Giving Back
Hannah Solar Government Services, a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) is committed to supporting our community, including the service men and women who serve our country.
HSGS employees took a trip to Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC to provide lunch for over 200 VA employees and veteran patients. HSGS were happy to spend their day setting up, cooking, and serving the people at Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, and sets up cookouts at the VA every year. As a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, HSGS always wants to give back to the brave men and women who have served their country, and the medical staff who treat them.
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In the Fall of 2018 Hurricane Florence hit the coast of North and South Carolina causing recording breaking flooding, power outages and catastrophic damage to many homes, schools, businesses, and churches. One particular city that experienced the harsh after math of Hurricane Florence was Conway, SC; the hometown of one of HSGS's own team members. Following Hurricane Florence the City of Conway, SC began to flood. Waters reached a record breaking high of 22 ft, sending entire communities underwater. The HSGS team took action immediately by making a monetary donation to the affected team member to buy non-perishable food, water, batteries, and household goods and other much needed supplies for her church, neighbors, friends, and local businesses who lost most if not everything from Hurricane Florence.
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Each holiday season HSGS supports the local Rotary Club by donating to their annual event, the Rotary Roundball Classic. The Rotary Roundball Classic is a boys high school basketball tournament held each year during the Christmas holidays in North Charleston. It features 16 teams including local teams and highly regarded out of state teams. This event provides the opportunity for our local players to compete against some of the top players in the nation. Donations for the Roundball Classic support scholarships awarded to deserving local high school students.
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November 2019, the K-Con hosted its 20th annual Thanksgiving celebration at Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC). The CYDC, founded in 1790, is a direct descendant of the Charleston Orphan House and provides care for young people and children who are victims of physical and sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment. The K-Con has created a tradition of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for all the residents and staff of the CYDC. Thanksgiving at the CYDC includes 50 turkeys with all the sides, dessert, t-shirts, goody bags, and outdoor games and activities. This year and in recent years HSGS has donated to the K-Con Thanksgiving celebration to ensure the staff and residents at the CYDC have a wonderful holiday.
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For over 77 years, the USO has been the nation’s leading organization to serve the men and women in the U.S. military, and their families, throughout their time in uniform. The USO delivers support to service members who are stationed in remote parts of the world and dangerous isolated locations. Support provided by USO includes, care packages, snacks, holiday celebration items, celebrity concerts and entertainment, airport center lounges for traveling service men and their families to receive a warm meal and comfortable seating and USO centers on wheels which provides service members with laptops, TV’s, refrigerators, climate control, video games, movies, and WiFi to keep connected to loved ones back home. Each year HSGS makes a donation to the USO in support of their activities to deliver high-quality programs and services to our men and women in uniform.
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The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of Special Operations Personnel who loose their lives in the line of duty or are severely wounded servicing their country. Special Ops provides educational funding to surviving children of Fallen Special Operators. Educational funding includes full college tuition coverage, pre- school, in home tutors, mentoring programs, counseling, ACT & SAT prep courses, and scholarships. In 2017, our nation suffered the loss of 47 Special Operators who left behind 92 children. HSGS makes an annual donation to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation so they may continue their mission of supporting and giving hope to those who suffer one of the greatest losses.
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November 8th, 2018, HSGS sponsored the Charleston Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Post member appreciation oyster roast. SAME is a premier professional military engineering association in the United States that unites architecture, engineering, construction, facility management and environmental entities to prepare for—and overcome—natural and man-made disasters, and to improve security at home and abroad. Proceeds from the ticket sales and sponsorship's for this event went towards the Charleston SAME Post Scholarship fund and to cover the cost of housing for 10 Wounded Warriors for four days during the Annual Joint Base Charleston Wounded Warrior Deer Hunt.
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Save the Light is a grass roots, non-profit organization that was formed to save the Morris Island Lighthouse from being lost to the sea. The Morris Island lighthouse was built just after the War between the States in 1872 and is located just off the coast of Charleston. The Save the Light organization’s initiatives include protecting, preserving, and restoring the historic Morris Island Lighthouse for all who visit to enjoy. Along with HSGS’s annual donation to the Save the Light organization, HSGS has also donated a solar panel to help power the sensors in the Morris Island lighthouse which monitor the stability of the structure.
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The Charleston VA Angel Tree Program is put on every holiday season by the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. The program provides support to low income families around the Charleston County area through the donation of toys, clothing, and other gifts for the holidays. In December 2017, HSGS donated toys and gifts to six children enrolled in the Charleston VA Angel Tree Program. Gifts were distributed to families through their referring social worker a week in advance of Christmas.
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In September of 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico causing catastrophic damage and a major humanitarian crisis. Affecting many friends and family of HSGS team members, HSGS took action to provide relief through support and supplies. HSGS sent over 600 pounds worth of non-perishable food, generators, batteries, oil, and household goods to friends and family living in Puerto Rico.
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On Thursday December 8th, 2016, the HSGS crew was invited by the Morgan Stanley team to assist them with their annual Fresh For All Distribution event, sponsored by the Lowcountry Food Bank. This event was held on Sycamore Street in Charleston, SC, and allowed for people of the local Charleston community, in need of food to come through a farmer's market style distribution and receive fresh produce to take home for the holiday season. The HSGS crew assisted with signing people in, distributing and bagging the produce, and helping people carry their selections to their cars. HSGS was very humbled to be offered the opportunity by the Morgan Stanley team to assist, and make their Fresh For All Distribution event a success. |
Since incorporation, HSGS has sponsored the Annual Veterans Day Benefit and Auction held in Charleston, SC and hosted by the Tri-County Veterans Support Network. The Tri-County Veterans Support Network is a network of many agencies committed to implementing a planned, coordinated community response to the varied needs of our veterans to include emergency relief, housing, employment, education, spiritual support and others as well. The proceeds raised through the Veterans Benefit and Auction went to support veterans and their families in the Charleston area as they navigate the obstacles they face after leaving the military.
