Best Moving Company in Folly Beach

Published: Oct. 10, 2024 at 2:05 AM PDT|

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - A Lowcountry nonprofit that works to enhance the lives of veterans and their families is giving the community an inside look at what they do and the impact they have.

The Warrior Surf Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was founded in the Lowcountry in 2015. The organization offers a free surf therapy, yoga, one-on-one wellness coaching and a sense of community to veterans.

The organization focuses specifically on veterans struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, transition issues and other mental health issues.

Warrior Surf Foundation offers a 12-week program that is free for anyone who is military affiliated, whether they are a veteran, an active-duty member, or even a family member of a veteran.

But for the first time ever, the organization will host a community day for anyone of any age to come out to see what they do and meet the Warrior Surf Team.

The different outlets that the organization offers allow veterans to work with physical barriers they may have developed while serving, as well as mental barriers like anger and trust issues.

Joshua Suggs is the chief surf instructor for the organization and a veteran himself. Suggs served in the army and has been a part of the Warrior Surf Foundation for four years. He says that throughout his time with the program, he has seen it completely change the lives of the participants and helped break barriers for them both physically and mentally.

“I have watched people who carry around that anger and aren’t exactly socially capable anymore, completely turn around like a full 180. And you see people come out of their shells, which is kind of their safety mechanism. They’ve been hurt so many times and lost trust through the military, and they feel capable of being in society again because of community,” Suggs says.

One of the organization’s mottos is “leave it on the beach,” encouraging the veterans to be present in the moment and to release any negative feelings they may be having. While the therapy programs are impactful, Suggs shared the top reason he encourages veterans to check their organization out.

“Mostly for the community. In all honesty, I mean, there’s surfing everywhere. You can do yoga at home if you really want to. And just specifically for veterans, the VA offers therapy, but if you want to get involved with a new group of people that will make you feel comfortable, vulnerable, if you wish, safe, which is a really hard thing for vets specifically that’s why they should get involved. Come and find new people that are experiencing the same struggles that are also seeking something to help with those struggles,” he says.

For anyone interested in checking out what this organization does, they will have the opportunity to do so this weekend.

The Warrior Surf Foundation will host their first ever community day Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at 3rd Street West on Folly Beach.

The event is free and open for anyone of any age or skill level in the community to attend, military affiliated or not.

They will be accepting donations at this event to go completely toward the Warrior Surf Foundation’s Surf Therapy Program.

The community day will begin with yoga at 8 a.m., surfing from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a large group meditation. It is an opportunity to see what “Day One” is like for those who participate in the 12-week program.

Event leaders say that participants should bring a towel, change of clothes, sunscreen, water and a snack. Foam surfboards will also be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in attending can RSVP through this link here. They will also need to fill out the waiver linked here.

For those interested in supporting the work the organization does, donations can be made here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

|Updated: Oct. 8, 2024 at 8:09 PM EDT

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - Miles of the Folly Beach shoreline have been restored months after strong storms peeled back portions of the beachfront.

“If you were here in May, and you’re here today, you probably notice a big difference. If it’s your first time, you probably walk out and say, ‘Wow, that is a beautiful beach,’” Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin says.

“On an undernourished beach, like the one we had months ago, water was going past the dunes, onto the streets for a normal high tide or king tide. For a renourished beach, you won’t see the same impacts,” Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Wes Wilson says.

The renourishment also dredged the Folly River to reduce shoaling. It placed materials on the Bird Key sanctuary habitat. The project overall cost a total of $22 million to complete.

Projects like this one are typically done before peak hurricane season begins. It is believed to help preserve the shoreline and even out eroded areas. This project, which started in the Spring, was prompted by the effects of Hurricane Ian.

“We don’t get the replenishment of sand as it moves down the coast because the jetties stop them on the other side of the harbor. Every few years we have to renourish more often than a lot of other folks,” Goodwin says.

The Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Folly Beach recently updated their contract to ensure the continuation of renourishment and preservation efforts on Folly Beach for the next half-century.

“That 50-year partnership will create a new design template that is more dunes-centric. Again with berm, higher dunes, still a berm. The dunes provide that higher level of risk reduction so that’s a better template, a bigger bang for your buck,” Wilson says.

The new plan also adds in wood panel fencing, which is used to hold the sand in its place and act as a barrier.

Goodwin says the timing is perfect after a few recent “near misses” and some storm surges on their way in.

“It can disappear as fast as it comes, faster than it comes actually. With the right winds, waves, Nor’easters, hurricanes,” Goodwin says. “That empty feeling in the pit of your stomach, knowing you did that work, but if the storm doesn’t move further out, you did it for nothing.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Mary Rhodes is celebrating a century. She was born in 1924 and raised just outside of Summerville with her parents, two sisters, and three brothers.

“I still call it the country,” said Rhodes. “We had a lot of fun. It was out in the country and the church was right there close by.”

Talking about her time as a young girl, she had no car… heck, no electricity. She used a paper fan to keep cool in the hot Lowcountry summers.

But there was one time when she was 11, she just had to have some ice cream.

“My cousin, she drove the mule, but I sat on the back holding a block of ice on his rump. To the day I figure how cruel it was because I know his rear-end was frozen by the time we got home, but we got the ice cream made and thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Before so many milestones, one thing she and her family always made sure of… they made it to church every Sunday.

