May 2012 at 9:30 am - Focus on the Palmetto State

In segment one we meet Terry Taylor with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).  They are in full swing trying to combat underage drinking during this Prom and Graduation Party Season.  They currently have legislation pending in the S.C. Senate that would require convicted drunk drivers to use ignition interlocks that has been proven to save lives and prevent drunk driving.  They believe this life-saving legislation is so important because studies show that a first-time convicted drunk driver is not a first-time offender, but rather it is simply the first time they have been caught.  First-time offenders have driven drunk an average of 80 times before they are convicted.  And according to the CDC, ignition interlock scan reduce drunk driving recidivism by 67 percent.  In 2010, 357 people in South Carolina were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver, representing 44% of all traffic fatalities.  The percentage of drunk driving deaths compared to overall traffic deaths in S.C. is the worst in the U.S.

In segment two we visit with Kimberly Williams, the Upstate Director of the Alzheimer's Association.  This organization is the leading, global voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care and support, and the largest private, nonprofit funder of Alzheimer's research.  They offer many services in our area such as Care Finders, Senior Housing, 24-Help Line, Library Services for research and reference.  They are hosting their annual Walk to End Alzheimer's this month to fund their on-going research.

In Segment three we speak with Connie Lanzl, the President of Junior Achievement of the Upstate.  Junior Achievement is passionate about inspiring kids to learn the economics of life through free enterprise education. JA enables caring adults to share their experience with students to show them what it takes to be successful. Throughout JA's kindergarten through grade 12 programs, students use information, apply basic skills, think critically, and solve complex problems.  They develop innovative programs to educate young people about business and economics and help prepare them for fulfilling careers. Junior Achievement is the worlds largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. JA programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace.

In our last segment we catch up with one of our favorite guest, local teen author Raven Magwood.  Not only is Ravena college student, she is working on her fourth book.  Her aim is to inspire other teens to be motivated, to be passionate about life and to be curious about the world.  Raven is also a motivational speaker and one of her books is even being made into a movie starring Robin Givens.