NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH CONNECTION
To establish a level playing field for all members of our community, so all may enjoy a better quality of life.
NOC’s annual Fore the Teachers Golf Tournament is just around the corner — Monday, September 24 at Port Royal Plantation Golf Club on Hilton Head . [Click on poster to enlarge.]
For Player sign-up form, click here: Players registration
For Sponsor sign-up form, click here: Sponsor registration
Over the past ten years, NOC has grown from one small class with five students to six centers spread across Beaufort County serving more than 500 students. Such growth does not happen without a strong administrative foundation.
Corbin Stripling (right) is NOC’s new Director of Field Operations. He is responsible for NOC’s Learning Centers and education programs, as well as field operations relating to health screenings, adult education, and workforce development.
Daniel McKeown (left) is NOC’s new Director of Development & Marketing. He is responsible for NOC’s marketing activities, communication, resource mobilization, and fundraising. He is also responsible for building relationships with partner agencies.
An Interview with Laura Hernandez, Hilton Head High IB Diploma Candidate, Former NOC Student, Resident of the Oaks
By: Ella Patrick, NOC 2018 Program Assistant
Laura Hernandez is a bright, passionate, funny, and well-spoken resident of the Oaks community, located on Hilton Head Island. This summer, I had the opportunity to get to know Laura while working at the Neighborhood Outreach Connection (NOC) Learning Center in the Oaks, whose residents provide a significant labor resource on HHI and who mainly speak English as a second language. Laura is currently a senior at Hilton Head Island High School and one of the original students of NOC in the Oaks Learning Center. Laura moved to the United States from Mexico when she was five years old. She is a straight “A” student and an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Candidate. The IB program is one of the most rigorous secondary education curriculums in the world. Laura is on track to apply to attend university next year. She attributes much of her success to NOC and the opportunities and resources it has provided for her and her community at-large.
During the interview (see link below), Laura describes how, since 2008, NOC’s involvement through education and empowerment of community residents has forever improved the Oaks. She also describes how NOC created a safe learning environment for her and provided resources, such as technology and internet access, that she needed to achieve success in school. In Beaufort County, students are given computer tablets to access their books and to complete homework. Yet, the vast majority of Oaks residents don’t have access to the internet. At the NOC Learning Center, the students have access to computers, internet, teachers and tutors/volunteers to help with homework – all factors of educational success that Laura attests to as well. Laura noted the involvement of her parents and others at the Oaks in NOC’s learning center and programs. She talked about the importance of health screenings, playground, and adult classes provided by NOC.
In conclusion, Laura Hernandez’s story is one of many success stories of NOC students and within the NOC Learning communities. Please watch the interview below to see how NOC has impacted Laura. I trust Laura will leave a lasting impression on you…as she did me.
Hear Laura’s interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDyJugb8IK8
American writer and management consultant, Margaret J. Wheatley says, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”
On Sunday, August 19, 2018 at Jarvis Creek Park on Hilton Head Island, the incredible Flor Mora, Neighborhood Liaison for the Neighborhood Outreach 
Connection’s (NOC) Oaks Learning Center, harnessed the great power of a community.
Flor coordinated a fundraiser for NOC that will support the students in learning centers in Beaufort County. She encouraged members of the communities served by NOC to come out and provide fresh Hispanic food, games, and entertainment. Additionally, prizes were organized by Consuelo Saldivar. The event started at 10:00 a.m. and lasted until 6:00 p.m. During this time, families of students and community members volunteered and donated their time to cooking food, providing music for Zumba lessons, and community outreach.
The aroma of authentic cuisine and the sound of fun filled the air at Jarvis Creek Park. Everywhere you looked, community members were gathered around eating, chatting, playing games, or dancing to the music. In a lot of ways, the event was reminiscent of a family reunion with all sorts of people showing up to show their love for one another and the community.
The children were wrapped up in the music, provided by Tony Campos, dancing and singing for the audience. When not providing their own form of entertainment, the children could be seen having their faces painted, getting temporary tattoos, and just enjoying an event that was focused on their family and friends.
The event was a huge success. Flor coordinated everything by reaching out through social media, her personal connections, and connections with NOC. In all, the event raised over $4,000, which will go towards programs for the children and families served by NOC. It was also great that native islanders, NOC staff and board members, even tourists from Ohio and Utah, were in attendance at Jarvis Creek Park for the event.
At a leadership meeting, hosted at NOC headquarters, Flor was recognized by NOC Founder and Chair, Dr. Narendra Sharma, for her outstanding work and continued service to NOC. Flor is appreciative of the success of the Jarvis Creek Park event; however, she is even more excited about future events in the coming year.
In this video (see below) Dr. Narendra Sharma, NOC Founder & Chair, discusses NOC’s 2-year interim solution with St. Lukes Church, HHI, to house the NOC Learning Center so that children from Cordillo, Hedges, and Woodhaven Apartments can continue to participate in NOC’s after school and summer learning programs. NOC previously provided this education program at its Learning Center (LC) at Cordillo Courts, but that LC was closed on May 10, 2018, in response to the decision of the Cordillo Board to shut down NOC’s program at Cordillo.
In the interview, Dr. Sharma says that the Town of HHI should proceed quickly in implementing its proposed project to rehabilitate the existing tennis courts, including a community building (at least 1,400 sq. ft.) for use by all people in HHI, especially those who live at the south end of the Island.
The proposed Cordillo Project was recently approved by the Town Council in a vote of 7 to 0. It is important that the Town safeguard the interests of the HHI community over actions of a handful of outside investors who are driven by narrow self-interest and profit making.
To view the interview, go to: https://youtu.be/YytUNZniHNk
