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ISSUE NUMBER 166 THE TOWN CRIER APRIL 2017

Opportunities
by Anna Izard

Opportunities can come in a variety of ways. Sometimes they fall
straight into our laps, other times we pursue them with diligence and per-
sistence and still other times they are afforded to us by the hard work and
commitment of others.
As an intern with the Pearce Center for Professional Communication, I
have been working with the Clemson Child Development Center (CCDC)
over the past two months to aid them in preparation for their fundraising
event. As an intern, I worked alongside CCDC to create Save The Date
cards, event programs and marketing posters. In addition, I was also
given the opportunity to attend the fundraiser myself, celebrating the suc-
cess of CCDC and all that it has done for the Clemson community over the last forty-five years.
The event took place on March 4th at Occasions at Wedgefield, and it was a terrific success. The dinner
and theatre event featured delicious food and amazing entertainment from the California-based theatre
group Covenant Players. Above all, the CCDC fundraising event featured the true, kind-hearted nature of a
community like Clemson.
Greeted by a smiling face and warm introduction at the fundraiser’s front door, the excitement surround-
ing the CCDC event was palpable. The doors gave way to a ticket collector and a bustling room filled with
the staff setting the tables and the Covenant Players mingling with attendees. The energy about the room
continued throughout the night, only quieting for the two vignettes, both of which evoked laughter and ap-
plause from the audience. At the close of The Best Laid Plans, the Covenant Player’s final performance,
nothing in the event’s atmosphere seemed to change. No one moved from their seat or rushed toward the
door, something I’ve seen so many students do at a lecture’s conclusion. Instead, the attendees remained
in their seats, sipped on their wine, finished their desserts and turned to their neighbors.
The conversations about the room ranged from professional involvement with CCDC to the personal sto-
ries of children, now adults, who had been with CCDC from the very beginning. The socializing slowly dwin-
dled and attendees trickled into the night, but the joy in the room never left. The distinct impression of
CCDC’s legacy and impact upon Clemson’s community was notable in every person I spoke with and pho-
tographed, as well as in the very essence of the room.
Through this experience, I have come to know opportunities arise in a variety of ways. Sometimes, op-
portunities, such as working with the Clemson Child Development Center, will simply fall into your lap. But
this opportunity was only available because a team of people who believed in the Clemson Child Develop-
ment Center’s mission worked tirelessly to make this program accessible and successful for the last forty-
five years. And because of the hard work and commitment of CCDC, and their gracious supporters, oppor-
tunities have been afforded to the youngest members of the Clemson community, some of whom have
grown up and others that will one day grow up to begin this cycle of opportunity again, all because a kind-
hearted town like Clemson, South Carolina thrives best when it gives most.
If you are interested in supporting or volunteering at the Clemson Child Development Center, please
visit www.clemsoncdc.org for more information.

Anna Izard is a senior English major at Clemson University. Anna currently serves as a Writing and Docu-
mentation Tutor for Tri-County Technical College, a Student Director for the 2017 Clemson University Liter-
ary Festival, and an intern for Clemson’s Pearce Center for Professional Communication. She is currently
pursuing candidacy in the Clemson University Masters of Art in Professional Communication Program and
hopes to pursue a career that gives a voice to the voiceless by combining Designing, Writing, and Public
Relations.

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