The End…and then…

And just like that, it’s over. But really, what started at a little house on Main Street has just begun…
The opportunities for communities are as limitless as their imaginations and their ability to cooperate. South Carolina is a very traditional state but there is a call for some unconventional measures to combat problems that will not further our once great state, or nation.
Poor, “uneducated” sometimes single mothers are not destroying this country, but apathy toward them might. You don’t need a Harvard degree to raise a family and there are mothers out there who might not be able to read, but they could cook & sew & make a home; love their children, and their neighbor.
I’ve had the honor of being the person on the other side of the door at Chapman House Community Center for 20 months and some of the stories I heard were gut wrenching. I shared many a good cry in that place, holding a hand or two and most of all, listening. I believe that is what people really need, other than the obvious things like jobs and affordable healthcare, to be heard. The majority of the people I assisted told me they had never had to apply for food stamps before & they were ashamed to have to do it now, but I reassured them that this current “economic crisis” (for some) was not their fault. These are folks who lived within their means, didn’t live in houses they couldn’t afford & even had three months emergency savings! That didn’t stop employers from firing them when they were diagnosed with cancer, or factories from closing and moving overseas.
We’d already suffered that economic hardship in this area of the Upstate when Gerber Childrenswear closed their doors. Small stores closed after, then Hardee’s too. Homes fell into disrepair; heart attacks rose and many people were left literally holding on for dear life until Social Security and Medicare kicked in. Many didn’t make it. Now their children and grandchildren are struggling to survive and that’s part of how Chapman House came to be.
I still worry about my neighbors, but I’m moving on in a way that we can reach more people, right where they are. One of the biggest reasons people were not able to get the help they needed was lack of reliable transportation. In a state with more trucks than people it seems, it’s a shame someone cannot catch a ride to the next town but for whatever reason, people become trapped where they are and unable to rise above the square mile they walk.
If we as individuals can partner with organizations who are working to meet basic needs, and help each other, then we can help others in a way that will enable them to get the supports they need to climb out of this deep, dark hole dug by greed and corruption and littered with lives of loved ones. They cannot do it alone, just as you didn’t learn to take your first steps alone. You had others cheering you on, ready to catch you if you fell and they need and deserve the same.

Open Letter to our Community

9/20/201
To our neighbors in the Pelzer/West Pelzer/Williamston community;

Hi there!

As the caretaker of, and caregiver at Chapman House Community Center, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and Chapman House.
My name is Marnie Schwartz-Hanley & I moved to West Pelzer in June of 1996 from Greenville. I had a little apartment on Drake Street before I found my house on Welborn. I used to have big cookouts outside that tiny apartment hosting “orphan Sunday” for anyone without a place to go. I worked at Bi-Lo while I worked at the mill, and then went full time when the mill started cutting back on production only to eventually close. I went back to school and in 2010, I graduated with honors from Greenville Technical College with a degree in Human Services and a desire to help out in our community.
Chapman House Community Center was birthed out of a conversation I had with Mr. H.T. (Tom) Chapman about having a place to go for folks in our area, if ever they needed anything. They’ve entrusted us with the care and upkeep of Chapman House & we are grateful that West Pelzer Councilman Randall Ledford maintains the front property as he is able! The Eagle Scouts have plans to do a project to help beautify Chapman House with benches & more landscaping and we have volunteers from our community & local schools helping out as well. Dollar General graciously collected over 40 bags of canned goods and other food products and merchandise during their Food Drive in May. One by one this can be won.
We have become a resource center, a navigation tool, a budding time bank and sometimes a shoulder to cry on. Originally, we thought it would be fun to do crafts and work with children to make reading more enjoyable but when we started seeing the need some of our neighbors were in…well, let’s just say God had different plans for the little house at 38 Main Street.
While we’ve been meeting people and helping them keep their faith in their fellow man, they have helped us see that what we need most, more so than jobs and food is to show grace and mercy to our fellow man & to be a beacon of light unto those neighbors who are having a hard time managing in a world that is pressing in on all sides. Some folks have long since lost their way from a church family, or perhaps never had one. When people’s basic physical needs for food and shelter are threatened, or lost, despair sets in, sometimes with depression close behind. A hand up out the darkness can often turn people back to the light & we know of many folks who returned or joined a church once they felt they could look presentable and had a little dignity restored. It is nothing short of a miracle how far a cup of cold water in His name can carry someone.
This is where y’all come in. We have it pretty well fixed at costing around $500 a month to run Chapman House, and that’s only being open 2 or 3 days a week. Some costs are fixed, like internet for $20 a month, but the power goes up in the summer and the gas goes up to heat in the winter. No one draws any pay to be there helping out, so be super nice when you go in. Our volunteers are angels! We have a thrift store with beautiful donations we sell to help with keeping the lights on and the gas bill paid but sometimes there are more people coming in that have needs, than want to buy a new purse and some blue jeans (SALE!! $5!!) We are hoping once folks know more about what we’re doing in our community, you’ll want to help too, either by coming on board to do some of the physical work, or maybe sew different seeds of time or money or even old shoes and coats!
We’re currently open on Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays from 8-11am. We also have a support group that meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 to help people with hepatitis C virus, a global pandemic infecting over 200 million people around the world, and over 5 million Americans! We seek to have after school hours for a game day and Storytime in the Park, but none of these things are possible without your participation, either by bringing your kids by or helping out yourself, so stop in when you’re able, or call or write for more info! We’d love to see you and see how we can make this the best place to live in the Upstate!

