening across the region that weekend and also includes a feature story that showcases something unique about the Upstate.

TEN AT THE TOP THANKS CONTINUING FUNDING PARTNERS  

Over the last three years, more than 80 organizations and individuals from across the Upstate have helped support the mission of Ten at the Top to promote collaboration and planning in the Upstate by donating funds or services as either a continuing funding partner (commitment of at least three years), annual funding partner or event sponsor.
 
Each month we will be highlighting some of these organizations that recognize the value of regional collaboration, planning and partnerships across the 10-county Upstate region as we work together to ensure that the Upstate remains a great place to live, learn, do business and raise a family for generations to come.
 

This month we want to thank our Continuing Funding Partners (three-year funding commitments) at the highest levels:

 

Regional Visionary: BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina  

 

Regional Steward: GSA Business 

 

Regional Benefactor: Greenville Health System  

 

Regional Partner: AnMed Health, Fluor 

 

Regional Sponsors: Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, BMW, Elliott Davis, Erwin Maddrey, Greenville Water, Hughes Investments, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLC, Piedmont Natural Gas, PMPA, Sealevel Systems, Trehel Corporation  

 

Interested in becoming a Ten at the Top funding partner? Contact Meredyth Boaz or call 864-283-2317 

 

Click here to view 2014 Sponsor Opportunities 

 

SHARE YOUR UPSTATE NEWS  
Latest News
If your city, county or organization has news you want to share or an event you want to promote with people across the 10-county Upstate Region, send it to us and we will include it in the next Ten at the Top e-newsletter.
 
The TATT newsletter is typically distributed the first Monday of each month (except for when there is a holiday) to more than 6,500 residents across the Upstate. The deadline for submitting information is the Thursday prior to the first Monday of the month.

Send information about an upcoming event, special recognition or anything else you think is of regional interest to Meredyth Boaz.