Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Roosevelt Scott, who passed away on Thursday, December 10th.

Mr. Scott was such a staple to the Hemingway community in the way that he brought people together through his famous BBQ. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have met Mr. Scott over the summer for WTBW News 13 Living Local Carolina. Although we were there to try out Mr. Scott's famous BBQ, it was his personality and love for his family that made him so captivating.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, well for most people anyway. For some folks, the holidays bring about a lot of added stress and financial burden, which is why it's the perfect time to give back. If you're fortunate enough to have a little extra money this year, there are lots of ways that you can help those in need. If you're not in a place to give financially, there are still many ways to give back that don't cost a dime. Either way, I guarantee that giving back to others this holiday season will help you get into the spirit and remember the true reason why we celebrate.

Last Year, I had the opportunity to interview Carolina Trust Executive Assistant Selma Reburn for a Community Focus piece, which we featured in our monthly member newsletter, The Caroliner. Selma has been employed by Carolina Trust for 33 years and is retiring on December 2nd. I wanted to reshare Selma's community focus, to give people outside of the credit union a small glimpse at how much Selma means to us and how influential her role is here. We will miss her greatly, but the legacy that she has left at the credit union will always remain.

With the holidays right around the corner, I'm sure you've made your shopping list and checked it twice. You might've even scoured your favorite retailers or my latest blog post to see if you can score any of the items on your list for a great deal on Black Friday. Although sometimes it's easy to load up your Amazon cart with everything you need and have it on your doorstep in two days, I would encourage you to look into local businesses as an alternative for some of your gifts this year.

The government shut down hit everyone pretty hard this year, but especially small businesses. Many small business owners rely on customers coming in day after day to stay afloat. They don't have stockholders or investors to help support them when hard times come along. They depend on you and me, their friends and neighbors, to see the hard work that goes into their business and choose to shop locally.

We're officially a week away from the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday. Like most things in 2020, Black Friday may look a little different this year than what you're used to. If you're one of those people who likes to get a head start on holiday shopping after finishing up your Thanksgiving dinner, you may be out of luck this year. Many major retailers have decided to kick the usual holiday tradition of opening on Thanksgiving night and instead will remain closed until Friday morning (ex: Walmart, Target, Best Buy.) However, to offset the COVID-19 retail restrictions, you're more likely to see stores offer Black Friday promotions all-week long or run major sales online to provide customers their Black Friday Shopping experience in a safer way.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means it's time to start thinking about what to cook. My mom cooks the turkey in my family, and the rest of us all chip in with different sides and desserts. This year, I asked around the credit union for new recipes to try out. If you're like me, you're probably looking for something that is budget-friendly, easy to cook, and contains minimal ingredients, or at least uses ingredients that you already have. 

In honor of Veterans Day on November 11th, Carolina Trust is celebrating our veteran employees and Board volunteers all month long with Living Local Carolina Segments and billboard campaigns. If you're looking for ways to show appreciation to veterans in your life this Veterans Day, check out the list below.

Carolina Trust is raising awareness for important causes throughout the month of October. One cause that is important to us, is Down Syndrome Awareness. Employees have worn blue and yellow ribbons all week long to raise awareness for Down Syndrome and start the conversation about down syndrome with the people we come in contact with.

We are so fortunate to have a friendship with Lacey Thompson, whose two-year-old son Luke has down syndrome. Recently on a segment of Living Local Carolina, Lacey shared her story with Show Host/Producer Rainee Romero and I .

You can check out the segment below to learn about how Lacey and her husband found out that their son Luke would be born with down syndrome and how it has changed their lives. Lacey also gives some excellent advice on ways to raise awareness for down syndrome and promote inclusivity.

With close proximity to the beach, beautiful weather year-round, and friendly people, the Grand Strand area is an ideal place for many northerners looking to relocate.

On a recent segment of Living Local Carolina, we sat down with Carolina Trust member, Phil Adikes, who recently relocated from New York and built his dream home with the help of the Carolina Trust Mortgage department.

Phil and his wife were initially referred to a lender who offered them a rate much higher than what they were expecting. After doing some research online, Phil realized that Carolina Trust was advertising a rate much lower than the lender he had initially been referred to. With just a few weeks until their closing date, the Adikes were skeptical of restarting the lending process.

However, our mortgage team was able to get the Adikes approved in less than 48 hours at a lower rate. After doing the math, they were able to save approximately $80,000 over the life of their mortgage by using Carolina Trust as their lender.

Check out the Adikes' Living Local Carolina segment below:

If you are thinking about buying a new home, then this is an exciting time; however, buying a home is also a big decision. For this reason, you need to make sure that you take the time to get this decision right. That also means working with the right mortgage lender. Unfortunately, there are a lot of common mistakes that homebuyers may make when looking for a lender. Understand these common pitfalls so you can make sure to avoid them.