GILBRETH COLUMN: It's the right time to provide Christmas joy

Not that we give a ton of money to it or anything, but one of our favorite charities this time of year is the Chicora Gift Giving Project, organized and managed by Dana Van Hook of the Ashley Hall school for girls.

The idea behind the charity is to provide Christmas joy to children at Chicora Elementary who live in one of the poorest sections of North Charleston. Donations early in the year allow for the purchase of significantly discounted items on sale so that they can be stored and distributed as presents from Santa next Christmas. So it doesn't take a large donation to make a huge difference.

Some of the children end up writing letters of appreciation to Santa, and they're heartwarming and entertaining. Art Linkletter would have loved them.

Chante writes (in part), "Thank you for the gifts you gave me. I love the new jewelry set. That made me feel cool. I love it so much. That was nice of you to give me an art kit. It is the best gift in my life. Will you get me a new ball on my happy birthday for me? I will give it to my brother. ... I want to be like you. You are #1. PS -- I will be good for a while. We all love our gifts."

Deasya writes, "I am thankful for all the presents. I got a doll, supplies, soap and a toothbrush. The presents are the best! I love you Santa. PS -- Come back soon."

Joan says, "Thank you for the Disney game. I play with it every day. It is the best toy that I have."

And Andre writes, "Thank you for my bag of gifts. You are good to all of the children at Chicora."

How good is that? It doesn't get any better. Donations can be made to Ashley Hall earmarked for the Chicora Gift Giving Project. Dana Van Hook also has been known to accept volunteer help during the Christmas season so that everything can be divided up and appropriately packaged.

On the subject of the rural litter problem, Tom Ross has an idea.

"In S.C., you can lose your driver's license for something as basic as leaving a gas pump without paying. Why not do the same for littering out of a vehicle? If a lawmaker ushers in a bill and it's ushered in by a series of articles to gain public support ... that just might help."

I had mentioned that one does occasionally see crews volunteering to clean up all the litter strewn about our rural landscapes.

Sarah R. Lyles of Keep South Carolina Beautiful reminds us that, "Keep Charleston Beautiful is a wonderful local organization that coordinates cleanups and education and outreach programs throughout the city.

Jen Scales is the director there. She can be reached at scalesj@charleston-sc.gov. Also, Adopt-a-Highway is always looking for some good volunteers.

"We always encourage our concerned citizens to work with County Council to address the issue of law enforcement. Litter control is vital to our quality of life and economic development."

Finally, on the subject of the proposed completion of I-526, Mark Ramsey writes, "I believe if you check, we voted on this back in the '90s to finish the loop."

(Mr. Ramsey doesn't recall with certainty if that was indeed the case.) Well, I did check. (OK, so maybe it wasn't I, but rather my highly qualified team of investigators.)

Even some of those who follow the project closely say there's some confusion. That may be because funds for projects authorized by the voters have been used by County Council as a soft match for state funds for I-526.

But there hasn't been a specific referendum pertaining exclusively to 526 in the past few decades. We did find some references to 526 dating back to the 1970s, but that was in connection with the old Charleston Area Transportation Study Policy Committee (CHATS).

For the purposes of historical interest, the local sales tax referendum was passed in 2004. At the time, 526 was NOT one of the projects listed on the ballot.

A bond referendum followed in 2006. The referendum listed various projects on the ballot so that people would be able to follow the money trail.

There was a reference to 526, but nothing describing the extension of 526 from West Ashley across Johns Island to James Island.

The reference was either an unrelated access or the highway was otherwise used as a geographic reference point. Make sense? (Kind of?)

Speaking of road improvements, when is Lockwood Drive, particularly the section in front of the Old Rice Mill, going to be resurfaced? A city spokesman advises that it is under the state Department of Transportation's purview.

DOT says bids are going out this month on one section but not the portion in front of the Old Rice Mill. So, when will it get done?

Or do I need to go ahead and install a second set of shock absorbers versus getting an off-road vehicle?

Edward M. Gilbreth is a Charleston physician. Reach him at edwardgilbreth@comcast.net.