Jean Rothrock, owner of Waccamaw Landscaping & Construction in Pawleys Island, is the new board chair for Helping Hands of Georgetown.
A native of Greenville, SC, who grew up outside Chattanooga, TN, on Lookout Mountain, Jean started her business in 1985. Chad, her business partner, joined her in 2000. Jean and her husband, Steve, live in the historic district of Georgetown.
Jean has heard so many positive things about Helping Hands, and when she was asked to serve on the board a few years ago, she saw why.
“There’s so much that I admire about Helping Hands, but two spokes in the wheel quickly came to mind as being important: the free Dental Clinic for the underserved and YEP (Youth Empowerment Program). Those are two unique programs that fill a tremendous gap in Georgetown County.
“Helping Hands is committed to breaking generational and situational poverty and looks at all aspects of how to help families and individuals get out by offering them a hand up, not a “hand out”, which is very important, ” she stated.
When asked about her goals for the organization, Jean rattled off several, but wanted to share her top two:
” Expand both the Dental Clinic and the YEP program. Both have waiting lists,” she said.
The Dental Clinic is open two days a week: Thursdays are for extractions and Fridays are for cleanings.
“If we can open our clinic for an additional day, it will make a huge difference in cutting down our waiting list of individuals who are in desperate need of dental care,” said Executive Director Brendon Barber.
Brendon went on to say that he is delighted to have Jean serve the board in this new capacity.
“Jean is a great leader,” he said. “She was most recently our fundraising chairperson, and she did an outstanding job in leading that committee and fellow board members with the goals that were set. I am excited to see this organization move forward under Jean’s sharp leadership. Her creativity, clear vision, and sharp focus will take us to the next level.”