An Impact Across Generations

Five stories highlighting the life-changing volunteer efforts of the Cliffs Residents Outreach programs

There is no denying the life-changing impact that the Cliffs Residents Outreach program makes. With hundreds of thousands of dollars raised to fund grants throughout the different communities–and thousands more students and families reached–the experience is deeply meaningful—and rewarding—for the volunteers who embrace it. The Cliffs is proud to feature five volunteers’ inspiring stories from the past year, one from each CRO chapter. To these dedicated individuals, we say thank you for your service in uplifting others, and to any potential new volunteers reading this, we invite you to join these members in making a difference all across the incredible region we call home.

KEN ALBRIGHT
THE CLIFFS AT GLASSY CHAPTER

For casual golfer Ken Albright, his love for the sport was magnified the moment he shared the fairway with deserving students from The First Tee program.

“In my career, I was a regional account director for AT&T. I started volunteering in 2009 with The First Tee in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and ran their Learning Center at Winston Lake Golf Course after retiring,” says Albright, who has shared the experience over the years with his family. Both Albright and his wife, Stacey, are formally trained as recognized coaches.

While The First Tee does, in fact, teach golf, the heart and soul of the program is helping kids from age 6 to 18 become successful adults. “We start by introducing them to our nine core values and nine healthy habits,” explains Albright. “These core values are interwoven with our golf skills lessons and are reinforced with open-ended questions and discussions with the kids. As the kids get older, we teach them life skills such as how to set and obtain goals, how to handle conflict, and at the top levels, how to select a college, apply for a scholarship, and write a resume.”

The positive ripple effect of the program has been obvious: From stories of better behaved math students after First Tee lessons in PE class to a young person who had swiped an unlocked bicycle only to have a long heart-to-heart with Albright about how his actions could impact others—and a proud moment of hearing that the young man had later returned the bike and apologized.

“Since moving to The Cliffs at Glassy, I have joined the CRO, and I am now a corporate partner liaison,” adds Albright. “Stacey and I often take the kids out on the golf course as part of our regular programming. It is rewarding to watch them grow using the golf and life skills we have taught them. Additionally, I like knowing that all of our grants are vetted—100% of our funds go to the exact program that was requested.”

A big highlight of Albright’s experience was when two First Tee participants qualified for the Pure Insurance Open at Pebble Beach. “The kids were able to play alongside Senior Tour players and interact with them and their caddies. We turned it into a vacation, following them for five days (practice round and four days of tournament play). It was great to see 40 or so of the best First Tee kids in action.”

REID BECKER
THE CLIFFS VALLEY & THE CLIFFS AT MOUNTAIN PARK CHAPTER

Reid Becker of The Cliffs Valley might just have the coolest retirement plan ever: Helping great kids make fun robots that compete in exciting games.

“I founded STEAM Tech Teams 11 years ago with the OSHA Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University. It is a volunteer organization supporting science, technology, engineering, art, and math in local schools,” says Becker, who collaborates with volunteers to teach children skills in artificial intelligence, 3-D design, robotics, and much more— all through approachable activities that they might not normally have access to.

“We just finished a 3-D design course with kids ranging from third grade to seventh grade at the Kroc Center through the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club,” says Becker. “They learned something called TinkerCAD, and we set up a networked printer for the community to use. The kids designed a rocket ship first, and then they were able to choose different magic tricks to create.”

The group’s initiatives vary widely—and fuel brighter futures. Five years ago, Becker and his team established a robotics program at Northwest Middle School in Travelers Rest, where they held a competition robotics camp for 30 students this past summer. He has helped kids create battery powered, ride on toy cars modified to help babies and toddlers with special mobility needs. And his students have helped “give a hand” to those who need them most.

“We actually started our program teaching kids to make simple prosthetic hands for kids that were born without them or lost them due to accident or war,” reflects Becker. “We had a group of kids in Spartanburg that actually made a prosthetic arm and hand for their assistant principal who was born without one. When these kids interact with the person they’re measuring for the prosthetic, it really opens their world view.”

