Country View Apartments LHDC

10/29/2026

🎃👻 Halloween fun! 🧡🖤 Making spooky memories, sharing lots of laughs, and enjoying all the Halloween festivities! 🍬🕷️✨

10/27/2026

What Is One Life Worth?

In Richland County, voters decided that the county should have the option to fund a 708 board to address mental health needs throughout our community. That decision recognized the importance of having the tools to respond to a need that touches families in every walk of life.

Every year, I speak with countless young people and adults who express the need for more mental health resources and expanded options right here in our community. These are not abstract concerns. They are real people, real families and real struggles that too often remain hidden from public view.

Monday night, the Olney City Council considered providing a modest amount of support, approximately $24,000 to $26,000 annually, from revenue generated by video gaming in our community.

The Council voted to table the matter while waiting to see how the county proceeds with funding the board.

I voted against tabling the item for one simple reason.

How much is one person’s life worth?

If that amount of money could help save even one life over the next decade, would it be worth it?

I believe that is a question every one of us should take seriously.

I support efforts to help people wherever we can, whether they are poor, middle class or wealthy, whether they are healthy or facing the darkest days of their lives. We are all human beings, and we all deserve dignity, compassion and the opportunity to find help when we need it.

Government will never solve every problem, nor can it be expected to. But there is something profoundly important about a community willing to extend a hand to those who are hurting rather than simply turning away.

Mental health is often a deeply private journey. I have faced my own struggles, as countless others have faced theirs. Too often, we never know the burdens carried by the people standing beside us. Sometimes, the person who appears to be doing just fine is the one who needs someone to ask how they are really doing.

We may never know whose life is changed by a conversation, a counseling session, access to treatment or the knowledge that help is available. We may never know how many families are spared the heartbreak of losing someone they love.

But not knowing does not make the need any less real.

We have a responsibility to ask what we can do, what resources we can provide and how we can make help more accessible to the people who need it.

This is not something to laugh at or take lightly. Families lose loved ones. Lives are shattered. Parents bury children, children lose parents and those left behind are often left to wonder what more they could have done.

Behind every statistic is a human being. Behind every struggle is a person whose life has value, whose pain may be invisible and whose family deserves every opportunity to find help before it is too late.

At the very heart of a civilized society must be compassion for those around us, including those whose struggles remain hidden from the world. We may never know the burdens another person carries, but we can choose to make sure that help is there when they finally find the courage to ask for it.

I understand the importance of responsible government, careful spending and making sure public dollars are used wisely. Those responsibilities matter. But so does recognizing that the value of a public investment cannot always be measured in dollars returned to a treasury. Sometimes, its greatest value is measured in a life changed, a family helped or a tragedy prevented.

We cannot promise to save everyone. But we should never be indifferent to the opportunity to save someone.

The measure of a society is not how well it serves those who already have the most, but how it treats those who are hurting, struggling and most in need of a helping hand.

If we have an opportunity to make a difference, we ought to give that opportunity serious consideration.

Because when we are talking about human life, the question is not simply what it costs.

It is what it means to care for one another.

10/24/2026

As we celebrate this special week, we want to take a moment to reflect on an incredible year and, most importantly, THANK YOU for supporting the Olney & Greater Richland County Chamber of Commerce!

We have absolutely LOVED seeing the Facebook shout-outs from our members celebrating Chamber Week! Your kind words, encouragement, and recognition mean more than you know. It's wonderful to see businesses supporting the Chamber and, even more importantly, supporting one another!

We sometimes hear the questions, “What does the Chamber actually do?” “Why should we become a member?” or “Why should we continue to be a member?” We believe the best answer is to show you what your membership and partnership make possible!

LOOK WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED TOGETHER THIS PAST YEAR!

Business Growth & Connections: Welcomed over 10 new members, held our first Dues-A-Thon, hosted Business After Hours at The Vault Lounge and TrustBank Parkside, and gathered for Chamber Luncheons at Pizza Fast, with Hovey's coming soon!

Supporting Local Businesses: Introduced Cash Mobs, celebrated business milestones, promoted our members, and encouraged our community to shop and support local.

Community Events: Launched our first Squirrel Sounds Festival, welcoming over 3,000 guests in two days! Hosted the Chocolate Tour, Moonlight Madness, our Golf Outing, Chamber Trivia Night, and Sounds of Summer Concerts in the Park alongside the Friends of Olney.

New Opportunities: Hosted TWO sold-out Ladies Nights, introduced our Mini Makers Market featuring over 34 young entrepreneurs, and brought families downtown for our Spooktacular Trunk-or-Treat and Witches Walk.

Education & Engagement: Offered business training opportunities, hosted workshops in our Chamber conference rooms, and showcased local talent through Mahjong, bow-making, and witch hat decorating classes!

And that's just a glimpse! Behind the scenes, we're constantly promoting businesses, answering questions, connecting people, sharing community happenings, and looking for new ways to support our members.

Here's something we're especially proud of: Our Chamber operates with one employee and a Board of 13 dedicated volunteers! We're incredibly pleased with what we've accomplished together and excited about where we're headed!

To our current members: THANK YOU for believing in our mission and continuing to support our efforts!

To our past members: We'd love to welcome you back! If it's been a while, we encourage you to take another look at everything your Chamber is doing and consider being part of what's next.

We truly are better when we work together! 💙💚

“Enhancing Olney and the Greater Richland County by taking action through connection.”

10/24/2026

🍁 Fall Into Giving! 🍂
Olney Central College Food Drive
October 31 – November 21
Help make a difference this season by donating to the Giving Hope Food Pantry! Let’s spread warmth, kindness and hope throughout our community — every item helps families enjoy a brighter, more nourishing holiday season. Sponsored by the Communication Special Topics Class at Olney Central College, this food drive is all about coming together to support our community.
Look for collection boxes around campus and at Olney businesses.

10/21/2026

The community needs your help, please complete this survey! It’s about mental health and substance abuse service needed.

Creating a healthier community by centering individuals with lived experience in mental health and substance use challenges and collaborating with agencies, businesses, and community partners to close gaps and support individuals and families in recovery.

10/20/2026

Click the Link to complete the application for the 2026 Shop with a Hometown Hero event!

https://forms.gle/3w3iEMcE66W2uB7aA

The Richland County Sheriff's Office organizes this program yearly to help families in need of assistance at Christmas time.

Children in PreK to 5th grade are eligible to participate. One application per family, please.

Families that were selected to Shop with a Hometown Hero in 2025 will not be eligible for this 2026 event.

Applications will close on October 27, 2026.

10/20/2026

Stop by the library on Halloween for treats!