Citizens of the City of Darlington, City & County Officials,
and AfriCOBRA Partners,

I am writing to request your assistance with an application I am drafting, as it is urgent, and the reward is great. 

Late last week, a friend in the low country forwarded me this opportunity as I was unaware of its existence.
The application is for the SC Rural Summit’s Inaugural 2023 South Carolina Great Community Competition, due on Friday, January 13, 2023.

Darlington qualifies to apply for this competition as Darlington County is designated is a Tier III/Tier IV County by the SC rural infrastructure authority and we have a population of under 7,000. This is an actual competition for funding and there will only be three finalists. The three communities chosen for this competition will be announced in just two weeks on January 28^th. A case study of a successfully completed community project which was impactful, responsive, inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable is the basis of the competition. The recently completed AfriCOBRA Darlington: Engage and Embrace project meets ALL of these judging criteria. However, the submission on Friday must also show community support of this application by providing letters of support for this competition.

Below I have provided a list of our partners in this effort and a list of the evaluation criteria which should be supported in these letters of support.  While we are limited to three pages of narrative, there is no limit to the number of supporting materials we are allowed to attach.  I would ask that you yourselves provide a letter of support and solicit several others…both quality and quantity are important here. I am happy to pick up letters written for this purpose, or they can be attached and sent to me in an email. Handwritten or typewritten letters are appropriate, as is using your program or business letterhead.

The communities chosen in two weeks will be then required to create a presentation to deliver at the March 7^th SC Rural Summit, where the rural summit attendees will vote to determine the finalists. …winner will have access to $100,000 and the two runners-up will have access to $50,000 each.

Letter of Support may be returned by email to me, Merry Morgan Smith at  mmsmith@cityofdarlington.com or dropped off with Angie Goldbold at Dedicated Community Bank, or you may call my cell 843-307-5158 to schedule pick up of your letter or with any questions.