The Glove and Trowel Garden Club hosted by Julia A. McLaurin met on Wednesday, January 11, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. at the Dillon Wellness Center with thirteen members present.
After refreshments, President Julie Sawyer called the meeting to order and led in the Reading of our Garden Club Collect. She recognized the following members who have had birthdays since our last meeting, and our January birthdays: Amy McColl (Dec. 28), Debbie Rogers (Dec. 29), Linda Dutton (Jan. 2), Fay Sloan (Jan. 16), and Julia McLaurin (Jan. 26).
The meeting was then turned over to Lydia Carr, Program Chairman, who introduced our guest speaker, Major Hulon, who is our Dillon County Sheriff. Major heads up a program teaming up local law enforcement with Palmetto Pride.
He began his program by showing slides taken in Dillon County showing the litter that is being thrown and left on our streets and roadsides. It was shocking to see that much litter in our area! Items such as tires, bottles, appliances, paper, glass containers, cans, etc. He told us about his program and the efforts being made to control the litter problem in Dillon. For the past eight years, there has been one million two hundred thousand pounds of litter picked up -around 3,000 pounds per week.
He has an employee, Roderick Miller (“Birdman”) who took an interest in this project, and offered to go every day with a crew and pick up little in the City and outside of the City Limits. Roderick keeps daily records: miles cleaned, bags used, tires picked up, and he keeps a diary of all the roads where litter is thrown. You have to pay to take tires to the landfill, therefore, they are thrown along the roadside. Roderick has a good crew. They told him they wanted to pick up and recycle cans, etc. and donate the money to “Helping Hands”.
All of us need to strive to promote “Litter Control”. We thank Sheriff Hulon, Roderick Miller, and his helpers for all they do to help keep out City and County clean. As he said, “We need to clean it up, light it up, and keep it up.” Please help us with this project! In appreciation, our club will make a monetary donation toward this project.
President Sawyer thanked our Christmas Social Committee again for an enjoyable evening with our husbands as guest at our “Year End Meeting and Dinner Party” and for her gift (a bird feeder).
Condolences were expressed to the family of Suzanne Lewis, one of our members who died in December. Molly Pittman, Secretary, gave a report. Other Committee Reports were given. Our Press Book will be submitted before the January 15th deadline. A Nominating Committee will be appointed to secure officers for 2017-2019.
Upcoming dates to remember: March 14-Coastal Meeting, Georgetown; April 27-29; GCSC Convention, Western Poinsett Hotel, Greenville; May 18-20: NGC Convention, Richmond, VA; June 4-10: National Garden Week.