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On October 18th, 2016, HSGS was given the opportunity to host a cookout at the Charleston, VA Medical Center. The HSGS staff volunteered their time to help setup, cook, and serve hot-dogs and hamburgers to local veterans and VA staff. As a veteran owned small business we want to take every opportunity to give back and show our appreciation to those who have served for our country.
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On March 21st, 2015, the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) were invited to play in the "Battle of Charleston Harbor" at Joe Riley Stadium. This is the first time the team has visited Charleston for a special exhibition game against the Citadel Alumni from the 1990 College World Series Team. The WWAST is comprised of young, competitive, athletic veterans and active duty soldiers who have lost limbs post-9/11, while serving their country in the military/war. The team includes individuals with a variety of amputations of the arm, above knee, below knee, bilateral below knee, and foot. Some members of the WWAST are still in the service, others are attending college thanks to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, while others have moved on to new careers. WWAST has played around the country since 2011 and their mission is to raise awareness, through exhibition and celebrity softball games, of the sacrifices and resilience of our military, and highlight their ability to rise above any challenge. Their goal is to show other people with amputations and the general population, that these athletes, through extensive rehabilitation and training, are able to express their desires and perform the sport they love.
Hannah Solar Government Services donated funds to the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team to assist in buying softball uniforms and equipment for the games. In addition, the donated funds support heterotopic ossification research, donations of rehabilitation equipment to military facilities, and help to fund education and training for Wounded Warrior amputees as they return to civilian life. |
The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in partnership with Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina is held its 14th Annual Stand Down Against Homelessness. The event offered medical and dental screenings and assistance, clothing, food, haircuts, and job and legal counseling for hundreds of homeless persons in the greater Charleston area. The Charleston VAMC hosts a variety of events throughout the year in order to offer assistant and health screening to the area’s veterans. HSGS donated various toiletry items for this event in order to help improve the quality of life for our veterans.
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As a veteran owned small business, HSGS, supports our troops and Veterans. In May 2014 we had the opportunity to provide lunch for our Veterans. Our staff volunteered their time to set up cooking and serving stations to prepare and serve lunch including hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch to the local veterans at the Charleston VA Medical Center.
The Charleston VAMC has cookouts for their patients and veteran staff several times throughout the year. HSGS had the privilege of feeding over 300 veterans! |
GREENSBORO, GA., June 24th, 2010 – For his courage and valor during the Vietnam War, Skip Askew earned the Silver and Bronze Stars. Years later, through a program created to support veterans long after their return to the U.S., an Atlanta, Georgia based solar company will donate installation of a solar Photovoltaic (PV) array to help power his home. The installation occurred Friday, June 25 2010.
Hannah Solar Government Services knows its donation is only a small token compared to the sacrifice Skip made while serving in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. Askew's tour ended abruptly after a mortar round explosion; he survived the attack but lost his left arm and suffered major damage to his hip. More than one year ago, Askew experienced a fall that devastated his previous hip replacement surgery and has been bed-ridden since. The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) stepped in after the accident to retrofit his house to be wheelchair accessible and also installed a mechanical bed in which Askew spends most of his time. |
The two-kilowatt system uses panels donated by Suniva, the Norcross-based solar cell manufacturer, which was recently named the exporter of the year by the ExIM Bank. PV Powered, the inverter supplier, also agreed to provide a two-kilowatt inverter at no charge. Hannah Solar Government Services donated the design and installation expertise. "We hope this opportunity highlights how critical it is to our country's future that we strive to be energy independent," continued McNeil. "Our petro-dollars are financing the operations of countries with which we are at war. Additionally, this renewable energy system was installed against the backdrop of the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that began with an oil rig explosion killing 11 and completely devastating the ecosystem of the Gulf, as well as a coal mine disaster which tragically killed 28." |
Operation Rollout presents the story of Phillip Kitts
Hannah Solar Government Services has donated funds to help SFC Kitts achieve goal of starting his own photography business. |
The Charleston Fisher House is an organization that provides a comforting, homelike environment where family members can stay, free of charge, while there veteran is undergoing treatment at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC. Visit their site: www.FisherHouseCharleston.com
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In the early hours on the morning of June 6th, 1944 Allied forces began the invasion of Normandy, France in an effort to re-take France and, eventually, defeat the tyrannical forces of Nazi Germany. One of the aircraft that took part in that invasion was named "Whiskey 7," a Douglas C-47 that is still flying today.
She flew as the lead ship for the second wave troop carrier airborne invasion force and dropped troops from the 3rd Battalion, 505th Para Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Descending on Drop Zone "O" near the village of St. Mere Eglise, they were one of only a few units that were actually dropped on their assigned drop-zone, liberating the French village of St. Mere Eglise. |
Whiskey 7 flew throughout the war and also participated in the famous "Market Garden" operation towing gliders. In 1945 she was struck off strength and sold to a civilian airline and converted to fly as a DC-3 airliner, operating with several different airlines until she was sold to a private interest in 1993. She was donated to the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group, now known as the National Warplane Museum, in Geneseo, New York and, in 2005, was converted and restored to the D-Day configuration she is seen in today.
HSGS donated funds to the National Warplane Museum to assist in paying for the fuel, maintenance costs and crew travel expenses to ensure that “Whiskey 7” was back in Normandy for several air shows and parachutes jumps to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Our President/CEO, Colonel (Retired) Dave McNeil, conducted a free fall parachute jump from W7 in Normandy, France as part of the activities to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. |