Meet Lucy
I am running for Sumter City Council because I LOVE Sumter! Here's why I love Sumter and a little bit more about me:
I love Sumter because it is a great place to work: I am a home health physical therapist and I live in the heart of the Historic District of downtown Sumter, SC. The diversity of the people I see living downtown combined with the friendly faces that are living across our county are unmatched anywhere in the State of South Carolina in my opinion!
I love Sumter because it is where my family is from: My grandparents were from Sumter and though I grew up in Columbia, my dad always jokes about how I was "made in Sumter." My parents first apartment after they were married in 1969 was at Orchard Place off of Haynsworth Street. While my parents moved to Columbia shortly before I was born, I ended up returning to Sumter and buying my first house right across the street from Orchard Place over 40 years later!
I love Sumter because my legacy of service here is bigger than me: I was fortunate enough to know both sets of my grandparents very well. All four of them were alive until I was 14 years old. I adored my Sumter grandparents and spent a lot of time in Sumter as I grew up. My grandfather was a captain in the US Army Aircorp and after serving in WWII served as resident engineer for the Highway department and then as the Sumter County Engineer until retiring in 1972. I've been told that when he came to Sumter after WWII, 90 percent of the bridges in Sumter County were still wooden. The stretch of McCray's Mill Road from South Guignard Drive to Pitts Road is named in his honor for his service to Sumter County. He was indeed a "bridge builder" and I hope to live into that legacy.
I love Sumter because it is great place to serve others: After completing undergraduate studies in Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina, I moved to Charleston for Physical Therapy school at the Medical University of South Carolina, graduating in 2002. I have always had a strong vocational calling and I still love being a physical therapist. Overall, I have been working in healthcare for 28 years. I have always loved helping and serving others and I have served on many medical mission trips locally and abroad.
I love Sumter because my wife does: Christi, who is a lifelong Sumter native, also works in healthcare as a home health occupational therapist. She is creative, supportive, steady, and kind. I could not fulfill any great act of service to this community if she wasn't just as devoted to a life of service here as I am. We make an incredible team and if you see us together, you will see the joy we share when collaborating to serve others. Christi's two children are one of my greatest unexpected joys in life. I have always loved mentoring youth in the outdoors through my love of hunting and fishing, but the role of "Bonus Mom" has been fulfilling beyond words. We would love for you to join us at a Sumter High football game anytime!
I love Sumter High School football and with Christi's boys attending public schools here in Sumter, I want to see its schools improve: My mother's father, a lawyer with SCE&G, was passionate about education and served on the board of Benedict College, Converse College, and Richland County Schools. I remember him talking about an education being the one thing you couldn't steal from a man. It was this passion, as well as his kindness towards those that needed assistance getting their dreams of education fulfilled that inspires me to help improve our school system. Many teachers have told me that our public schools are under attack by our state government right now. We must continue the fight to improve them and not abandon the future generations of workers in our City and County!
I love my church home in Sumter: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church is at 401 Dingle Street. It is a small but mighty congregation that is rooted in serving and welcoming ALL members of our Sumter community.
I love Sumter because it is a diverse community: Sumter has an incredibly diverse community and I love being a part of it. That diversity could be represented in so many ways if I was given the opportunity serve on City Council.
I hope that in getting to know me a little better you can join me in saying: I love Sumter too! And if you love Sumter and think we need more woman, more mothers, more listeners, more protectors, more bridge builders serving our community, please join our campaign. Let's love Sumter together!