New non-profit to host Back-to-School Block Party Saturday

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Summerton is getting ready for a huge Back-to-School Block Party, which will be held from noon to 4 p.m. SAturday at Wausau Park in Summerton.

Hosted by Creating Miracles - Life Changing Corp., a new non-profit organization, the event will feature about 100 backpacks filled with school supplies, along with various bands, artists, soloists, dancers and poets providing entertainment. Music will be provided by DJ Find Me.

Morris College admissions counselor Lorenzo Rivers will be the featured speaker. Representatives from several local colleges, the Clarendon County Fire Department and the U.S. Army Recruitment Office will also be present, along with many others.

Free food and drinks, SnoCones and cotton candy will also be provided.

Tanika and David Blanding founded the non-profit in March. David Blanding is a native of New York City who grew up in Summerton and has since moved back south. Tanika is a Summerton native.

"Our mission is to uplift and restore our community as a whole," David Blanding said.

David Blanding said he was inspired to start the organization by his father, the late Rev. James Edward Blanding Sr. His father was co-founder, along with his mother, Catherine Blanding, of Holy Temple of Jesus Christ in Summerton.

"It was a vision that my dad and I always shared," he said.

Blanding said he's always had a passion for supporting the community and aims to create resources that will benefit the local residents, he said.

Their organization will focus on addressing issues including anti-bullying, teen pregnancy, after-school tutoring programs, homeless shelters, shelters for battered victims, drug addiction, anti-gang/violence groups, job etiquette training and more.

"There are many people in this community who don't have the means to address these issues," David Blanding said. "We want to bring volunteers and various agencies together to address some of the challenges facing our community today."

David Blanding is a licensed counselor and minister and worked in the health and human services field.

Donations can be made to "Creating Miracles, Life Changing Corporation," and sent to Creating Miracles, P.O. Box 90040, Columbia, SC 29290.

For more information on the organization, contact David or Tanika Blanding at (917) 200-7165 or (803) 566-4296.