From Grit to Pearl: 10 Reasons to Smile Around Charleston
No grit, no pearl. No rain, no rainbow. No lemons, no limoncello, are we right?
The world and our local community are still wading through some dark, treacherous waters and tumultuous times, but there is still so much to smile about in our beloved Charleston, so here at Grit & Grace Studio, we’re bringing you another dose of sunshine with our Grit to Pearl series! (Did you miss last week’s dose of good news? Click here!)
Among other joyful moments, we’ll discuss Bill Murray starring in a local fitness series, a duckling rescue, a pink super moon, and some truly heroic people walking among us (at an appropriate distance). We’ve got a bevy of beautiful stories to keep you hopeful, inspired, and connected. Scroll on down for the full read. Got some good news of your own? We’d love to hear it!
10 Reasons to Smile In Charleston Today
The Dewberry Lit Up Our City With LOVE
Swanky downtown hotel The Dewberry shone a light in the dark this week by orchestrating the lights in their rooms to spell “LOVE” across the facade of their building as a beautiful reminder that love conquers all. We love this photo by Charleston-based photographer Andrew Cebulka!
Bill Murray Stars in a Fitness Video for Local Gym
If Peloton is failing you, it’s Bill Murray to the rescue, y’all. Charleston’s beloved star is a “longtime friend and client of Jennie Brooks, the owner of local boutique fitness studio, Longevity”, and if the primal scream on their Instagram teaser is any indicator, this class will be well worth the $25 fee (which also includes your weekly unlimited viewing subscription). Support local! Check out the full story in the Charleston City Paper.
Bakker Family to Match $500K of Donations
Tony Bakker, the founder of Blackbaud, and his family have pledged to match up to $500K of donations to the Coastal Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund. The fund, which was set up in partnership with the Charleston area United Way, will award grants to local nonprofits providing coronavirus relief. Click here for more information.
Police Officers Save Baby Ducklings
Can we hear it for our first responders? Not only are they out there keeping us safe during these unprecedented times, but they’re also rescuing baby ducks from drains in their spare time. Mount Pleasant Animal Control Officer Hoffman and Officer Sandford orchestrated a rescue and reunited these sweet ducklings with their mother. Check out the full video on the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s Facebook page.
North Charleston Distillery Is Making Hand Sanitizer (from Old Beer)
The bars may be closed, but Charleston knows how to come together in a crisis. North Charleston’s Nippitaty Distillery is doing its part by converting ethanol to hand sanitizer. Though they’re normally known for producing gin and vodka, the local distillery is now converting ethanol and even old beer from local distributors to make hand sanitizer, and they’ve already donated 44 gallons to MUSC.
Tuesday’s “Super Pink Moon” was the Biggest of 2020
This week the Lowcountry saw the biggest supermoon of the year! Super moons occur because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is an ellipse, and while the “Super Pink Moon” wasn’t actually pink in color (it’s so named because its appearance corresponds with early blooms of the pink Phlox moss), it certainly made for a beautiful night in the Lowcountry.
Feed the Need Charleston partnered with Butcher and Bee, Mercantile and Mash, Indaco Charleston, and Macintosh Charleston to donate bags of groceries to some of the many hospitality workers heavily impacted by COVID-19 around the Lowcountry. As of today, they have delivered a whopping 1,475 bags of groceries so far, and your $10 donation will provide an entire bag of discounted groceries from a local farm.
Pay it Forward Charleston Donated Food to F&B Workers
Feed the Need Charleston partnered with Butcher and Bee, Mercantile and Mash, Indaco Charleston, and Macintosh Charleston to donate bags of groceries to some of the many hospitality workers heavily impacted by COVID-19 around the Lowcountry. As of today, they have delivered a whopping 1,475 bags of groceries so far, and your $10 donation will provide an entire bag of discounted groceries from a local farm.
Charleston Nurse Volunteers in NY Hospital During Pandemic
Hats off to local emergency room nurse April Gilliard. After following the tragedy and overwhelming need for healthcare professionals in NYC on the news, Gilliard prayed and found herself called to take her skills to the epicenter of America’s fight against coronavirus. The Live5News article quotes April saying, “I wanted to be a nurse only because I think it’s my purpose on earth to help other people, something I’ve been wanting to do since I was a little girl... My parents instilled that in me, my mom who was a caretaker as well before she passed away and my father who is, of course, big in the community.” We will keep you in our hearts and prayers, April, and lift up your heroic spirit.
A Local Contracting Company Donates PPE to MUSC
Catcon, a local company that refurbishes homes after natural disasters, donated over 2,000 pieces of PPE after Jenny Yokoyama saw a local MUSC nurse Theresa Morgan send out a plea for help on Facebook. Catcon uses many of the exact same PPE that hospitals are desperately seeking, and they donated hundreds of masks, gloves, and goggles, as well as “around 300 Tyvek suits.”
Charleston Jazz Orchestra Creates Online Concert Series from Archives
The Charleston Jazz Orchestra may be on hiatus due to the pandemic, but they’ve dug into their 11 years of archives to lift our spirits by posting full concerts online weekly. The show must go on, albeit digitally, but there’s nothing like streaming some live tunes in the evening air on your front porch until we can all listen together in person again.
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One Love & Blessings,