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Upstate Class XXVI, Fall 2018

Upstate Class XXVI, Fall 2018

View the participants from this class.

The Greenville Greeters awaiting the arrival of DLI participants
Cherod Webber, Swamp Rabbit Express, welcomed by the Greenville Greeters
Tanaya Latigue, COPA Design, welcomed by the Greenville Greeters
The Greenville Greeters
Brandy Amidon, Greenville Greeters
Rimes McElveen and Stacey Bechtold, Swamp Rabbit Express
Miriam Dicks (c), Greenville Greeters
(l-r) Cherod Webber, Swamp Rabbit Express, Neetu Patel, COPA Design and Brann Fowler, Greenville Greeters
(l-r) Liz Horton, Jon Hammond, Jada Magiera, Don Doggett and Rich Cannon, Pendleton Place Partners
(l-r) Rachel Putman and Barry Richardson, Fight4Her
(l-r) Crystal Ball O'Connor, Tanaya Latigue, Shauna Galloway-Williams and Cortney Easterling, COPA Design
(l-r) Mike Teachey, Brann Fowler, Beth Rusch and John Emerson, Greenville Greeters
(l-r) Brandy Amidon, Beth Rusch, Brann Fowler, John Emerson, Miriam Dicks, Amanda Dow and Mike Teachey, Greenville Greeters
Beth Rusch speaking, Greenville Greeters
John Emerson speaking, Greenville Greeters
Brann Fowler speaking, Greenville Greeters
Amanda Dow speaking, Greenville Greeters
Miriam Dicks, Greenville Greeters
Upstate Class XXVI, Fall 2018
(l-r) Toni Land speaking, Rimes McElveen, Danny Merck, Traci Hogan, Stacey Bechtold, Will Whitley, Cherod Webber and Marty Herndon, Swamp Rabbit Express
Danny Merck speaking, Swamp Rabbit Express
Rimes McElveen speaking, Swamp Rabbit Express
Marty Herndon speaking, Swamp Rabbit Express
Cherod Webber speaking, Swamp Rabbit Express
Burke Royster, Superintendent of Greenville County Schools, with members of Swamp Rabbit Express
Stacey Bechtold, Swamp Rabbit Express
(l-r) Tony Taylor, Tanaya Latigue and Neetu Patel, COPA Design
(l-r) Shauna Galloway-Williams speaking, Brad Pochard, Crystal Ball O'Connor, Guest, Marshall Pickens, Cortney Easterling, Tony Taylor, Tanaya Latigue and Neetu Patel, COPA Design
Crystal Ball O'Connor speaking, COPA Design
Neetu Patel speaking, COPA Design
Tony Taylor speaking, COPA Design
Juan Johnson
Brad Pochard speaking, COPA Design
Rachel Putman speaking, Fight4Her
Danny Varat speaking, Fight4Her
Kim Kegler speaking, Fight4Her
Katy Sides speaking, Fight4Her
Joe Pinilla speaking, Fight4Her
Guest speaking, Fight4Her
Jermaine Whirl (c), Fight4Her
Jon Hammond, Pendleton Place Partners
(l-r) Jon Hammond speaking, Don Doggett, Osa Benson, Liz Horton, Jada Magiera and Rich Cannon, Pendleton Place Partners
Pendleton Place Partners enjoying a humorous moment
Don Doggett speaking, Pendleton Place Partners
Jermaine Whirl, Fight4Her, asking the group a question
Osa Benson responding, Pendleton Place Partners
Juan Johnson
Don Gordon, Riley Institute Executive Director, making remarks
Congratulations all around!
Will Whitley, Swamp Rabbit Express
Rimes McElveen and Toni Land, Swamp Rabbit Express
(l-r) Neetu Patel, COPA Design, and Jon Hammond, Pendleton Place Partners
Upstate Class XXVI, Fall 2018
(l-r) Rich Cannon, Pendleton Place Partners, and Tony Taylor, COPA Design
Megan Dodgens and Juan Johnson preparing to award participants their Riley Fellow certificates
High five from Brandy Amidon, Greenville Greeters
Melanie Armstrong and Stacey Bechtold, Swamp Rabbit Express, share a high five
High five from Rich Cannon, Pendleton Place Partners
High five from Miriam Dicks, Greenville Greeters
High five from Rachel Putman, Fight4Her
High five from Tony Taylor, COPA Design
COPA Design: Building Communities team members: Row 1 (l-r): Tony Taylor, Cortney Easterling, Shauna Galloway-Williams, Tanaya Latigue, Brad Pochard; Row 2 (l-r): Marshall Pickens, Crystal Ball O’Connor, Neetu Patel
Fight4Her team members: Row 1 (l-r): Katy Sides, Jermaine Whirl, Rachel Putman, Danny Varat; Row 2 (l-r): Barry Richardson, Joe Pinilla, Kim Kegler
Greenville Greeters team members: Row 1 (l-r): Beth Rusch, Amanda Dow, Mike Teachey, Miriam Dicks, Brandy Amidon; Row 2 (l-r): Brann Fowler, John Emerson
Pendleton Place Partners team members: Row 1 (l-r): Liz Horton, Osa Benson, Jada Magiera; Row 2 (l-r): Don Doggett, Rich Cannon, Jon Hammond
Swamp Rabbit Express - Strengthening Communities, Nourishing Lives team members: Row 1 (l-r): Cherod Webber, Rimes McElveen, Toni Land, Marty Herndon, Will Whitley; Row 2 (l-r) Stacey Bechtold, Traci Hogan, Danny Merck
Congratulations Upstate Class XXVI Riley Fellows!

Greenville Greeters

Mission

The purpose of the Greenville Greeters program is to challenge the misperceptions and false assumptions that people without disabilities have and to engage and connect with each other in a workplace setting, to shift the perception that allows people without disabilities to see the talents, skills, and abilities of people with disabilities.

Swamp Rabbit Express - Strengthening Communities, Nourishing Lives

Approximately 76,000 students attend Greenville County Schools and about half of these student rely on the Food and Nutrition Program. This DLI group worked to expand student access to free, nutritionally balanced meals during the summer months. As a result of their vision, a second food truck will be donated to the Greenville County School District and allow lunches to be delivered directly to students in their own neighborhoods when school breakfasts and lunches are not available. 

COPA Design: Building Communities

Rationale: A legacy Community Impact Program aligned with Furman University’s Diversity Leadership Institute in the Riley Institute.

Project Description:

From the beginning, the group intentionally focused on the desire to make a direct impact on whatever project we took on. The group was in complete alignment and quickly gravitated towards what we internally called a legacy project. Members of the group had conversations with DLI graduates resulting in strong relationships and idea sharing which led to the COPA II project. Initially created in the Spring 2018 cohort, COPA Champions began to take form.

Fight4Her

Fight4Her focuses on assisting female veterans in the Upstate with connections and resources that they might engage to more successfully transition from their military service to the private sector, especially in their search for meaningful employment. We learned of the need from our team member, Rachel Putman, through her work at Goodwill Industries of the Upstate.

Pendleton Place Partners

Moved by the podcast we listened to on our first DLI class day, our group, Pendleton Place Partners, has collaborated with Pendleton Place, a local nonprofit that, among many other services, seeks to break the cycle of poverty and abuse through programs for youth transitioning out of foster care.