Mount Pleasant Magazine 6.4

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Have a Good
(Mari)time
Fundrai ser supports shem Creek
F i shing Fleet
By Pamela Brownstein
At the heart of Mount
Pleasant – a rapidly growing town
still trying to reach that delicate
balance between unfettered
development and stubborn
preservation – lies Shem Creek. This
unique area is home to a working
community of fishermen who for generations have trawled
the waterways and
lived off the bounty
found along the
South Carolina coast.
Although these
local boat operators
have weathered
storms throughout
the years, economic
obstacles such the
ever-increasing
cost of living and
competition from
overseas have made
it difficult for many
of them to stay afloat
financially.
Grace Edwards,
whose husband runs a shrimp boat out of Shem Creek,
saw these struggles firsthand. In response to their modern
problems, she said the fishermen banded together and
started looking at the needs of all the boats. In 2012, they
formed the nonprofit Shem Creek Fisheries to support
the Shem Creek commercial fishermen, their families and
crew members.
Last year, Edwards partnered with Karen Boals, owner
of Karen’s Korner Frame and Art Gallery in Mount
Pleasant, to spearhead the Chics of the Sea Fundraiser – a
one-day event filled with music, food and original artwork
donated by local artists and sold at a silent auction.
Their efforts,
through ticket sales,
personal donations,
silent auctions and
raffles, enabled them
to raise enough
money to meet their
goal of providing 11
life rafts, one for each
boat, at about $3,000
per raft. They also
were able to provide
new inflatable life
jackets and flares to
the crab boats.
“Our guys deserve
to have the best
equipment. This was
a way to get them something they needed,” Edwards said.
“Hardly any of the boats even had a life raft before this.”
Boals said she got involved because she wants to
support the hardworking people who live and work on
Photo by Pamela Brownstein.
Local artist Abagail Wedlake stands by the mixed media mermaid piece she created
that appears on T-shirts for the Chics of the Sea Fundraiser.