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Flashing back a few weeks ago, U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn had a conversation with a security guard at the Capitol walking to his office. What Clyburn thought would be normal, casual banter turned more interesting when the guard mentioned he had visited Orangeburg the weekend before to attend his grandfather's funeral.
"Where in Orangeburg did he live," Clyburn asked the guard, who he had often seen around the Capitol but had no idea of an Orangeburg connection.
"He lived right down the street from that center they are naming after you," the guard responded.
Flashing forward to yesterday, Clyburn arrived at the opening ceremony of the James E. Clyburn Empowerment Center at the Nelson C. Nix Education Center, the one the guard had mentioned weeks before. It was a culmination of hard work and dedication from many people, perhaps none more than Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 Superintendent Melvin Smoak.
Flashing back two year, Smoak had doubts that a day for opening a community center would ever come. The community center initially had partnered with the Magic Johnson Foundation, but that partnership would eventually fall apart.
"At one time I got a little discouraged," Smoak said.
However, partnerships with the Freddie Mac Foundation, HOPE Worldwide and the South Carolina Department of Commerce made sure the project would become a reality.
On Friday, Smoak approached the podium to address a crowd of more than 100 people at the opening ceremony. The day of realizing a dream had finally come.
"It's a great day in Orangeburg County," Smoak said, a sentiment that would be echoed throughout the ceremony by speakers such as OCSD 5 Board Chairman Dr. Kalu Kalu, Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller and Orangeburg County Council Chairman Harry Wimberly.
"The mission of this center is to provide a vehicle for at-risk children and for the whole community to obtain a cut above excellence," Smoak said to the crowd.
Clyburn addressed the crowd as the keynote speaker. He recalled a sociology professor who taught him during his collegiate years at South Carolina State University and who told him, "We are but the sum of your experiences."
Clyburn said this was a lesson that has lingered with him in his life and can be applied to the children and adults the center will ultimately impact.
The majority whip said a large portion of the problems in today's society are due to not paying enough attention to children in their formative years.
"Children learn what they live. If we give them good experiences, they will be good people," he said.
Clyburn also extended thanks to HOPE Worldwide and the Freddie Mac Foundation for making the endeavor possible.
Kalu said he hopes the center will provide a visible example of Clyburn's dedication to education. Kalu also said the county should continue advancing education and that it is ready for a magnet school program.
"We can make it happen," Kalu said.
Antonio Boyd, vice president of U.S. Programs for HOPE, said Orangeburg has amazed him as a community, and he credited Smoak.
"Without him this would not be possible," Body said of Smoak.
The Clyburn Empowerment Center is equipped with a state-of-the-art computer lab, community resource center and in the near future a fitness and wellness center. It will provide children and adults with such services as: credit recovery, virtual courses, work force preparation, home ownership seminars and wellness screenings.
Smoak said the center will look to target at-risk students, students who have dropped out and students who have not been successful in traditional school environments. He hopes that with a low student-to-teacher ratio and more flexibility, the center will be better equipped to accommodate those students' needs.
For more information on the James E. Clyburn Empowerment Center, contact Project Director Judith Wells at 803-533-6581.
T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.