One of the first things Becker will tell you—after he’s done bragging about the young people he mentors—is that he’s not a rocket scientist; he’s a “finance guy.” While his career led him from a farm in North Dakota to founding his own medical-diagnostic company, he wants everyone to know that you don’t need to be tech-savvy to enjoy volunteering with STEAM Tech Teams.

“One of the major things we do is help kids with the planning they have to do in robotics competitions,” says Becker. “They have to go through interviews, present their engineering notebook, make eye contact, and have confidence while speaking. So even though what we do sounds very engineering-focused, it involves a tremendous amount of mentoring around general life skills and soft skills.”

Becker says one of the most rewarding things about volunteering is seeing how excited the kids are to experience new things. “We’ve sent some teams to national competitions, and some of our kids have literally never been on an airplane—and suddenly they’re competing with kids from China,” says Becker. “You end up giving experiences to kids that wouldn’t normally have those. You end up with kids that really take off on this stuff and really flourish.”

Becker’s group includes members from different communities at The Cliffs, and his CRO has given funds to STEAM Tech Teams’ programs, which “gives the communities a lot of pride to be a part of what we’re doing,” adds Becker. “The Cliffs communities are really an extraordinary group of people. There are probably hundreds of volunteers across the different CROs. It’s just amazing.”

LOUISE HUGHES
THE CLIFFS AT KEOWEE FALLS CHAPTER

Cliffs Residents Outreach programs have touched countless lives. Louise Hughes should know: She has poured her heart and soul into many of those programs for more than a decade. Her dedication to serving others comes as no surprise, considering Hughes spent a significant chapter of her career working with nonprofits.

“I was invited to join the Keowee Falls CRO Advisory Council when I first moved here in 2012 … And I’ve stayed on our council ever since,” shares Hughes. “The later part of my career was spent managing local community relations and our executives’ engagement for a very large company. My role gave me the opportunity to personally serve on numerous nonprofit boards and see first-hand the impact of strategic focus, collaboration, and effective non-profit governance.”

With such relevant expertise, Hughes was a natural fit for leading the Keowee Falls CRO on its inspiring growth trajectory—with the group’s engagement and budget swelling from about $20,000 in 2012 with only a handful of volunteers to over $225,000 budgeted for the 2023/2024 school year and more than 50 active volunteers—all thanks to the generosity of members at The Cliffs.

“I’ve been fortunate to have experienced our CRO at work across the whole gamut,” says Hughes. “From helping students one-on-one or being a part of a group of volunteers to recruiting volunteers and seeking support from corporate partners.” Hughes received an award from the Keowee Falls Advisory Council for her tenure as chair of the advisory council. She also served on the CRO board of directors as secretary and vice president for 10 years. “The best part of my role ‘evolution’ has been working with the volunteers who went on to assume a role I played so that I could move onto something else,” insists Hughes. “I’m always inspired by the new energy others bring to the table!”

For Hughes, a key highlight of volunteering is the relationships she has developed with people at Keowee Falls and the other communities at The Cliffs. “It’s given me a meaningful connection to people I never would have otherwise had and allowed me to see how they’ve each leveraged their time, talent, or treasure to make a difference in the lives of underserved kids locally.”

In fact, some of those kids recently spent an exciting afternoon one-on-one with Hughes. “I recently led a basic sewing craft project for fifth grade girls at the final session of a weekly reading mentoring program. The girls loved it! Their eagerness to learn, and how it helped them to ‘open up’ and talk with us and each other, made the volunteers there resolve to find more ways to include practical, hands-on activities,” smiles Hughes.

BRETT BAUMGARTEN
THE CLIFFS AT KEOWEE SPRINGS CHAPTER

Brett Baumgarten was raised to possess a unique perspective on life—one that combines clarity with approachable ease—and he is paying it forward by sharing that gift with young people in his region.

“I volunteer as a mentor and Career Café speaker at DW Daniel High School,” says Baumgarten, who resides with his wife and two sons at The Cliffs at Keowee Springs. “I spent a day at Daniel High School talking to different classes and the kids and encouraging them to think about the world of opportunities that are out there for them— reminding them that they can do anything they want to do and don’t need to get stuck in the traditional mindset of climbing the ladder. I want them to know that if they work hard, they will be rewarded and not be inhibited by what others say they can or can’t do.”

