2024 Fundable Award Recipients |
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Tickets are going fast for Fundable, Just imagine Able SC’s annual fundraising & awards event! Celebrate 30 years of success stories with us and just imagine what our future could hold? Don't miss it, secure your tickets today! |
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Announcing our 2024 FundAble Award Winners Join us in celebrating these amazing individuals and their dedication to the disability community! |
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Taylor Burch Achievable Awardee:
Miranda DeBerry This
award is given to people with disabilities who show great effort and
accomplishment in achieving their goals. Miranda embodies the spirit of
the Achievable Award. When she first came to Able South Carolina, she
was shy and rarely spoke up. Her goals were to make friends, become an
advocate, and support others. Through Empower Hour, Community Leadership
Academy, and our other programs, Miranda found her voice. Through our
programs she now has the tools to communicate her ideas clearly. She's
learned about the power of advocacy, and today, she confidently leads
Empower Hour, speaks up at doctors' appointments, and proudly embraces
her disability. With great Disability Pride, Miranda believes nothing
can stop her now! |
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Respectable Awardee:
Amanda Noyes, SC Arts Commission This
award is given to those who have shown great progress in adapting
programs and philosophies to demonstrate disability rights and
inclusion. Amanda Noyes and the South
Carolina Arts Commission are committed to making arts programs and
venues accessible for people with disabilities. They not only ensure
accessibility in their programs and websites but also actively engage
and showcase artists with disabilities. By educating arts providers
about disability culture, they foster greater understanding of our
community. They don't just want to be accessible. They actively work
towards inclusion of disability into all forms of art. Amanda's passion
for disability equity drives her to ensure the commission highlights
diversity, including disability, in all its programs. |
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Reportable Awardee:
Skylar Laird, SC Daily Gazette This award is given to journalists who accurately and justly cover topics related to the disability community. Skylar
Laird has been an invaluable partner to Able SC and a fair journalist
covering disability issues in South Carolina. She consistently reports
on topics affecting the disability community in a clear and accessible
way for the general public. Her work has highlighted our fight to end
subminimum wage, the benefits of Medicaid expansion for those in the
coverage gap, and the intersection of disability rights with pregnant
workers’ rights. She has also covered the threats posed against disabled
South Carolinians that are multi-marginalized, such as restrictive
legislation to the disabled and queer community. Even during slow news
times, Skylar stays engaged, covering initiatives like our digital
exhibit on the history of people with disabilities at the former State
Hospital. She continues to rely on Able SC as a trusted source for
disability-related issues. |
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Legislative Awardee:
Senator Tom Davis The
Legislator of the Year Award is an annual honor that goes to the
lawmaker who has gone beyond the call of serving constituents, to fully
support the disability community when partnering with Able SC. This
award honors legislators who have been vital in the fight for disability
rights and justice. Senator Davis was responsible for crafting the disability issues focused language in the bill and supporting s.915,
the bill that would restructure SC health agencies. While this bill
unfortunately failed, we do anticipate that the work will continue under
Senator Davis’s leadership, and pass in the future, vastly improving
the lives of the millions of people impacted in our state. Senator Davis
was also a supporter of other disability rights related bills this year
and in recent legislative history. |
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Introducing the Cecil B. Ivory Award To
award a person of color from the disability community and honor their
contributions to disabled Black, Indigenous, and persons of color
(BIPOC) advocacy, equity, and inclusion. |
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LaMondre Pough
is a member of our disability community and a Black man. He has used
his personal experience to advocate for the community, and allowed this
to lead him down a path that has given him a stats of mentor, justice
seeker, and activist. LaMondre is an expert in the field of Diversity,
Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and the CEO of Billion Strong,
an organization championing the rights and participation of people with
disabilities. |
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Historical image of Revered Cecil A. Ivory |
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Reverend
Cecil Augustus Ivory was a Disability and Civil Rights leader in Rock
Hill, South Carolina during the mid-20th century. Ivory was a prominent
figure in the fight against segregation. In
July of 1957, Reverend. Ivory started a carpool service during a bus
boycott in Rock Hill. A month into the boycott, he gathered donations
and bought two used passenger buses, offering free bus services to the
Black community. The ongoing boycott led to approximately 90% of the
city's Black bus riders refusing to use the bus line. By the end of the
year, the Star Bus Line, as a result of the boycott, closed. At
the age of 39, Reverend Ivory organized the first wheelchair sit-in at
McCrory's lunch counter as an act of civil disobedience. Despite
explaining that he was not violating Jim Crow laws since as he was not
sitting in any seats, he was denied service, threatened by the store's
manager and a police officer, and was ultimately arrested. This event
solidified Reverend Ivory's leadership and commitment to the Civil
Rights movement. Reverend
Ivory passed away in November 1961 at the age of 40 due to
complications related to his disability. His impact, however, extended
far beyond his years, leaving an indelible mark on South Carolina and
the Rock Hill community specifically. Reverend Ivory's unwavering
commitment to the Disability and Racial justice movement serve as a
testament to the resilience and determination of those who fought for
equality during this pivotal era in American history. It
is for these reasons that Able South Carolina has established the Cecil
A. Ivory Award. The Cecil A. Ivory Award is given to a person of color
from the disability community to honor their contributions to advocacy,
equity, and inclusion for disabled Black, Indigenous, and other people
of color (BIPOC). |
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Why awards and fundraising? In
order to continue systems change and advancement of equity, access, and
independence for all individuals with disabilities in South Carolina,
we need your partnership now more than ever! For every ticket
you purchase and dollar you donate, you are supporting Able South
Carolina at a time when our services are critical. We hope you will join us not only to celebrate but support. |
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What can you expect?
- Delicious Gourmet Bites
- Open Bar
- Cocktail & Formal Attire
- Get your photo at the magic mirror photo booth!
- Fundable Awards & 30th Anniversary Celebration
- Live Entertainment: 7Sunday
- A Black-owned and veteran-led band featuring our disability community.
- Raffles, Wine Wall, and Chances to Win
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A note on the 2023 event artwork: As
if peering through a keyhole, the foreground is surrounded by a dark
teal with silhouettes of plants and ferns surrounding the central image.
In the center is a small clearing within a forest of illustrated trees,
moss, and bushes in varying shades of green, and three small white and
red dotted toadstool mushrooms, a large organic shape in light green
contains the text, 'FundAble, South Carolina, Planting the seeds for our
shared community.' The text is dark green. The 'Fund' of fundable is
framed with vines and leaves. The 'Able' of fundable mimics the Able
South Carolina logo. Light green-yellow dots that appear to be emitting
light fill the frame in a firefly glow effect. According
to the artist, the fireflies represent local connections as well as
individuals, all synchronizing and coming together for a cause. You are a part of that synchronizing. By supporting Able South Carolina, you are coming together with us to support our mission, vision, and values. We can't wait for you to join us. |
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Able South Carolina
720 Gracern Road Suite 106 | Columbia, South Carolina 29210
803.779.5121 | advocacy@able-sc.org |
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