Folly non-profits make the community a better place to live
by Jenny Peterson | Current Staff Writer
Folly Beach may be small in size, but it’s big in the number of mission-driven citizens who work tirelessly through non-profits to make the community a better place for everyone to live.
Whether it’s finding unique ways to address mental health by using the ocean to heal trauma, preserving a Folly Beach maritime icon, or rescuing the lives of tens of thousands of our furry friends, the impact of these hardworking residents is felt throughout the community.
This holiday season, we’re taking a look at just a few noteworthy non-profit organizations with Folly roots that make us proud to call this special place home.
Pet Helpers
In the 1970s, at age 28, Carol Linville and her now late husband Bob Linville moved to Folly Beach from Florida. The business owners had no prior experience or particular affinity for animal rescue, they just noticed a very big problem—a prevalence of abandoned animals on Folly Beach.
“A lot of dogs were dumped on Folly back in the 80s and 90s. I began rescuing cats because we were overrun with cats on Folly,” Carol said.
The Linvilles quickly found that their personal home on Folly Beach was running out of space as they fostered dozens of animals at a time. In 1978, Carol founded Pet Helpers and soon converted their car dealership business that was located on Folly Road into an animal shelter, with Bob building and outfitting the rooms himself.
“By 1982, we had 2,000 calls a year coming in,” Carol said.
She and Bob and the police chief in the mid-1980s, Wallace Benson, took it upon themselves to house abandoned and stray animals in their personal homes and fenced-in yards, tackling the problem one animal at a time with spaying and neutering, setting up feeding stations and finding the animals forever homes. The Linvilles became the driving force behind the city adding a kennel to hold stray animals in its public safety headquarters.
“Me, Bob and a volunteer fireman built the first animal kennel down behind the old city hall building and the fire department,” Carol recalls. “We poured concrete, put a roof up with wire and wood and created a dog holding area for maybe two dogs and a cat holding area on the other side, because at the time there was no place to put a found animal.”
When Carol realized that Charleston was euthanizing roughly 97 percent of animals at shelters—about 8,000 animals a year—she decided to dedicate her life to animal rights and advocacy work. During Bob’s campaign and successful run as a Folly’s Mayor in 1989, Carol was the driving force behind pushing for an animal welfare ordinance. She worked with a local newspaper to run a “pet of the week” column featuring a pet from a local shelter, personally writing the descriptions of the animals and coordinating a photo.
By the 1990s, they had outgrown the space and moved into a converted home on Folly Road for the shelter. In 2008, the business moved to a state-of-the-art 14,000-square-foot no-kill Adoption Center and Spay/Neuter Clinic on James Island.
Today, Pet Helpers is the only shelter in the greater Charleston area that’s open seven days a week. In addition to housing animals up for adoption, the center offers low-cost spay and neuter services, vaccine clinics and many additional programs, services and support for pet parents.
Despite nearly 50 years spent on this effort, Carol is hardly slowing down in this work. She continues to house injured and special needs pets at her own Folly Beach home and helps out at to the shelter daily, often cleaning litter boxes.
“I’m still on call 24/7 to Folly Beach Police Department for wildlife calls,” she said. “It could be one o’clock in the morning with a call about a seagull, a pelican, racoon, opossum. I will go catch that raccoon in a crate, bring it home, put it in my garage overnight and then get it somewhere the next day.”
Looking back on her time in animal advocacy, Carol said she’s living proof that one person with a big heart can make a world of difference—a staggering 55,000 animals have been impacted thanks to her and Pet Helpers’ work.
“It takes me back to when people ask, ‘What can one person do?’” Carol said. “I’m not any great hero. I just can’t say no to an animal in need that I know I can help.”
Pet Helpers
447 Folly Rd, Charleston
Open from 12-5 p.m. daily
www.pethelpers.org
Greatest need: Monetary donations that go towards feeding and caring for animals and to help offset low-cost pet procedures and surgeries; donations of dry cat food; foster parents; mission-driven citizens to fill a variety of positions.
Save the Light
A beacon in the Atlantic Ocean off of Folly Beach that once guided ships into the Charleston Harbor, The Morris Island Lighthouse remains part of the island’s landscape thanks to a dedicated group of citizens who purchased the decommissioned 161-foot lighthouse in 1999 to prevent it from being torn down.
James Island residents put in a successful bid for $75,000 to buy the 1862-era brick circular lighthouse from a private seller after learning it was in danger of being dismantled and used for its bricks, said Patty Geery, office manager for the Save The Light organization. Save The Light officially incorporated in 1999.
Local artist Jim Booth was instrumental in helping raise the funds to buy the lighthouse. One of the original members of Save the Light organization, Booth created a special painting of the lighthouse and sold copies for $200 each. Within several weeks, the group was able to pay back the bank loan used to purchase the maritime landmark.