Baumgarten was fortunate to have parents and a grandfather who instilled in him the idea that “if you can think it, you can do it. It’s a theory that has paid off for a lot of successful people I know. And now I have two sons and am raising them that way. But unfortunately, a lot of kids in our area don’t have people in their lives that feel that way, and they need engaged mentorship,” reflects Baumgarten.

For three years, Baumgarten has had the immense pleasure of also volunteering with the school system and has spoken with several students of different ages who seek him out for advice. Most recently, he has been a mentor to a bright young man with a single mother. “I’m there as a friend to support him, to make sure he’s staying on the right path, and to help him to think things through,” Baumgarten smiles. The pair started working together when the boy was in sixth grade, and now his mentee is about to become a freshman at DW Daniel High School.

“It took a long time to earn his trust, and even now, there’s still a long way to go. We started off playing cards because he was very quiet, and I’d ask him questions about his life until he was comfortable enough to open up. Now, he’s asking me to come watch him play in soccer games,” says Baumgarten, who notes that the volunteer program is facilitated by the YMCA and guidance counselors within local schools, who then partner with The Cliffs communities to provide mentor training to additional members of volunteer programs.

“I’ve taken him to our Sportsman’s Trail at Keowee Springs, which he loves. We play disc golf and miniature golf. I try to get him out and give him an activity, so he’s not getting bored or into trouble,” says Baumgarten. “It’s been really rewarding, fostering a friendship with him. It’s fun interacting with kids that are interested in your story and how you can help them.”

ROB ACKLEY
THE CLIFFS AT KEOWEE VINEYARDS CHAPTER

For children, books are not only a portal to new worlds— they open doors later in life. Rob Ackley of Keowee Vineyards CRO chapter knows this and when not reading to his grandchildren, has helped play an instrumental role in bringing the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to Pickens County.

“I’ve spent the last 38 years in the Upstate. It’s accurate to say I worked in the foam-fabrication business supplying products to both medical and retail customers, but it’s a lot easier to just say that I sold pillows,” laughs Ackley. “We moved to The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards in 2010, and after retiring in 2019, I began another career: grandparenting.”

Being non-golfers living in a golf community, Ackley’s wife, Ann, volunteered the couple for the CRO board in 2012. “At that time, our CRO was small and primarily supporting the local Holly Springs Elementary. There is much poverty in Pickens County, and we found as much of our effort was in social support as it was educational,” says Ackley. When the county closed Holly Springs Elementary, the CRO then adopted Pickens Elementary and Hagood Elementary. “We all experienced the changes brought on by COVID in 2020. Our community grew, and we supported several schools with resources to help them experiment with different learning options focused on keeping the students safely together and in school.”

The CRO was also given this challenge: Explore other programs that could be truly impactful at a critical time for families and children. Ackley was already familiar with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL), as his grandchildren received books through the program—so he volunteered to research the program, which then led to a recommendation, a trial run, and adoption in early 2022. “This early reading program, inspired by Dolly Parton, mails an age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to 5 years old,” says Ackley. Since the Pickens County DPIL launched in May 2022, Ackley’s team has partnered with other CROs and similar organizations to fund all of Pickens County. About 3,200 children, 50% of the 6,350 in the county, are registered and receiving books monthly.

“All of my previous volunteer experiences were as a worker bee. I served on the Audit Committee for United Way, picked up litter, worked concessions at games, and things like that. This was my first experience as a volunteer philanthropic manager, or my official Imagination Library title of ‘main coordinator.’ The experience has been both humbling and inspiring,” says Ackley. “Every time I ask our board and community for additional support, they have provided it. When I solicited other like-minded groups to join our effort, to push the program forward and fund the entire county, they have all agreed to join us in this effort.”

Ackley notes with pride that not only have community members provided funding support, but many also volunteer to visit preschools and kindergarten registrations to spread the word and register eligible children. “All of these efforts encourage me to work harder to try to hold our program to the highest standard. I feel truly blessed to be able to hang out with such selfless neighbors of my community,” reflects Ackley.