Mayor’s Committee awards honors, scholarships | Local News | Summerville Journal Scene

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Mayor’s Committee awards honors, scholarships

Published Tuesday, May 11, 2010 1:58 PM

By Judy Watts
Summerville Journal Scene ®

photo by Judy Watts

Eagle Award winner Frankie Croft of Piggly Wiggly, Employee of the Year Zachary Ryan Moyer, who turned his internship at Piggly Wiggly into a regular job accept their awards from Mayor Berlin G. Myers.

photo by Judy Watts

Mark and Nancy Bacher tell Quince Cody they were inspired by his speech at the Mayor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities luncheon. Their daughter Alyssa has a similar hearing loss to Cody’s.

photo by Judy Watts

Mayor’s Committee luncheon principals are, from left, Marlena Myers, Bert Cicenia, Keynote Speaker Quince Cody, Mayor Berlin G. Myers, SMC Treasurer Ellen Priest, SMC co-chair Rusty Hires, Scholarship Coordinator Sandy Townsend, Secretary Robin Clevinger, Chair Cathi Murray and Janice Jolly.

photo by Judy Watts

Kayla Nicole Holland accepts the Fort Dorchester Student of the Year award from Mayor Myers.

photo by Judy Watts

Mayor’s Committee Scholarship Chair Sandy Townsend, from left, joins, Frankie Croft, Zachary Ran Moyer, Richard Manning Hughes, Alexander Charles Rosche, Alyssa Perrin Bacher, Bert Cicenia, Kayla Nicole Holland and Amber Kincheloe

photo by Judy Watts

Amber Kincheloe, an assistant at Summerville Elementary School, is applauded by Mayor Myers, left, and Mayor’s Committee co-chair Rusty Hires at the 20th Annual Awards Luncheon of the Summerville Mayor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. Kincheloe had to put her college plans on hold when she was diagnosed with cancer. She plans to attend college and become an elementary school teacher.

More than 150 people stood at attention as Shelby Craig sang the “Star Spangled Banner” at The Summerville Mayor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities luncheon on May 5. Craig, who is blind, is a student at Rollings School of the Arts.

The crowd filled the Holiday Inn Express banquet hall to recognize and honor citizens who have risen above challenges to succeed.

Scholarships were awarded and honors given to those who support meaningful employment for the disabled.

Among the honorees were:

• NCO Group – Employer of the Year, Large Business

• Firewater Grille – Employer of the Year, Medium Business

• Zachary Ryan Moyer – Employee of the Year. Zachary began as an intern at Piggly Wiggly and when the internship ended, was offered a regular job. Moyer is He is a student at Summerville High School.

• Frankie Croft – Eagle Award Recipient for her work at Piggly Wiggly helping the disabled to become part of the workforce.

• Kayla Nicole Holland – Student of the Year. Holland is a student at Fort Dorchester High School

• Alexander Charles Rosche – Recipient of the Berlin G. Myers Scholarship. Rosche is a student at Summerville High School.

• Alyssa Perrin Bacher – Recipient of the Erbert Cicinea Scholarship “The Bert.” Bacher is a students at Summerville high School

• Richard Manning Hughes – Recipient of the William W. Fetzer Scholarship “The Bill.” Hughes is a student at Dorchester Academy.

• Amber Kincheloe – Recipient of the Summerville Rotary Scholarship, is an assistant at Summerville Elementary School. Her plans for college were put on hold after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Rusty Hires, Mayor’s Committee co-chair, served as Master of Ceremonies.

Keynote speaker for the event was Quince Cody who spoke of his journey to succeed in spite of his deafness.

“When I was four or five years old, my parents had decided I was just being a brat,” Cody told the group as he left the podium and walked among the tables.

He went on to tell of his first hearing test at the age of five and of being teased as a teenager.

“Teenagers are just plain mean,” he said.

He became involved in football where he knew success. The coach and the team had a system. The quarterback would give the plays to the team, then look directly at Quince and repeat the play so that he could read the quarterback’s lips.

In college, Cody realized he could overcome some of the limitations of his deafness. He attended Appalachian State University as a business major and in the public communication program. He would learn to speak in front of groups. He went religiously to therapy, learning to speak clearly, practicing in front of the mirror.

“During college I wore my hair long. Very long. I wanted to be like everyone else.”

I was surrounded by good teachers, but there was at least one that took him aside before graduation to say that he wanted to prepare me that I would not be successful because of my deafness.”

“I wish that teacher was here today to see this.”

The crowd gave a standing ovation.

The Mayor’s Committee was organized I 1990 by the Summerville Rotary Club in conjunction with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide recognition, monetary awards and assistance in gaining entry into meaningful employment to the disabled in the greater Summerville area.

Dinner was provided by Firewater Grille, served by students in the culinary arts department from Fort Dorchester High School.

The committee members this year represented Ashley Ridge High School, Dorchester C?ounty Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Dorchester District 2 Schools, Goodwill, JK Harris, Knight’s Companies, Summerville Rotary, Rusty’s Driving School, S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation Department, The Summerville Journal Scene, Summerville High School and Trident Technical College.

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