Meeting Charleston Nicole Gordon | Mark Gordon

In 2016, Going Places founder, Katie Blomquist, was a first-grade teacher in a low-income elementary school. She had a 6-year student named Jawan who wanted a bike for his birthday and it shocked Katie to learn he had never owned one. She wished she could buy him a bike, but that wasn’t possible on a teacher’s salary. It was something that Katie couldn’t get off her mind knowing Jawan was growing up without the joy of riding his own bike.

As Katie started to ask around her class, she realized that most of the kids had never owned a bike. Remembering her own childhood filled with joyful memories of riding her bike all around her neighborhood, she set out to change this sad realization. Katie had the idea to buy all 650 students in her school a brand new, high-quality bike by starting a GoFundMe campaign. With the help of Affordabike, a local Charleston custom bicycle shop, this idea became a reality.

Katie’s campaign went viral and some of the top news outlets in the country reported on it including Good Morning America, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, ABC World News, Time Magazine, USA Today, Post and Courier, and The Steve Harvey Show. The story behind Going Places was catching on fire throughout America. On March 30, 2017, she surprised every student at Pepperhill Elementary School with a brand new bike. After this successful event, Katie now had an even greater vision.

Her vision was to create a nonprofit whose mission was to bring Joy to children in need. To make that a reality, Katie would have to focus her efforts full time on this new venture, which meant stepping away from teaching. In June 2017, she got to work on building the dream of Going Places, which involved rallying the community around her cause. It was important to Katie that her supporters understood why there was a need for Joy in these children’s lives.

Numerous organizations focus on providing the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter, yet one thing often overlooked for children is their social-emotional need for Joy. For many kids living in poverty, it is when they get home from school that the real stress begins. So why a bike?
These kids can live in less-than-desirable and unpredictable circumstances and a bike provides them with a sense of freedom and escape. It also builds self-worth by being the first item of value they can call their own. A bike can restore the innocence of childhood that many have had taken away.
A person may have all of the basic "needs" in life, but what kind of life is one without Joy? What kind of adult will a child grow up to be if they have lacked Joy?
Going Places invites everyone in their community to join them on this ride of providing Joy to these children in need and letting them know that they deserve to go places in life.
They're Going Places, Wanna Come?

Kristin Graziano is a highly decorated career Law Enforcement Professional, who has dedicated her life to the service of others. Kristin and her family are active members of Circular Congregational Church in Charleston, where Kristin serves voluntarily as the Director of Security. Kristin coaches the College of Charleston Women’s Rugby team and believes physical and mental toughness on the field and in life, breed compassionate and caring young adults. Also, Kristin is a successful real estate investor and has built a comfortable life through grit, determination and creating win-win environments for stakeholders. Kristin serves as a volunteer for Crescent Hospice. She looks forward to serving beyond the call as the next Sheriff of Charleston County.

Joe Cunningham proudly represents South Carolina’s First Congressional District. The First District encompasses South Carolina’s Lowcountry, including Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Kiawah, and Hilton Head. Joe is a proud father and husband and is serving his first term in the United States Congress.
Joe currently serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. The Committee on Natural Resources oversees federal conservation programs, establishes renewable energy sources, and critically to the Lowcountry, monitors offshore oil and gas development. The Lowcountry's vibrant natural resources are vital to its economy and way of life, and Joe is proud to use his seat at the table to work to protect them. South Carolina's First Congressional District has the highest amount of veterans in the state of South Carolina. Joe is honored to serve on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and ensure Lowcountry veterans and their families receive the best and most reliable care, services, and benefits. 
Prior to his election to Congress, Joe was an attorney and an ocean engineer. In Congress, Joe’s priorities include reinstating the ban on offshore drilling off the Atlantic coast, infrastructure investment, protecting and creating Lowcountry jobs, combating climate change and lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs. As a former ocean engineer, Joe knows firsthand how destructive drilling for oil can be to a coastline and is committed to protecting South Carolina’s coastline and economy from offshore drilling. Joe has spent his life working with others to get things done and is committed to breaking through the political tribalism facing Washington.
Joe attended the College of Charleston, obtained his B.S. in Ocean Engineering from Florida Atlantic University in 2005,  and his J.D. from Northern Kentucky University in 2014. He currently lives on James Island with his wife, Amanda, their son, Boone, and their dog, Teddy.

Peyton Raybon is a graduating senior at Wando High School and an active member at Seacoast Church. She is a photographer with the Wando Tribal Tribune newspaper and a former captain on the Wando cheer team. 

Petyon sits down and tells us how she is active and protesting for change. She thinks some of the best places to start are both physical and emotional training for police officers, along with conversations in your home between your family, especially with children. She also walks us through getting gassed at the 4pm Marion Square protest on Sunday 5/31. 

My name is KJ Kearney and I’m a native and current resident of North Charleston, SC.
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HISTORICALLY BLACK - I graduated from one of the greatest HBCUs to ever exist, South Carolina State University (@scstate1896) where I played football and was a member of the University’s very first Honors Program class.
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I HAVE MY OWN DAY (KINDA) - In 2018 I wrote a proclamation for RED RICE DAY which was approved by the City of Charleston. The proclamation was created to formally recognize the culinary contributions of my enslaved ancestors to the city.
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(RETIRED) SNEAKERHEAD - I was an avid collector of sneakers. At one point, I had about 200 pairs in my possession. That’s still low to other sneaker enthusiasts but hella higher than most people (BONUS: my favorite sneaker color is grey).
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SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT - This year I was given the exclusive “EXPERT” badge at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival (@chswineandfood) because of my knowledge on Gullah Geechee culture and cuisine. Even hosted an event for them called “Soul Stroll”. You should have been there—shit was lit!
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BLACK FOOD MATTERS - So the purpose of #BlackFoodFridays is to encourage everyone to support Black owned restaurants, chefs, caterers, and producers every Friday. That’s why I’m always shouting out different restaurants and food creatives on this page.
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NONPROFIT LOADING - Because of the support I’ve been given, in such a short period of time, I have been able to donate meals to essential workers in both Charleston and North Charleston. 125 to be specific. And it’s part of the reason why I’m starting a nonprofit to help facilitate this work.

Chris Ranere and wife Nicole moved to Mt. Pleasant from the Midwest, where they both worked for a large software company. As 9-to-5ers are wont to do, the couple decided they were worn out from the "work hard, play hard" mantra of their job. Ranere says the beer bug bit him when he ordered a home brewing kit. "I studied electrical engineering and I started writing my own recipes. I have this mindset where I like to tinker and play, it was fun looking into the science." The Raneres did their research, Chris took on an assistant brewing position at Two Blokes to learn everything thing he could about the production side of things, and they lined up their financials. They were ready to throw their hat in the ring.

Mary Scott Hardaway - Charleston City Paper