Thank you and May God Bless You and Keep You!

Marnie Schwartz-Hanley
Chapman House Community Center
38 Main Street
West Pelzer, SC 29669
864.906.7660 ChapmanHouseSC@att.net

Community Garden Fund

http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=8040

Now you can buy beautiful flowers to support our beautiful gardens!

Time Banking! The New Economic Reality.

What is time banking you might ask? Good question!
It is a way to exchange goods and services within your community.

Time banking is founded on five principles:

• Everyone is an asset.

• Some work is beyond a monetary price.

• Reciprocity in helping.

• Social networks are necessary.

• Respect for all human beings.

and it certainly beats waiting for tax cuts to create jobs!

Join us & get what you need by giving what you can!

Thank you to our Soldiers this Memorial Day

We pause to give a HUGE word of THANKS to all our soldiers, who have given their lives, to save ours & ensure we remain a free and democratic nation. We are sometimes painfully aware that freedom is not free. We want everyone in our community to know that we are here everyone in need; especially for our Veterans, their families and those grieving for the ones we’ve lost, through war, and other tragedies.

We are truly here for you all! You are NEVER alone!
God Bless You All, and God Bless America!

Supporting the Community

One of the things we’ve noticed here at Chapman House Community Center is that with all of our time saving devices, everyone seems stressed & pressed for time! How is it we can be so connected through technology yet so disconnected with our families and friends? We poke our buddies and repost links, but how often do you sit, face to face and talk to anyone anymore?
We started “Support @ Six” because folks seemed to need information about a host of different issues, besides hepatitis C, which was the original support group that we offered. Because there are so many people taking medications, and those medications tend to affect the liver, we changed that support group to “Healthy Lives, Healthy Livers” to address any issues people might be having with their liver function, including hepatitis A, B or C (D, E, F, & G too! Seriously, look it up…I’ll wait….) Healthy Lives, Healthy Livers meets at 7 pm on the Third Tuesday of each month.
Support @ 6 is offered on the Third Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm, at Chapman House, 38 Main Street, West Pelzer. We have information for people in recovery, materials for families of deployed service members, folks interested in returning to school & students who might need help because of a host of issues that students face including and not limited to bullying, peer-pressure, and even homework help!
Sometimes people just need to talk about what’s bothering them, or what they would like to see change. We offer a compassionate and completely confidential ear as well as supportive caring. We at Chapman House believe that everyone has worth, everyone has something to offer and everyone is capable of helping themselves once they discover how they are able and find the strength and courage to face the changes they need to make to live happier, healthier lives!
We will be going through some pretty big changes ourselves this summer as we expand to offer more services & events. Pickin’ in the Park begins this weekend, so grab your guitar, or tambourine, fiddle, or friend and come down to enjoy live music & great fun!
We are celebrating being open to the public for full year already! It is quite incredible that this idea has transformed into a safe place for people to go. It is our hope that you never need the type of support we offer in the form of food stamps or Medicaid for you or your children, but the sad reality is that many, many people need help during these curious economic times. Not everyone is hurting, but those that are can come and get help in a non-judgmental, child friendly atmosphere. Not everyone who comes to Chapman House needs help either. We could not conclude this without thanking our incredible volunteers and supporters who have made it possible to do what we do! Without them, we would not have lasted a month!
Thank you for taking time to read this, and thanks to our incredibly generous neighbors! We are blessed to be in a corner of the Upstate that believes that none should perish, and even the least of these deserve a chance to better themselves!!

What EXACTLY are they doing in there?

CHCCHelpsWith…

Take a look at these figures!