If you listen to some news stations and read certain newspapers, studies, and online articles, you may believe that Union County is one of the poorest, most uneducated, drug ridden towns in South Carolina. They even will often share statistics that support their claims. I'm not saying that any of these people are lying when they share this info. But I will state that being a numbers guy who has spent a ton of time doing calculations for many organizations, that numbers don't lie, but they can be calculated and presented in such a way that benefits one party more than another. Numbers don't always paint the whole picture. No, Union's test scores may not be the highest. But some places manipulate (that's such an ugly word) their SAT scores by only allowing their smartest students to take it. Union County Schools prepared me to score the necessary SAT score by my senior year to earn a hefty scholarship by allowing me to take it in the 7th grade for the first time. Did that hurt our scores? I'm sure. But did it help the students like me who got a taste of the test that early? Absolutely! Do we have a drug problem in Union? Certainly. Any drugs is a problem. I don't know the stats for Union but it's not just here. CVS has just announced a plan to help combat opioid abuse. They are a national pharmacy chain so I'm pretty sure that our drug problem in Union isn't the cause of that decision. So yes, drugs are a problem, and we need to combat it, but it's not just here. Are we a poor town? Heck, the statistics sometimes say we are. But when there is a need, Union has always gone above and beyond. This poor town raised (if I remember right) over $250,000 to build a baseball field for the Miracle League so that special needs children, men, and women would have a place to play ball. I've seen numerous smaller fundraisers for children and families in need that have raised more than enough when something tragic has happened. Are we poor? According to the studies apparently so. But according to the results, I don't believe so. So who is Union? It's not a perfect town. We have crime, corruption, and other issues. But we are a town that today many people are wearing blue for a teenage girl having surgery for a brain tumor. Some of us don't even know her personally. We are a town that with everything trying to divide this country always comes together in times of need; to give, to support, to simply wear a color to show that we care about the people in our community. We have things in our history that we are not, nor should be, proud of. But they are no less part of our history. That does not make them part of our future. Union is my hometown. It has given more to me than I have to it, but I hope to make it a better place for others today and in the future.

Life is about Faith, Family, and Friends. As I’ve gotten older, I have found that those Friends are most often found within your own Family as well as your Family of Faith. When I lay my head down at night and think about what really matters the most, it always falls in these categories. So when People wonder why I’ve settled my Family down in little ole Union, I only have three answers for them: Faith, Family, and Friends. There are those who have dreams and aspirations of “getting out of here”. Some like to spotlight the constant waves of bad news that arise in our City, as if nothing good ever happens here or that other Towns or Cities are glorious utopias of society. But I live here, and have for 31 years and I know the true goodness of Union, South Carolina. Now I’m not saying that if you have no ties here, then Union is not the place for you. But simply that for me, it’s a no-brainer. I was born and raised here. Spent my younger days in the woods behind the house and playing capture the flag with flashlights with the children over on my Grandmother’s street. Went through the Public School System, played for the high school basketball team and the marching band. Everything that I needed to accomplish what I wanted to do, Union provided that. But it’s the little things, like how much pride is put into the Veteran’s Day parade or the fact that cars still stop for funeral processions. Union has beautiful scenery, a rich history, and loving People who in time of need bend over backwards for their fellow man. It also has Welcome Baptist Church, where God saved me at the age of 13. The foundation of my life is my Faith in Jesus Christ and for 31 years I’ve seen the Lord meet with His people there. God has molded me into a Sunday School Teacher and Music Director at Welcome and has set my Family there to serve. Union is where my Family lives. Not just my beautiful Wife (who I found right here in Union AT my Church) and two wonderful Children, but my Parents, my Brother’s family, my Sister’s family, my In-Laws, and on and on. My little Neighborhood is full of People young and old who love each other and would share whatever they had. The ones who are the dearest to me are right here in Union. This town has had a hand in making me into the man I am today. There are two things I’ve learned in life that would help a lot of People’s outlook: 1. The world nor anybody in it owes me anything and 2. Everything in life is what you make of it. So many are quick to blame the School System, the Leaders, the Police, or whoever for their issues. But I have found that if someone learns to take responsibility for their own future and ambitions, anybody can do whatever they set their mind to. If I didn’t accomplish what I wanted, it wouldn’t have been this City’s fault, but as I’ve discovered, this City and all the People in it – my Parents, Teachers, Pastor, Neighbors, Family and Friends supplied all the support and help I needed. This is a special place.

Union County has been my home for almost 35 years. I have always lived in Buffalo, which is just outside the city limits. My husband,Bobby, and I are raising our two children here. Lanie is 13 and Jakob is 9. Our hope is that they, too, share the love for this town that their father and I feel. I love that everyone here is supportive! Having hosted several fundraisers for numerous cancer patients or children’s projects, Union has always lended a helping hand, through unending hospitality and financial support. We have a variety of local talent, from great athletes, to singers and natural artists! With this amount of talent, I would love to see more in my home town! The ones who have taken a chance, have done an amazing job! Just look at some of the “talents” showing off...we have the 12u Girls Softball team going to the World Series July 21...WOW.. We have naturally stylish people doing their things at the local clothing shops (Almost Pink, Hair and Moore, Southern Charm, Personally Yours, Embroidery by Karen) you have the “chefs” of this town cooking up some great meals (Hearts, Midway, Andy’s, Uncle Quincey’s, & Bantam Chef) , you’ve have the talented contractors making homes for the college students (Kendall Austin, Mark Ivey, TBA, TCB) and let’s not forget some of the farming (one couple comes to mind Mr. And Mrs. Cleveland Jackson)!! These are just a few names that come to mind. Truly some of the best around! I am a Certified Pharmacy Technician of 12 years. Union Family Pharmacy is where I have had the pleasure of working for past three years. I’ve seen the best and the worst of our community. Before working for an independent pharmacy I worked for the pharmacy giant CVS for almost ten years! You see people’s true colors when dealing with medication. From a home town side of things I can first hand tell you the difference in corporations and locally owned businesses....and man are they different!! When your boss takes not only your whole family, but the entire staffs’ families out to dinner for Christmas, anniversary, just for fun VS handing you one piece of chocolate candy (the cvs brand too not the good stuff) for Christmas, that tells you how appreciative locally owned businesses are! This is why I am so passionate about shopping locally!! Let’s support ALL local businesses because they support us!! I’m gonna close with this. If you truly love your community, then show your community some LOVE. Shop Local! Spend your hard earned money here to keep it circulating here!! A lot of people are trying to start side jobs selling things online or cleaning cars or houses whatever the case may be SUPPORT them by taking that chance of them...aren’t you glad someone took a chance on you? Shop Local, Love Local. Thanks for reading, Kelly E Tucker