Blog

Helping Hands of Georgetown County Gives Thanks to Executive Director John Bush ​for Five-Years of Service

When it comes to implementing long-term change and significant influence for non-profits, John Bush has the secret recipe. After working with other non-profits outside of South Carolina, Bush accepted an invitation to take his talents to Helping Hands of Georgetown County Inc. (Helping Hands) as its executive director. After five impactful years Bush will step down from his current role, effective November 30, 2019.

At a board meeting in July, Bush announced his retirement and reflected over the progress made over the last five years,
“I did so with a deep sense of gratitude and sadness as it has been one of my life’s greatest joys to serve this ministry and community. I am certain that Helping Hands will continue to be blessed by God and grow and thrive in the coming months and years.” 

Bush will serve as a consultant to the board and a mentor to the new executive director Brendon Barber. 

“I don’t know what it is about John but he can build things and his charities just go bonkers,” explained board chair Dick Rose. “He led the staff to believe in a faith-based organization and to work to bring people together, and I feel that the growth we have seen is a direct result of John’s leadership.” 

Founded in 1989 by representatives of 17 covenant churches in Georgetown County, Helping Hands was built under the belief that they could better serve their community unified together, opposed to individual organizations. During Bush’s five-year tenure as executive director, he leaned-in to this mindset and took the organization to the next level through strategic partnerships and programming. 

Bush implemented impactful and ongoing relationships throughout the state, including a partnership with Tidelands Community Care Network to launch the free Helping Hands Dental Clinic and with Palmetto Goodwill to implement the “Time to Change Program.” 

The free dental clinic provides compassionate care to residents of Georgetown County that are uninsured and are faced with poverty or crisis, offering examinations, cleaning, and extraction for eligible residents 
The Time to Change Program offers a highly structured, incentive-driven employment, career path and youth empowerment programs designed to support individuals and families move out of poverty.
Bush credits the impact that Helping Hands has made on the community to collaborative partnerships. During the grand opening of the Client-Choice Food Bank in Andrews Bush said, “We look each other in the eye, recognize a brother or a sister, and care for each other. When we are strong we reach out a hand to help, when we are weak we lift out our hand and know we will be helped.”

To learn more about Helping Hands please visit HelpingHandsofGeorgetown.org or on Facebook.

About Helping Hands of Georgetown, Inc.
Helping Hands of Georgetown, Inc. was established in 1989 through the extraordinary vision of founding board members representing 15 Covenant Churches in Georgetown County, South Carolina, who felt they could better help residents by supporting one organization that would exist to assess and determine an adequate response to the many needs that arise in this primarily rural and poverty ridden area of South Carolina. In a spiritually rich environment of compassionate caring, Helping Hands of Georgetown offers HOPE, HELP and CHANGE.