Neighborhood Outreach Connection (NOC) hosted a Community Social Event on July 6th, from 3-6 pm at Bluffton House. The event, which was attended by at least 100 adults and children, was well received by the community.
 
There were activities for toddlers, preschoolers, and school age children, including building blocks, play dough, coloring activities, and two waterslides.

NOC handed out WE READ bags, supplied by the Beaufort County Public Library, to promote literacy among children and families.  Children also participated in a poster contest, which was very exciting. Each child made a poster about why they love NOC, and the whole community cast votes on the best poster. The children’s’ posters exposed the community to NOC and the work we are doing at Bluffton House.

Crosspoint Church of Bluffton helped the NOC sponsor this community event by donating popcorn and snow cones to keep everyone cool.

Crosspoint volunteers served over 400 snow cones and more than 300 bags of popcorn to children and adults. The NOC and Crosspoint partnered on this event to give the community a day filled with education, fun, tasty treats, and an awareness of NOC’s programs.
 

Since early 2012, NOC has interacted with local law enforcement personnel to strengthen relationships with the Oaks community.

Recently, Sergeant Laurel Albertin and Sergeant George Moreno visited NOC’s Program Center at Oaks. They interacted with the children, served them snacks during their break, and talked about organizing a social event for the children on July 27 at Oaks. The children were excited to communicate with the two officers who are creating a pathway to improve relationships within the community. This Oaks experience can serve as a model for developing positive relationships within other low-income neighborhoods.

NOC’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Ally McNair as its new Vice Chair. Ally has served on NOC’s executive committee and has been instrumental in building the Board in keeping with NOC’s strategic priorities. She has played an important role in raising funds for NOC and in marketing NOC’s outreach programs. She will be active in implementing NOC’s priorities in its second five –year phase of growth and expansion, drawing on her past experience and knowledge of organizational effectiveness, networking, and communication.

Emily Blackshire shows enormous commitment, dedication, and compassion as she helps others through community service. She first came to NOC in 2010 as a high school tutor while she was completing her studies at Hilton Head Prep. Emily quickly connected with the children and gained significant insights about people living in a low-income neighborhood. She understood their struggles and challenges in coping with day-to-day living and their desire to move forward to achieve a better quality of life. Instead of immediately going to a university, Emily made a courageous move by taking an assignment in Uganda to work on a sustainable development project, helping women to generate income and employment. Following this important work, Emily took a position in Washington with a social entrepreneurship company, which allowed her to broaden her understanding of issues relating to development. Clearly, Emily, in a short period, has matured and acquired much practical experience.
 
Early this summer, Emily returned to NOC to apply her new knowledge and experience through NOC’s summer outreach program in the Oaks. She is presently coordinator of NOC’s eight week summer virtual learning program in Hilton Head Island, which has more than 60 students enrolled. Emily works diligently with teachers and volunteers to make this program highly successful. In addition, she has launched several elective programs in arts and science and field visits for small groups of children. She also teaches an ESL class twice a week. To accomplish these tasks, Emily has mobilized support from her friends. She is very popular with children who find her friendly, hardworking, and kind. 

In Emily’s own words …

“I was introduced to Neighborhood Outreach Connection midway through my junior year of high school when Dr. Sharma first stood before an assembly to tell us about his methods for empowerment. Instantly enthused at the prospect of working alongside communities to create opportunities from the inside out, I began tutoring once or twice each week at the Oaks; little did I know at the time what a tremendous impact it would have on my life… Instead of attending university immediately after graduating, I spent four months in Uganda working with an economic sustainability project focused on giving women internally displaced from years of civil war a steady income making jewelry and bags. I then returned to the States to work with a social entrepreneurship company called Ashoka in their global headquarters in Washington, DC. Throughout my year away, my passion for development as a community construct and a “hand-up not hand-out” approach was only further solidified, specifically in the fields of healthcare, education, and workforce development (precisely the model of NOC!). I worked throughout the spring to earn my TEFL/TESOL certificate to teach English as a second language and now lead English classes for adults, teach an art and science program, and coordinate the summer Compass Learning Program. I am unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such incredible leaders, both within the community and on staff and hope to continue working alongside NOC throughout my time at Clemson over the next few years.”

 
In August, Emily will resume her education at Clemson, but she intends to keep her connection with NOC. Emily is an outstanding role model for other young people who have an interest in community service. 

After persistent badgering by NOC students to get soccer off the ground, NOC launched its 2013 soccer season with its first clinic at Oaks. NOC, with support from the Hilton Head Firefighters Association, will sponsor soccer in Hilton Head Island, as well as Bluffton.
 
Soccer is a powerful connector: it brings people together in a spirited way and communities together in a competitive way, while cutting across racial and economic barriers.
 
Nelson Mandela said “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair…. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”  Mandela used soccer as a way to unite his people against a rising tide of division and chaos. 

NOC uses soccer as a way to connect students and parents to the NOC education program. NOC’s Neighborhood Soccer League, which started three years ago with support from the Fire Fighters Association, had more than 75 children registered for the program in 2012. Many of these young people, already outstanding soccer players with excellent skills, are eager to get the new season going.