The Community Organization for Rights and Empowerment is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit community-based organization in Holly Hill, South Carolina. CORE serves the residents of eastern Orangeburg County, South Carolina, and surrounding areas. In keeping with community improvement, we advocate for children, families, and community minded people.
OUR MISSION
To provide a place with a nurturing environment for children and adults to participate in improving their lives and making our community a better place to live, as CORE continuously advocates and serves in the areas of Education, Economics, and Social Development.
OUR RECENT
ACTIVITIES
We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to everyone who helped make our April 17 fish fry fund-raiser a success!
The CORE Executive Board met on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
They agreed to plant okra on approximately one-half acre of the organization’s garden/farm property.
They agreed on the need for electricity, an agricultural well, and a fence at the property and discussed how to proceed.
To raise funds, they decided to hold a fish fry or a barbecue dinner, or both, in the near future.
A celebration and investiture of board members will be held upon the grand opening of the Community Center.
The CORE Executive Board met on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
Mrs. Virginia Townsend, executive director, highlighted the word “nurture” in CORE’s Mission Statement: “Nurture means to care for, feed, protect, and train someone or something – like a child, a plant, or an idea – to help it grow, develop, or succeed. CORE’s purpose is to provide a nurturing environment for our community.”
Two CORE representatives attended the Concerned Citizens meeting on March 1, 2026.
Mrs. Townsend reminded all volunteers to keep track of their hours and in-kind donations. These numbers can be shared with potential benefactors as evidence of the volunteers’ commitment to CORE.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade through Holly Hill was a big success with approximately 50 entries. (Photos are posted on another tab of this website.)
Lee Hendren visited the Cordova Senior Community Center to learn more about best practices and programming ideas for community centers. He also said that CORE’s website has been restored with a new domain name: www.CORESC.org
Mrs. Virginia Townsend, executive director, attended Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training in February 2026.
This training helps small, new, and beginning South Carolina growers implement food safety programs and achieve certification. The training was sponsored by the Center for Food Safety and Health at the South Carolina State University Public Service and Agriculture Program.
CORE representatives attended a Diabetes Wellness Expo on Feb. 26, 2026.
The expo was designed to promote healthy lifestyles and increase community awareness surrounding diabetes prevention and management. Highlights included food demonstrations and aerobic exercises.
It was sponsored by Family Health Centers Inc. in Orangeburg, in partnership with the Orangeburg County YMCA and the South Carolina State University 1890 Research and Extension Program.
Mrs. Virginia Townsend, executive director, and Lee Hendren attended a South Carolina Resource Workshop at the St. George Rosenwald School on Feb. 24, 2026.
Topics included USDA conservation programs and heirs' property and estate planning.
The event was sponsored by The KKAC Organization, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
CORE began its community garden with raised beds in the first year, but has since focused more on row crops.
OUR BOARD
Leroy White Jr., President
Kenneth High, Vice President
Roosevelt Hezekiah, Secretary
Diana Jenkins, Treasurer
Louie Johnson, Chaplain
Vanessa Castillo, Catherine Haynes, Sheldon Jenkins, Anthony Myers, James Washington, and Willard Wearing