The mural pictured is a limited edition reproduction series of an 1872 aerial painting of downtown Charleston. They are designed to be displayed in public places and the proceeds support four local groups working to help those affected by the Opioid Crisis. The first in the series was purchased and donated to Charleston City Hall by Mayor John and First Lady Sandy Tecklenburg and others are on display in local colleges, churches and other institutions. This is the first donated to a Mount Pleasant School, and is already being used as a curriculum aid that helps keep Charleston’s history alive for another generation.
“This was a great way for us to show our appreciation to Wando for the education they have given our son and to support several groups in the community that we firmly believe in,” says Carl Piontek, donor of the mural to Wando High School. By donating this we are helping keep Charleston’s history alive and making a difference for future generations. It’s a genuine legacy on several levels.”
“We love this. Hanging in the entryway to the library it gets constant attention from the students,” says librarian Lucye Magill. “Already we have had a history class come to look at it as a reference to what Charleston used to be like.”
The murals are built locally as part of a job training and vocational rehabilitation program for men and women in recovery from opioid, drug and alcohol addiction. The $2,500 price of the murals that are donated to public institutions are equally divided and distributed five ways.
Charleston Center is a unique self-supporting 125 employee non-profit organization located downtown that is dedicated to helping all people with opioid, drug and alcohol abuse issues. The Center is unique in that it provides inpatient services to men and women who do not have insurance, to women with young children that need treatment and housing, and a program for pregnant women who need a safe environment until they give birth. The Center keeps its finger on the pulse of the community and keeps up on the most effective treatments for drug and alcohol addiction recovery. Visit cc.charlestoncounty.org for more information.
Creighton’s House is a Mount Pleasant based nonprofit founded to help local at-risk teens get and stay sober. It also works to expand awareness, education and recovery in the Mount Pleasant community at large. More information is available at CreightonsHouse.org.
Oxford House is a national nonprofit that has 2,300 residential housing units nationwide that offer transitional housing to men and women who have been through treatment for substance abuse and are working to integrate back into society. There are seven Oxford Houses in Charleston but none in Mount Pleasant. This funds an effort to open several self-supporting houses in this community. More information is available at OxfordHouse.org.
The Phoenix Project is a Mount Pleasant based group dedicated to helping men and women in early sobriety with job training, connections to local businesses offering apprenticeships and setting up transitional Oxford Houses locally. I, David Emch, am the project founder, former president and chapter-housing representative for the Charleston chapter of Oxford House Inc. One of the Phoenix Projects programs is sign-making and framing, which is the group that is making the murals funding these efforts. The last 20 percent of the cost of the murals covers materials and labor cost, which is kept so low because of the assistance of several local businesses. More information is available at PhoenixSC.org.
Murals of smaller sizes are also available for personal display. Murals come with a custom engraved plaque affixed to the mural stating the limited edition series number and the donor. A certificate of authenticity also accompanies each mural. Contact David Emch at David@PhoenixSC.org or at (843) 276-9096 for further information.