“We were raised in church. We go every Sunday- no matter what, we went.”

Her memories are as vivid today as the day they happened. Like one with her mother.

“I’ll never forget the time she learned how instead of putting food in a jar, you could put it in a can and seal it. I will always remember that. Now you didn’t have to mess with the jars.”

A much simpler life, Rhodes graduated from Berkeley High School in 1941 and had a few jobs, including at the Navy shipyard. That’s when she moved to Folly Beach and met her future husband in 1945.

“He would come over after he got off work and visit. Next thing we knew, we were dating.”

A full life, living on the beach where everyone knew everyone else. She worked at a concrete company and helped with her parent’s store. But Rhodes credits her longevity to her children.

“They mean everything in the world to me. They are so faithful. I guess that’s why I’ve lived as long as I have, because I have good children.”

No secret to this life well-lived. “Just stayin’ busy. Trying to eat right. But other than that, there’s no pattern to follow,” she said.

Nowadays what Rhodes has to do, and loves to do, is keep her yard looking good.

“I love to go out there and work,” she said.

Rhodes has 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren with one on the way, and two great-great grandchildren. Her birthday is September 24^th.

Updated: Nov. 6, 2024 at 4:45 PM PST

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Folly Beach hopes to curb a growing need for “cost-friendly” livability by expanding access to workforce housing, but they need opinions to push them forward.

Leaders are asking the public to weigh in on ideas to bring diverse housing options closer to city limits. The idea was first introduced in July when planning commission board members discussed creating affordable long-term rental spaces.

Folly Beach has seen an increase in July long-term rentals after a cap was placed in 2023 on short-term rental options.

“It’s getting to be a bit more expensive to live on Folly Beach, and that’s starting to impact our public safety, our service workers, who are having to move further out and find places they can afford to live in,” Councilmember Chris Bizzell says.

Sarah Piscatelli has worked on Folly Beach for more than a year. She admires the character of the beachfront and its local hospitality.

“I used to live on James Island, made a shorter commute. Since we now own a house in Goose Creek, so a longer commute,” Piscatelli says. “It is so rewarding to work somewhere and commute somewhere that is so beautiful.”

Coworkers and surrounding businesses share a similar experience. The restaurants, cafes and shops lining Center Street say peak tourism season gives them the business and the energy they need, but staffing can be difficult to maintain, despite the potential of higher pay.

Local residents add attainable housing is “no doubt, a need,” but would like to see how it would be done. City officials have confirmed there is not a lot of space in city limits for development.

“I know locals are super passionate about the community we have and are obtaining. I feel like any sort of additional housing, anything built besides whatever is being done already is excessive,” Piscatelli says.

The city aims to have a formal plan by February 2025 that includes details of cost, timeline, location and design. Between that time, leaders expect to hold public hearings and meetings to dispute options.

“We won’t be building high-rises, we can’t build high-rises because we don’t have room. The avenues we want to build through planning commission may look very different than they do in other places,” Zoning Administrator, Jenna Stephens, says. “Planning commission is about to send out a survey we hope business workers will answer, to know how far they live, how far they commute, how much they pay, are they looking for housing on Folly Beach and would they benefit from some sort of help.”

Bizzell says this is the time for “creative solutions,” as it can be difficult to gauge an “affordable” definition for housing. He adds the average single family home could cost anywhere between $3,000 and $4,000 a month.

To submit public comment on this project, you can contact the city of Folly Beach here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCBD) – Toby’s Spooktacular Sweep, a Halloween celebration, returns for its third year at Folly Beach this year.

The annual beach sweep events kicks off Halloween early on Oct. 27. Participants are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes while they pick up litter along one of the six stations. The family-friendly event will provide Halloween temporary tattoos, slap wristbands, and stickers.

Vanessa Oltmann, founder of Toby’s Spooktacular Sweep, said why she organizes this event around the holiday.

“I decided we need to have fun, so what wouldn’t be better than to do a costume sweep, a spectacular – spooktacular for everyone,” Oltmann said.

The turnout for the event has been impactful to the coastal community by keeping areas within the beach clean.

“We’ve had over 300 volunteers over the past two years and we’ve collected close to 2300 pieces of debris,” Oltmann said.

Toby the Turtle and the City of Folly Beach host the sweep, while they continue to have a partnership with the South Carolina Aquarium.

“The aquarium provides all the supplies and the necessary equipment for us to be able to collect data” Oltmann said. “Which is very important in this world for us to know what kind of debris is in the ocean or on the earth, because everything that’s out there on the ground ends up in the ocean. And we want to protect wildlife, domestic life, marine life, and human life so that all affects us.”

Surrounding the beach sweep, one of the major concerns is plastics. Oltmann said anything that ends up in the ocean or in our waterways, eventually ends up in our bodily systems.

“This data actually helps us to be able to go to the city or any politicians to say look, we have an issue. What can we do to resolve the problem, the founder said. “This is why the sweeps are so important, they make the public aware of what’s here.”

The beach sweep is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. with the costume contest to follow at 4 p.m. along with treats at the participating restaurants. For those who wish to participate, must sign up to receive a wristband and free parking.