The Save the Light group transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the State of South Carolina for basic maintenance and took responsibility for preserving the lighthouse—all 203 steps up to the top.
Preserving the lighthouse is a constant and expensive endeavor. Erosion, shipworms and more threatened the foundation. Save the Light helped raise funds for the $6 million project to build a coffer dam around the base to protect the foundation, which was completed in 2010. Efforts are now underway to preserve the inside of the lighthouse and repaint the outside to its historical black and white colors.
“The reason it looks red and white today is because you’re looking at the brick underneath,” Geery said. “All of the black paint flaked off and what you see is just the remnants of the white paint and the exposed brick.”
The group effort’s are supported through yearly memberships and unique fundraising that includes a Morris Island Lighthouse license plate designed by Booth.
“We get a significant check each month (from the plates),” Geery said.
While the lighthouse does not have a nightly light illuminating its tower, the group holds yearly special nights where a solar panel-powered light goes on during holidays or other special occasions, in partnership with Dominion Energy.
Geery said the public can “buy” the light for an evening or special occasion; for $1,000 donation to the organization, Dominion Energy will light up the lighthouse for three hours.
“Every once in a while, you’ll see it lit up for no particular reason. It’s because somebody has been very generous and asked us, ‘Please turn it on for my husband’s birthday,’ or, ‘We’re getting married,’” Geery said.
The group hosts a yearly oyster roast fundraiser in January at Bowen’s Island with 600 tickets and partners with Charleston County Parks to hold a half marathon and 5K in February with runner registration going towards efforts to preserve the historical navigation aide.
While it’s the third lighthouse to stand in the spot, the Save the Light members hope it will stand forever through their dedicated efforts. It remains a popular Folly Beach attraction and can be seen from the Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve on the Eastern end of the island, about a half-mile walk at the terminus of East Ashley Avenue.
“It’s a maritime icon,” Geery said.
Save the Light
www.savethelight.org
Greatest need: memberships, donations, participants in fundraisers and choosing the Save the Light license plate
Waves 4 Women
Waves 4 Women (W4W) was founded in 2019 by social worker Erin Jones and surfer Kristin Litchfield, who wanted to provide a safe and supportive space for women who had experienced trauma, adversity or other life stressors, where they could experience connection and community with other women as they learned how to surf.
“We provide two-hour surf/ocean therapy clinics, which combine surf and body board instruction with experiential learning and group wellness. We also provide surf and strength conditioning clinics, which also have a group wellness component and provide individual or small group surf and wellness clinics for women or girls served through local nonprofits and schools,” Jones said.
Waves 4 Women uses all-female instructors and group leaders and offers affordable, inclusive trauma-informed ocean and surf therapy programs for women and girls.
The number of participants has increased each year from serving 28 women in 2019 to 130 women and girls in 2023.
“W4W teach life skills such as mindfulness, growth mindset, healthy communication and emotional regulation, which enable women and girls to function more effectively in their daily lives and relationships,” said Jones.
The organization is working to provide its services year-round and to develop a scholarship fund to ensure ongoing access to health and wellness services.
Waves 4 Women
waves4women.org
Greatest Need: Volunteers and donors (both individual donors and corporate sponsors) and in-kind donations -used or new wetsuits, surfboards, body boards and leashes will enable W4W to run year-round surf therapy programs. A fundraiser at The Tides Hotel called Turn the Tides is the annual fundraiser. Rise Above is a current program and clinic.
Other Notable Folly-centric Non-profits & Organizations:
Folly Beach Wahine Classic
The longest running all-female surf contest on the East Coast and South Carolina’s only all-female surf contest empowers surfer girls of all ages. www. follywahine.com
Folly Angels
A charity organization helping those in need on Folly Beach. www.facebook.com/FollyAngels/
Holiday Blood Drive
Give the most precious gift this holiday season — the gift of life. Please consider signing up to donate and recruiting a friend or colleague to sign up. MUSC needs 100 pints of blood per day! Help achieve the goal of giving them enough for one day. Thursday, Dec. 14, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Tides hotel.
South Carolina Beach Advocates
Nonprofit organization that aims to educate policy makers on the economic and environmental benefits of beach preservation in South Carolina. www.scbeaches.org
Surfer’s Healing
Enriching the lives of people living with autism by exposing them to the unique experience of surfing. www.surfershealing.org
Surfrider Charleston
The local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a grass-roots nonprofit helps protect beaches, oceans and waterways across the United States. www.charleston.surfrider.org
Warrior Surf
A nonprofit that works to provide free surf therapy, wellness coaching, yoga and community to Veterans and their families. www.warriorsurf.org
