Volunteers, community members, businesses and many more gathered at Richard Carroll Elementary School on Saturday, December 8th for Bamberg County Day, which is a community day sponsored by The Original Six Foundation, a foundation run by Governor Nikki Haley. Haley, a Bamberg native, was elected as South Carolina's Governor in 2010 and since her first day in office she has fulfilled a promise to "fight for reform, lean budgets, and government accountability."

Her foundation has allowed her to go a step further and make sure that counties in South Carolina are reassured they can rise to any challenge they face when they "invest in a plan." She along with other foundation members go into each county and show the citizens they "deserve better and [how] to do something about it," by developing a plan of action to correct problematic situations. It could be anything from correcting street signs or planting flowers to helping citizens find jobs.

Bamberg County Day consisted of a job and health fair, along with a baby shower for expecting mothers, outdoor activities, a car seat check, a bloodmobile to donate blood and so much more. Local employees, service providers, state agency tables and unemployment help fill the school's cafeteria. The gym was overflowing with medical providers giving vaccinations, flu shots, and many types of health screenings. A lunch of hotdogs and chips were served outside where the games commenced. A bouncy house and slide were enjoyed, along with basketball and tennis, by adults and children alike.

Haley said, "Today is about getting people healthy. It's about helping people get ready for jobs, it's about making sure they have the resources that they need to take that next step." However, her foundation is more than planning to sponsor a community day and move on. Haley added, "What we want to do going further is [find out] how do we make this a place where a CEO will come in and want to put a company?"

It's a loaded question with lots of areas to look at before moving forward. Haley understands this, which is why she said, "We have to look at the healthcare situation in Bamberg. We have to look at the education system and tie in those technical colleges and all those other colleges together. We have to make sure the workforce is strong." With these goals in line "[they] will keep coming back."

The foundation understands that "every county is different and special in its own way," and Haley's team, "is trying to figure out what all they need." And Saturday, Bamberg County moved a step forward as Bamberg County Day took place. Over 400 participants were involved in this day of service. Haley has said before that Bamberg is a place, "where neighbors take care of neighbors," and that was shown when all of the businesses and organizations came out "to let someone know [they] care." Haley thanked those businesses and volunteers, because, "[those] people let a lot of people in Bamberg County know they [cared].