KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — The sights and sounds of what used to be an elementary school have quickly evolved as the former Mt. Pisgah Elementary School has now opened as a community center.
The school was consolidated with Bethune Elementary and Baron-DeKalb to form what is now North Central Elementary, leaving the building vacant. But, after a lot of hard work, the community has brought new life to the building.
"I grew up in the community, and I went to school here for 12 years," said Mt. Pisgah Community and Resource Center Board President Faye Libby. "I left and came back in 2014, and I swore I would never come back here to live because there is absolutely nothing to do. But now I'm thinking, 'Oh boy, we've got a lot to do in our rural country area.'"
"Next Tuesday, the 7th of February, we will open the first food distribution of United Way and so the people up in the area can come and get the foods and then, in a week or two, the Carolina Medical Center is gonna be open," Libby said.
The Medical Center will be free to the public and looks to be open on Tuesdays only, but it's an effort to provide medical resources outside of Camden into this community.
"Now, we're open Sunday afternoons from 2-4:30 p.m. where we open the facility, but we have been averaging about 55-60 people on Sunday afternoon. The gym floor is full of people shooting hoops," Libby said.
"It feels good because for basic needs, the towns around are about 10-12 miles away," says lifelong Mt. Pisgah resident Joe Ogburn.
"It's been very good," resident Mary Davis said. "I've gotten to meet several of the volunteers that you don't get to meet because you are spread out and you don't know them."
The center is hosting a yard sale on February 11th from 8 a.m. -1 p.m. with all money raised going back into the center.
For hours when the center is open, they are telling people to check their Facebook Page, as they continue to welcome different entities.