Forward-Thinking Approaches Rooted in Community Connections

Hannah Davis and Rachel Lane hold two of the most interesting and dynamic positions within the City of Florence. Together they are responsible for many downtown doings but most importantly they are responsible for creating a space that attracts locals and visitors alike. Read along as they share their daily assignments and why they love what they do!

Hannah Davis, Development Manager/Main Street Program Director, City of Florence

"My position with the City of Florence lives within a unique space of being both a non-profit leader and government employee, so I have a lot of multi-faceted responsibilities. I am responsible for our Main Street Accreditation, all of the data gathering, reporting, and research. I also work with small business owners and entrepreneurs to ensure they have the resources they need to be successful throughout the entire business cycle. Our office manages all of the Florence Downtown Development Corporation-produced downtown events and provides support and assistance for partner organizations like the Greater Florence Chamber, Junior League, Habitat for Humanity, and Wilson Alumni Association which also plan events.

"Additionally, I work on historic redevelopment projects to match developers to properties for placing buildings back into service. We develop promotions related to downtown, administer downtown grant programs, apply for grants for our program, and facilitate community input sessions to ensure our program remains on track with the needs of the ever-evolving community. Most importantly, I am a change agent.

"Rachel and I make a great team. We have complementary skill sets and interests, and the work produced by our office reflects that. I always tell folks she is the yin to my yang and we both really love to get things done and take on challenges presented to us.

"Aside from our incredible recent Great American Main Street Award win, I would have to say that I knew I found my calling when I found Main Street by accepting the position of Downtown Coordinator in 2016. I went to school for Historic Preservation and Community Planning, and finding something like Main Street – that perfect intersection between economic development, historic preservation, and community building has allowed me to grow and contribute in ways I only dreamed of. I’m immensely proud of what I get to wake up and do every day."

Rachel Lane, Development Coordinator, City of Florence

“My position is to assist Hannah with running the Downtown Florence Main Street program. Many people associate our office with the events held downtown, but our office, and Downtown Florence, offer more than just events. We support small businesses, preserve downtown’s historic buildings, foster partnerships, develop campaigns to attract visitors to downtown, and do many other things necessary to have a successful Main Street program.

“Our office is extremely collaborative, so there aren’t many projects that Hannah and I don’t both have at least some level of input on. Which is helpful because there is always quite a lot going on. For example, we are currently celebrating this Great American Main Street Award, while also planning the next Florence After 5, as we work to wrap up our last mural project, along with helping downtown property owners identify tenants for their buildings, after assisting other departments in the city, before stopping all of that to talk to someone interested in opening a new business. And that still doesn’t even begin to cover everything we do.

“One of the responsibilities I enjoy most about my job is working with our small business owners. For most of these owners, opening up their own business has always been their dream and being one of the people who can help ensure that dream becomes a reality is very rewarding.

“As a Florence native, I grew up with downtown Florence being a place you absolutely did not go to, and to be able to witness and have a hand in the transformation of it into this thriving, cultural, and award-winning district has been truly special. Having our Main Street program recognized on a national stage in front of a thousand or so individuals from across the country was incredibly rewarding.”

The Downtown Florence Main Street Program, Great American Main Street Award 2023 Winner, is a quasi-public entity made up of the Florence Downtown Development Corp. and the City of Florence’s Downtown Development Office. Founded in 2002, the organization has helped lead the revitalization of Downtown Florence which has experienced over $300 million of investment since 2010. The Downtown Florence Main Street Program is nationally accredited and a member of Main Street South Carolina. Find out more about events, programs, and ways to get involved at www.florencedowntown.com.

Home grown flowers and design.

Simply put, full-time-law-clerk-turned florist Molly Lee has created a niche most nature lovers and gardeners dream.

For years Lee, a wife and mother of three, worked in the courtroom –from litigating to estate planning and business formation/dissolution, to being guardian ad litem, and clerking for a Federal Magistrate Judge – until the pandemic hit.

“I was working full-time as a federal clerk from home in my home office. I could look out my window and see my flowers while I worked inside. I loved my job, but I longed to be outside working in the dirt.”

Lee’s love for working with the earth stems from family and loving being outside enjoying nature. Her ingenuity and know-how come not only from her artist mother but also her mother-in-law, an avid gardener, and Lee’s paternal grandmother. “All of the women in my family and my husband’s family have created and maintained beautiful gardens that they built by their own hands,” Lee said. And Lee followed her elders’ footsteps.

Once she and her husband, Jay, were married in 2004, they bought their first house in Florence. Lee’s mother-in-law brought day lilies and iris to plant in the new yard. “I felt such personal satisfaction in creating that first garden that gardening became a daily part of my life. We have since lived in two other homes,” Lee said. “I have planted gardens everywhere we have lived.”

There’s more to building a welcoming garden fit for a home. “For me, creating a relaxing and beautiful place on the outside of my home for my family to enjoy is a way to show them my love and care. There has been A LOT of experimenting in my 20 years as a gardener. Sometimes things go sideways. I move plants every year and change my gardens constantly. I consider this part of the learning process.”

Part of the learning process crossed into her career path when the pandemic set in. “I eventually decided that I needed to take a step back from practicing law and spend some time praying about what I wanted to do for a long-term career. I knew I wanted to do something creative and involving flowers,” Lee said, “but I wasn’t quite sure what it would be. I asked close friends and family to pray for me and prayed God would lead me into a new career and way to serve Him.”

In stepped social media. Lee started her Instagram blog about her garden and growing roses in October 2022. The selfproclaimed self-taught Southern gardener (and Columbia native) launched “The Rosy Review” with several photos of arrangements, flowers in the garden, and her introduction to her soon-to-be followers on how easy and fun flower gardening can be.

