June 4, 2007

SCSDB News

South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

• A Palmetto Gold School • For Immediate Release

Media contacts:

Sharon Goolsby, Public Information Office: (864) 577-7505

SCSDB’s Hearts and Hands Awards Go to Two Organizations

Spartanburg, SC – BMW Manufacturing Company and Master Kim’s World Class Tae Kwon Do were presented Hearts and Hands awards from the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) Board of Commissioners. The awards were presented during the school-wide awards day.

The SCSDB Board of Commissioners established the Hearts and Hands Award in 1997 as an opportunity to recognize local civic clubs or organizations that provide exemplary and extraordinary service to SCSDB students and programs.

BMW Manufacturing Company received the award for their support of SCSDB through the BMW Pro-Am Charity Golf Classic Tournament. More than $37,000 has been directed to the school for the past five years with additional dollars expected this year. They provide the school with loan vehicles as incentives for SCSDB staff as well as for fund-raising efforts. For two years, they hosted the school’s annual administrative retreat.

Master Jun Kyu Kim and his wife Michelle, of Master Kim’s World Class Tae Kwon Do of Greenville, devote time and energy to organize an annual Break-A-Thon fund-raising event to benefit SCSDB. Their donations for the past three years, totaling more than $42,000, have been used to purchase new mattresses and other furnishings for the school’s dormitories. They also donate Tae Kwon Do lessons to auctions that benefit SCSDB.

The SC Department of Education named SCSDB a Palmetto Gold School for its academic accomplishments and a Red Carpet School for its outstanding customer service. SCSDB is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and the SC Department of Education. SCSDB offers programs for preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, sensory multidisabled, vocational and postsecondary education students, as well as a variety of outreach services through regional centers located throughout the state. The main campus is located in Spartanburg. The school’s web site address is www.scsdb.org and its toll-free telephone number is 1-888-447-2732.

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