TheState.com: Neighbors
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• Canned food drive | How they fared
  Richland 2 high schools have wrapped up their winter service projects.It’s not exactly a competition, but every school — Blythewood High, Richland Northeast High, Ridge View High and Spring Valley High — wants to do better than the previous year.Richland Northeast students went so far as to use the recent visit of Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama to collect canned goods. But Spring Valley High and its community ended up with the highest totals of money, canned foods and gifts given to families in need.Among the local groups that benefited from the projects: Sistercare, God’s Storehouse and Crisis Ministries and the James Clark Sickle Cell Foundation:Here’s a look:
• Cruising in holiday style
  Every Christmas Eve, about the same time Santa is loading his sleigh and harnessing Rudolph and company, the Davis family packs Aunt Edna with presents and crank her up.And she can definitely give Rudolph some competition.“Aunt Edna” is a 1958 Chevrolet Nomad station wagon, inherited by the Davises when its namesake, Ruthie Davis’ great aunt Edna Shealy, died nearly 25 years go.For most of the year, the teal and white vintage vehicle sits in the carport attached to the Davis’ rural home in Batesburg-Leesville.But as Christmas approaches each year, the Nomad is cranked up — it remarkably responds — and decorated from grill to fender with lights and two wreaths.
• School notes
  LEXINGTON-RICHLAND 5CROSSROADS MIDDLECROSSROADS MIDDLE SCHOOL’S Julie Bussells helped her students organize a stuffed animal drive, collecting over 200 new or gently used toys to share with Sistercare. Tara Safriet’s class won a schoolwide contest collecting canned goods for Sharing God’s Love. The prize was an ice cream party for the sixth-graders, but they chose to donate the money intended for the party to charity. On Dec. 13, a check for $36.74 was presented to Marcia Adkins, director of Sharing God’s Love. CrossRoads social worker Kary Dufault is working with district resource officers to adopt families and deliver holiday presents as part of Operation Santa, and 99 children have been adopted so far. The Library-Media Center USC-Clemson book drive netted 946 books to be put into new hands for the holidays. On Dec. 4, student council representatives wrote and mailed 266 get-well cards to injured U.S. soldiers in Germany.RICHLAND 1CRAYTON MIDDLE
• Community needsDONATIONS
  MENTAL ILLNESS RECOVERY CENTER INC. is seeking donations of items to fill 250 holiday stockings for clients. Stocking stuffers include gloves, wallets, socks, costume jewelry, playing cards, T-shirts, coffee mugs, bath towels, make-up, perfume/cologne, soap, deodorant and shampoo. Items may be dropped off 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays at 3809 Rosewood Drive. Stockings will be distributed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Friendship Center East, Homeless Recovery Center and delivered to residents in the MIRCI housing programs. (803) 786-1844OUTREACH BICYCLES FOR NEEDY CHILDREN, 1434 Baldwin Road, Lugoff, is accepting cash donations or bikes through Saturday. Recipients are children ages 3-14, selected by the Department of Social Services or nominated by their school guidance counselor. The bicycles will be given away Saturday at Unity UMC, 1332 Fort Jackson Road, Lugoff. (803) 408-8868PALMETTO HEALTH: The S.C. Cancer Center’s Holiday Helpings and Hope needs folks to adopt patients and families for Christmas; (803) 434-4752. Reach Out and Read, Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital early literacy program provides books for children during well-child visits. Accepting new book donations for ages 5 and younger, as well as monetary contributions; (803) 434-2523SENIOR RESOURCES SEASON OF SUPPERS is accepting donations of unopened pet food through Tuesday, Dec. 31, for its pet-owning Meals on Wheels recipients. Drop-off locations are Banfield Pet Hospitals inside PETsMART stores at 246 Harbison Blvd., 10136 Two Notch Road and Senior Resources administrative offices at 2817 Millwood Ave. Monetary donations also are welcome. (803) 252-7734 or go to www.seniorresourcesinc.orgIRMO CHAPIN RECREATION COMMISSION is selling Giving Tree ornaments at Seven Oaks and Crooked Creek Parks. Purchase of an ornament will provide a hot meal for homebound seniors in the community. (803) 772-3336, (803) 345-6181