Lee’s garden includes hydrangeas, daisies, cosmos, zinnias, gardenias, lilies and over 60 different varieties of roses. “My personal favorite flower is a garden rose. … I’ve always loved and grown roses but my interest grew about six years ago when I joined a few Facebook groups about growing romantic roses. Until that point, I had only grown landscaping roses (Knock Out and Drift Roses) and a few Hybrid Teas,” Lee said. “I learned that the rose world is so much larger than I knew previously. Contrary to popular belief, roses are fairly easy to grow if you choose the right ones for your climate and conditions. A few of my favorite roses in my current garden are David Austin’s Vanessa Bell, Travatia (by Meilland), and Poseidon (by Kordes).”

Lee’s intent with sharing her love of flowers was to encourage others to join in the fun of growing roses. “I would post pictures on my personal facebook page of little arrangements I made as well. Pretty soon, friends started asking if they could purchase my arrangements. My friend Sally told me about a small business in her hometown in Texas that offered inexpensive daily arrangements for pickup. The idea for The Queen Bee Floral Design was born, and I started my business online in November 2022.”

Lee said her first sales were small arrangements of flowers she grew in her garden and posted on social media selling them for $25.

In less than a year, Lee’s customers started asking for larger arrangements and flowers for events. She now works full time as a floral designer growing and arranging flowers in her home. What’s more, Lee added teaching classes on floral design in her home studio and out in the community. She’s also incorporated rose consulting and plant container gardens for her clients in their homes.

“I love my new career and don’t miss practicing law at this point. I tell people that delivering flowers is the highlight of my day. People get so excited when I deliver flowers unexpectedly from their loved ones. Seeing people happy and feeling loved is deeply fulfilling as an artist and business owner.”

When it comes to receiving an education, every child learns differently. Oftentimes, discovering an enrichment learning environment for a student can be overwhelming for parents and the child. When a traditional classroom setting can be intense, Mariner Learning Collaborative offers an option that focuses on the individual needs of students. The non-profit learning center for ages 10 to 19 combines the most valuable parts of homeschooling and conventional schooling (classes, peers, and mentors) with personalized attention and the freedom for students and parents to choose what and how they learn.

Ross Hill

Founder & Director of Mariner Learning Collaborative

Ross Hill, founder and director of Mariner Learning Collaborative, has spent over 15 years teaching in a vast array of learning environments including public schools, charter schools, and colleges, as well as homeschooling his own children. Additionally, he has taught in a variety of settings from pre-k and elementaryage children’s church,

Vacation Bible School and youth ministry, to middle school, high school, and college students, and adults. Ross obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History from Francis Marion University and went on to earn a Master’s degree in American History and eventually received a National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards. In 2019, he was recognized as Teacher of the Year at the public school he was employed with.

During Ross’s teaching career, he became frustrated with the regulations and constraints placed on students that appeared to be a onesize-fits-all approach to education. “The goal of improving standardized test scores at the expense of deep engaging learning and children’s socialemotional well-being did not sit well with me,” explained Ross. “At Mariner, there is no mandatory or predetermined curriculum taught. Instead, we offer diverse, engaging, and optional classes, workshops, and tutoring that are taught by staff, parents, community volunteers, and members.”

Mariner students are registered as homeschoolers and Ross and fellow instructors are available to help make this a smooth transition. Ross explains, “We help parents that are new to homeschooling register with a homeschool association of their choice and then assist in unenrolling them from their previous school. It is a simple and quick process that frees families to begin pursuing an educational path that works best for their child.” Because all of the students at Mariner are registered homeschoolers, they have the freedom to create a unique educational plan for each student based on their interests, strengths, and goals. While parents are legally responsible for ensuring that their homeschooled child receives instruction, they do not have to provide that directly. “That is where Mariner comes in,” says Ross. “We provide classes, tutoring, mentoring, support with college courses, and workshops, and connect students with the wider community through field trips, internships, and part-time jobs. Each student is assigned a mentor who meets with them weekly to discuss their goals and progress.”

Mariner believes that an adolescent’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being and character are more important than their ability to recite Shakespeare or the Pythagorean Theorem. “We will never make adolescents feel more or less valuable based on their knowledge or skills,” says Ross. “We want adolescents to know that they are created by God to know Him and reflect His character which makes them infinitely valuable aside from any knowledge or skills they may acquire. We want to see Mariner students grow in their relationship with Jesus, not just their academic and social skills. To support their spiritual growth, we will facilitate weekly whole-group devotional times, and offer classes on Bible history, apologetics, evangelism, and much more. One way to think of Mariner is a combination of school, homeschooling, and youth group.”

Mariner is committed to being an economically diverse community. They are part of Liberated Learners, an international network of self-directed learning centers that operate independently but work collaboratively to support one another. They work with families of all financial backgrounds and offer need-based fee reductions to make Mariner widely accessible. They will never turn a family away based simply on their ability to pay the full membership fees.

Classes are taught by Mariner staff and community volunteers. If you are retired, a homeschooling parent, a college student, or an entrepreneur who is interested in sharing your passion with young people (e.g. gardening, pottery, photography, horses, baking, drones, entrepreneurship, etc.), reach out to Ross at 843-496-1113 or ross.s.hill85@gmail.com. We ask that you commit to one hour per week for classes and we work around your schedule.

Ross Hill & Family

Avery Freeman

At Mariner Learning Collaborative, Avery is eager to find creative ways to ignite students' interests and increase their confidence both in the world and in Christ.

Rachel Liptak’s, Librarian at the Timmonsville branch of the Florence County Library System, Book Review of: