Dianne Bucklalew is the quintessential “Mama Bear,” and for good reason. She has two children—Garrett, 28, and Lexi, 26—who have Muscular Dystrophy (MD). Dianne may not be eight-feet tall, weigh 400 hundred pounds, or have sharp claws and teeth like a real bear, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to hurt or mistreat her children. For nearly three decades she has fiercely protected them and advocated for them. Muscular Dystrophy is a disease in which abnormal genes interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle. This results in progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. There is no cure.

Dianne is originally from Pittsburgh and has been married to her husband, Mark, for 32 years. When Garrett was born, doctors told her that he had ‘benign developmental delay,’ but it took more than three years to get the correct diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy. Only two weeks after getting this diagnosis, Dianne realized she was pregnant. Nine months after Lexi was born she had worries about her, had her tested, and learned that she also had MD. To complicate matters even more, Lexi developed epilepsy and suffered 28 to 30 seizures a day throughout middle and high school. It took six doctors, three hospitals and six years to find the right medication. This fall will mark 10 years of being seizure-free for Lexi. Garrett and Lexi have been going to physical therapy since they were two years old. Dianne has been their primary caregiver, their medical advocate and their cheerleader.

This month’s theme is #MamaBear, tell us how many children you have and your top three Mama Bear traits! I have five children—twin girls (29) Jay Leather and Shay Jones, and three sones Eric (18), Hayden (13) and Xavier- (20) my adopted son.

My top three Mama Bear Traits are: 
Birthing Children: I am a woman, and naturally, I birth babies. This is the first and foremost trait for me as a Mama Bear.
Love and Protection- I keep my children close to me through love, cuddling, attention, affection and, most importantly, protection. My babies cannot defend themselves, they are fragile and vulnerable, therefore, I will build a wall to protect my babies. However, I teach them as they grow through guidance, observation and being aware of their surroundings until they are fully equipped themselves. This mama bear will go to the plate for her babies!
Being Supportive and Cultivating Independence in My Children. I will always help my children follow their dreams and provide plenty of encouragement. It starts with understanding that they may think differently than me and also allowing them to make their own decisions. As a parent, I tend to make the majority of decisions for the younger ones, but it’s healthy for them to find ways to express themselves such as listening to music they like, deciding the course for their future, or picking out what they wear. However, I still provide sound-minded guidance and constructive criticism. Creating an environment that gives them autonomy is important. 

It’s said that “time heals all wounds” but anyone who’s lost a child would be quick to dispute this. Because the truth is, no amount of time can mend the hole left in the lives of those whose child has passed. This kind of loss shatters the reality that previously existed and forever changes the future. The ensuing grief doesn’t come with an expiration date. There is no “moving on.” The best a parent can do is cope with the pain and keep their child’s memory alive —protecting that memory like a mother bear—refusing to let even death itself dim the light their child was brought into this world to shine.

On January 6, 2017, Christine Whiteleather said good-bye to her son, Caleb, for the last time. A freshman at Winthrop University, he was heading back to college after the holiday break. “I gave him a hug and told him all the things moms tell kids, like ‘drive carefully’ … ‘text me when you get there.’ And then, before he left, I said, ‘Let me give you another hug because I don’t know when I’ll see you again.’ And so, I hugged him again, told him good-bye, told him ‘I love you, Caleb,’ and he told me, ‘I love you, Mom,’ and he left.”

Less than an hour later, Caleb was hit head-on by a drunk driver on S.C. 462 (Lowcountry Drive).

Tracy Ray is a fighter. As much as she is a strong, passionate woman who is a never-say-never type of gal, Tracy once experienced complete brokenness and wasn’t sure she would survive. 

In 2011, everything in Tracy’s world turned upside down in the worst way. A tidal wave of fear, anxiety, grief and a thousand more emotions crashed over her when her 5-year-old son was abducted. “The feeling I had… no parent should ever have to experience the way I felt,” she said filled with emotion.
Wyatt, Tracy’s fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, sweet little boy was her heart and soul. Being her only child, their bond was inseparable. However, for a little over three months of 2011, this bond was ripped apart when Wyatt disappeared. Come to find out, he was stolen by someone Tracy knew.

When it comes to style, Justice Mellencamp is all about honoring the individual.

As a professional hairstylist on Hilton Head Island, she knows, “It’s not one size fits all. It’s … about getting to know the client, doing the consultation before each appointment, getting to know what they’re comfortable with. Every client is totally different.”

Like the fashion industry, however, the hair industry is often driven by trends—which may or may not work for everyone. “Pinterest can be your best friend or worst enemy,” she laughed.
In honor of individuality, Justice isn’t afraid to gently push back when clients ask for a trending hairstyle or color, if only to be sure it’s what they really want. “Why do you need to do what everybody else is doing to be trendy if it doesn’t fit your personal style or your personal look?” she said. “Be yourself! What do you feel would look good on you? Let’s work together to achieve that.”

When you think of a fashionista, you probably think celebrities, models, labels, big cities and dollar signs. In the English language there is a term called a homonym, meaning a word that is spelled the same but has two different meanings. When catching up with Beth and Haigler Woods, my first inkling was that fashionista has another definition.

Perfectly manicured fingers and toes to match, hair styled, lip gloss popping, the Woods ladies are Lowcountry fashion icons. In considering their outer appearance, their glam outfits match the trends, but with their inner beauty, they are genuine, gracious and thankful, making them beautiful inside and out. With their homemade personalities, wit and stature, they took beauty standards and added a twist of Southern roots.

Egle Saxton is the epitome of style and grace. She has an impeccable and unique style of her own, which these days is wearing dresses with fantastic heels. “I wear what I like, and I love shoes. I don’t like to shop, so when I want something specific, I look for it, and then go for it,” Egle said.

Her taste is eclectic, and she doesn’t go for specific brands or designers. Even at 5-feet, 8-inches tall, she always wears high heels. She has dresses in all lengths—long, mid-calf, mini—and her closet holds enough to allow her to wear a different dress each day of the month. Egle doesn’t stick to basic colors that are easy to accessorize. Instead her collection is more like a box of Crayola crayons in its colorful diversity. If you see her in a basic black dress, be prepared for knee-high red boots or bold-rimmed on-trend glasses. And, oh, the shoes! Egle said she probably has about 50 pairs, but more if you count her boots.

Ivey Savage
Hometown: Beaufort
Family: Owen (husband), Brayden (13), Ivey (8), Azalea (6)

OK. We’re jealous! When everyone else is donning yoga pants you always seem perfectly put together. Tell us your secret and what dressing stylishly means to you?
I certainly have days in yoga pants, but I do love a pair of jeans. Jeans have always been my comfort piece. The trickier part is making sure you have a cute top to throw on with them and a pair of go-to shoes to make mornings easy. We have a great source of local shops to get things from! Dressing stylish is all about having fun and feeling good.

What three things are “Signature Ivey?” Is there something you do that always completes your look?
Again, I love a go-to pair of jeans! That seems boring but if you find that one pair or brand that fits you just right, it makes a world of difference. I think an easy button-down tucked or tied is a common piece for me. It’s easy and dresses up your jeans. And, I would say a nice pair of shoes and accessories make me feel like my look is complete.

Life has a way of coming full circle sometimes. We think we’re headed one way and end up going another—maybe even right back to where we started. That’s exactly what happened to Tony Jones who grew up in the Beaufort area.
When Tony was 10 years old, his parents purchased a 12.4 acre farm on St. Helena Island from a great aunt who acquired the land during the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War. His parents, Robert and Clara, farmed a small part of the land for the family.

Tony went off to college at South Carolina State in Orangeburg, where he met his future wife, Belinda. He wanted a military career, and through the ROTC program, once he graduated, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. Tony and Belinda spent the next 20 years in duty stationed in Germany, Belgium and the United States. Three of their four children were born in Europe.

Spend a few minutes talking to Kim Jones and you’ll immediately detect her passion for the Lowcountry’s watersheds. As the Town of Bluffton’s Director of Projects and Watershed Resilience, Kim’s enthusiasm is contagious—even if you begin the conversation not knowing exactly what a watershed is!
In fact, let’s start there.

In simple terms, a watershed is a drainage basin that catches precipitation and directs runoff to a body of water. In the Bluffton area, watersheds send runoff to the May River, the Okatee and Colleton Rivers, and the New River. Maintaining healthy watersheds is essential to enjoying the recreational and economic benefits of our waterways.

Joyful is the one word that describes Martha Worthy. With her kind, soulful demeanor, Martha shows her true colors through her beautiful artwork that not only inspires her, but others, too. It’s easy to see that nature, particularly wildlife, ignites Martha’s passion to create, so it’s no wonder she has nested on Hilton Head Island, a nature lover’s dream. 

Hilton Head wasn’t always Martha’s home, but for the past 41 years she has called it her happy haven and found her place of peace. From short family vacations over the years, to eventually helping at her mother’s vacation rental business, Hilton Head has always been a staple in her life. Finally making a permanent move to the Lowcountry, Martha decided to live a more simple life so she would have time to enjoy what she loved the most—art.

You taught middle school science for 33 years in Beaufort County. What did you love most about teaching?
I love the kids and especially getting outdoors with them. It fires me up when they respond with genuine enthusiasm and curiosity for the natural world. Middle schoolers are a special sort of human. Most of them are concerned with what is “fair or not fair.” They are usually willing to be involved in making things better. If you can tap into that energy for justice there is no stopping them!

It’s been nearly a century since Bubba Crosby came into this world. He was six years old when the highway from Bluffton to Hardeeville went in, and his entertainment was watching them build it with mules and horses. He now lives in a house about a mile from where he grew up that he and Joyce Crosby, his wife of 68 years, constructed piecemeal. Talking with them is a window into a world that has mostly disappeared.

“Try not to get lost in comparing yourself to others. Discover your gifts and let them shine! Softball is amazing that way as a sport. Everyone on the field has a slightly different ability that makes them perfect for their position.”
— Jennie Finch, Olympic Gold Medal Winner

Sometimes girls just want to have fun! Jean Heyduck is at that point in her life—at the crossroad between work and play, and she is determined to play. Jean’s last official day of work was December 31, 2021. She retired from the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry where she was vice president of marketing since 2012. She worked hard, and now it’s her time to play hard—and her goal is to have fun. She’s golfing, playing pickleball, taking tennis lessons and going back to her favorite sport: softball.

Parents do so much for their children, but, Diana, your dad really went above and beyond! Tell us about it:
My dad met Fisher at a local restaurant in Spartanburg where they both went for “BOGO wing night.” My dad kept telling me about his “cool friend Fisher,” and I would roll my eyes. I finally said to him, “If he is so cool then invite him over for dinner.”

And then what happened?
Long story short, HE DID! He called Fisher and told him he was smoking some BBQ and asked if he wanted to come over. Fisher interpreted this as my dad and his friends, so he said sure. He arrived—how do I put it—not in the nicest of clothes (ripped jeans, stained shirt) and quickly realized his mistake when he came in to see my dad, my mom, my mom’s twin sister, and me in the kitchen. Of course he played it cool, and we hung out all night by a big fire outside. Later he revealed that he had no clue and didn’t realize it was a set up. We, to this day, joke that it was a total set up by my dad.

1993: Teresa McCarty. Female, mid 20s, married, two little ones, a dead-end job, bills to pay, mouths to feed and no backup plan. All she could muster up were prayers and hope. Something that felt like such an impossible mess of events, turned into one of the biggest blessings in Teresa’s life.

Teresa, now an almost 30-year resident of Hilton Head Island, has thrived more than ever, but it wasn’t an easy beginning. Originating from West Virginia, she was in a dead-end job with no hope for upward mobility. While Teresa was contemplating her options for work, her husband was let go due to a company shutdown. Raising a four-year-old and a 6-month-old, this was not the direction the McCartys wanted to go. With the weight of the world on her shoulders and her faith in God in her heart, Teresa prayed and prayed, “Wherever, whenever, whatever. Please God, I’m ready.”

She’s not sure at what point her drinking crossed into addiction, but when it did, Erin McKee became a slave to alcohol.

“I wasn’t doing anything my friends weren’t doing,” recalls this Atlanta native whose work in radio meant attending frequent concerts and promotions at bars. “But it progressed slowly until the social drinking fizzled away, and I started drinking alone. Alcohol became my secret little friend.”

Ashton Sullivan, a licensed mental health counselor with a master’s degree in art therapy, is trained in mental health and creative intervention. Art therapy, which is used to discover and uncover the root causes of problems, is the integration of art media and traditional psychotherapy.

“Drawing allows us to open up, relax and feel less vulnerable when addressing the effects of trauma,” Ashton said. “People may feel anxious or fearful about talking about their issues, but drawing and working with their hands allows them to relax and reduce their stress. Therapy may be scary, but art is more comforting. It creates some distance in the way a client’s story is used to tell their story and addresses feelings of vulnerability. It’s a symbolic form of communication.”

Hometown: Bayside, New York
Current Town: Bluffton, SC
Career: Officiant
Astrological Sign: Cancer

You took a big leap of faith to make a fresh start. Tell us about it. I worked behind a desk in a corporate setting as part of a department my whole career. Growing up in New York, I lived my whole life there and never thought I would live anywhere else. I decided to put myself out there, leaving what I knew and felt comfortable in. I moved to South Carolina where I knew no one. I landed yet another job in a corporate setting. I was laid off from my job due to Covid-19. It forced me to be brave enough to work for myself full-time. Since then, I have created a life that I can say is full of happiness, depending on my myself.

For 49-year-old Bluffton High School teacher Melanie Williams, discovering she had breast cancer during a routine mammogram last July came as a life-changing blow.

Over the next several weeks, the mother of two would struggle to keep up with work, a busy home life and what seemed like a never-ending stream of doctor appointments and diagnostic tests. Her prognosis and how it would affect her two teenage children added to her anxiety.

Mission: The Children’s Center provides affordable, high quality, early childhood education and childcare services for working families. We strive to be the standard of excellence for child education, development and care in the Lowcountry, while supporting our community, enabling parents to fully participate in the local workforce and ensuring every child is ready to achieve success upon entering kindergarten.

Tell us about The Children’s Center:
The Children’s Center has served Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry for almost 55 years, making us the second oldest non-profit organization on Hilton Head. The Children’s Center, Inc. is a unique, not-for-profit organization that provides working families affordable and accessible early childhood education and childcare services. We make high quality early education and childcare services available and affordable for working families, giving children a great start to life.

The Center was founded when concerned community leaders recognized the need for low-cost, safe, nurturing childcare for the children of working parents on Hilton Head Island. The Children’s Centers’ multicultural, bilingual, early childhood education program is provided five days a week, year-round, beginning at 6-weeks of age. Our goal is to provide a learning environment that enhances the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic and creative development of each child. The Children’s Center offers families a sliding scale tuition program, based on household income.

Mission: To provide free, critical, legal services to low-income individuals living in Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton Counties.

Tell us about Lowcountry Legal Volunteers.
Lowcountry Legal Volunteers is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has served the community for over 20 years by providing free legal services to people living at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Our ultimate goal is to provide legal counsel for those who otherwise could not afford legal representation. The majority of the more than 150 cases a year that we take involve family law matters and always involve children.

Who benefits from this program?
Our clients come from all walks of life and backgrounds—with all needing help dealing with some type of legal issue affecting their daily life.

What is your role in the organization and how did you come to this role?
I am proud to serve as the Executive Director of Lowcountry Legal Volunteers. Before this position I was LCLV’s Executive Attorney for seven years.

Mission: To promote early childhood literacy and oral language development, while helping new parents understand their critical role as their child’s first and most important teacher.

Tell us about Born to Read. Who benefits from this program?
Born to Read is the only program in which volunteers visit new parents and their infants while promoting literacy at the beginning of the child’s life. Each baby is given a resource bag that contains information in both English and Spanish about the many resources available to them in Beaufort County. Because of our partnership with Beaufort County School District and the Beaufort County Library system, our organization plays a valuable role in giving parents literacy information. There are no other programs in the four county areas of Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, and Hampton which seek to personally contact all parents where the mothers deliver their babies in the local area hospitals. As an all-inclusive program, BTR anticipates serving around 2,000 new mothers in these communities in the coming year.

Born to Read also offers free parent workshops four times a year throughout Beaufort County designed for children 18-months to 3 years old. Materials given are in both English and Spanish.

“The U.S. recorded its highest number of drug-overdose deaths
in a 12-month period, eclipsing 100,000 for the first time…”
—Wall Street Journal, 11/18/2021

Mission: Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, 12-step recovery program for anyone struggling with hurts, habits, hang-ups, pain, or addiction of any kind. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life. Recovery Church is a church service created by the recovery community for the recovery community.

What is your role in Celebrate Recovery?
I have my Masters in Biblical Counseling, am a women’s evangelist, pastor, and counselor. My husband of 37 years and best friend, Don Lucci, and I wanted to do something powerful for people who are struggling in the Lowcountry. We had heard about the Celebrate Recovery program and decided to start a chapter at Central Church with our pastor’s blessing and the help of dedicated volunteers.

Mission: Support and enrich the lives of women, children and families in our community. Together we have a greater impact than we do individually.

Website: www.jslbeaufort.com

Tell us about the Junior Service League of Beaufort. Who benefits from this program?
JSLB is a volunteer organization of women in the Beaufort community. Each member is responsible for completing volunteer service hours with organizations such as the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA), Hopeful Horizons, Habitat for Humanity, etc. In addition to service hours, each member is also placed on a fundraising committee for the year. Other non-profit organizations can apply for funds via our formal grant process. Our fundraising dollars raised throughout the year are granted at our annual Jubilee event each spring. The grant process evaluates each request to ensure the funds support the JSLB mission.

Mission: To improve the lives of homeless dogs and cats while also working to substantially lower the number of animals reproduced or relinquished.
Locations: 10 Humane Way, HHI, SC 29926 and 10 Pritcher Point, Okatie, SC 29909
Website: www.hhhumane.org

Tell us about Hilton Head Humane Association:
It’s a happy place to work and play—the best job on earth! There is nothing better than taking good care of animals and then finding them the best homes.

What’s new and exciting at Hilton Head Humane Association?
Our new state-of-the-art facility in Okatie has made all the difference as we continue to move forward in helping animals not only in our county, but also across the state. Our public/private partnership with Beaufort County Animal Services has proven to be successful and has opened the doors for us to provide more service to the community.

Walking into the first day of kindergarten can seem like one of the scariest moments in a little one’s life. Everything is new, big and unfamiliar. Hooked to mama or daddy’s leg, tiny tears trickle down sweet cheeks to the tune of the desperate cry of “no” over and over again. By day’s end, parents reappear, and the same hesitant child is now hesitant to go home. Why? New friends, of course.

Friends are the biggest factor for anyone to feel comfortable, especially on the first day of anything. Brie Jones and I met on the first day of kindergarten 16 years ago, and the rest is history. Through one of us changing schools, high school blues and two different colleges, our connection seemed to never sever.

You two are sisters, 2 years apart, and also consider each other your best friend. Please tell us how you avoided sibling rivalry growing up and became so close.
Well, we didn’t totally avoid sibling rivalry. We had our fair share of fights over borrowed clothes for sure! But we probably became so close because we did so many of the same things—swimming on the same team, volunteering for the same organizations, going to the same college. We had similar interests for most of our lives, so we also had similar friends. You hear a lot that siblings become better friends as they get older, that definitely happened with us, too!

After fifty years of friendship, there is nothing these two don’t know about each other’s lives. Any breaking developments are reported immediately, without the need for backstory, and they can read each other’s reactions like a large-print book. Although they don’t have specific memories of their first meeting in kindergarten, they can definitely say one thing: she was there.

“I couldn’t tell you about most of my life,” Tracey jokes. “But Jill could. Any time I can’t remember if I may or may not have done something, I ask her.”

You started martial arts when you were 3 years old? Where has this practice taken you?
I did!  Physically, it’s taken me all over the US for tournaments, trainings, and visiting friends I’ve made through martial arts. In general, it’s built my confidence and leadership skills. It has introduced friendships that have lasted for years and given me an outlet to love people, to give them a safe place, and to make an impact in their lives. I’m able to share the lessons I’ve learned through martial arts like perseverance, confidence, raising up leaders, building family connections, and being a champion in life! 

How has being accomplished in martial arts enhanced your life?
It’s expanded my reach of impact. It’s opened doors for new opportunities to meet people and to build connections, as well as sparking people’s interest in what I have to offer, or what I have to say. People listen when they’re intrigued by what you do and what you say.