• Results
  SURVEY PARTICIPANTS• 609 school district employees; 479 parents and guardians; 219 former students• Camden residents, 41 percent; West Wateree, 35 percent; outside the district, 12 percentTOP CHOICES• 423 people voted compensation as a first, second or third priority; 249 people marked it as the first
• It’s finally beginning to look a lot like Christmas
  One of the great mysteries of life isn’t so much why stores persist in selling Christmas sweaters in Columbia, but why women insist on wearing them.It was 80 degrees last week! Who cares how cute the sweater is, how much you paid for it or that you’ve been waiting 11 months to wear it.It’s too hot to wear sweaters when the temperature is over 70 — especially when it’s 10 degrees over 70.One day, retailers are going to get smart enough to sell short-sleeved Christmas shirts in South Carolina.Until then, we either have to A) forget about wearing holiday-themed attire; or B) continue to pay air-conditioning bills like it’s August.
• MILESTONES
  COMMUNITYPALMETTO HEALTH’S Office of Community Services has announced winners of its Real Men Prostate Health Campaign. The following churches and civic organizations each received $1,000 for recruiting the most participants (more than 25) for prostate health screenings: Richland Post 6 of the American Legion, Antioch AME Zion Church, Brookland Baptist, Bible Way Church of Atlas Road and Friendship Missionary Baptist. Central Baptist Church received $1,000 for the Best Health Advocacy Plan and Bible Way of Atlas Road was presented the campaign’s Partnership Award.YOUTHBOY SCOUTS raised $1,500 during a Nov. 3 safety fair at the Northeast YMCA to purchase three vests for the Pamplico Police Department. Chief Steven Bowen received the vests Dec. 10 during the Scouts’ Court of Honor ceremony at Crossings Community Church on Clemson Road.MILITARY
• Online budget survey results released
  More than 1,000 people, most of them district employees, responded to the first online budget survey for Kershaw County School District.Employee compensation was rated as the No. 1 issue officials should focus on in the 2008-09 school year. Extra staffing to reduce class sizes and arts programs in all grades were rated the second and third priorities, respectively.“Developing the budget is one of the most important tasks for a school district every year,” Superintendent Frank Morgan said. “The more people who are involved in the process, the better the results.”District officials will use the data to help decide where money is spent. The school board will get the first draft of the budget in February. Final approval is expected in June.Other areas receiving high marks on the survey were technology and foreign languages in elementary and middle schools.
• MEETINGSCOMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
  MOMS CLUB OF COLUMBIA NE: 10 a.m. Fridayat Seacoast Church, 1955 LeGrand Road. Service-oriented group for stay-at-home moms. Meetings are open to mothers and children. Call (803) 419-1054 or go to www.columbiamoms.orgMOMS CLUB OF COLUMBIA-C: 10 a.m. the third Thursday monthly at Heathwood Park, 800 Abelia Drive. Newcomers and children welcome. www.columbiamoms.orgSUPPORT GROUPSCELIAC SUPPORT GROUP: 6:30 p.m. t Palmetto Health Richland, 9 Medical Park. (803) 781-6395GRIEF HEALING SUPPORT GROUP: 6:30-8 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 3-Feb. 21, at Union UMC, 7582 Woodrow St., Irmo. $10, includes materials; registration deadline is Sunday. Child care available by request. (803) 781-3013
• Vital zips
  ZIP CODE 29006LEXINGTON SHERIFFHulon Church Road, 100 block, between 6:45 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7:45 a.m. Dec. 7. Someone broke into a church, causing $750 in damage.ZIP CODE 29016PROPERTY TRANSFERS
• Parents, school leaders concerned about M