Sisters of Charity honors two for leadership

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina honored two Midlands residents last week for exceptional leadership.

The agency presented Bud Ferillo its 2015 Leadership in Diversity Award and Dee Dee Chewning its 2015 Catalyst Award.

The Leadership in Diversity Award recognizes an individual or organization that illustrates exemplary performance in the area of diversity and inclusion.

Ferillo, who lives in Columbia, is a Charleston native. He spent most of his professional life in Columbia, beginning his career in state government when he became chief of staff to the House speaker in 1974. In 1983, he and worked closely with then-Gov. Dick Riley to draft and pass the state’s Education Improvement Act in 1984, which raised funds annually dedicated to education initiatives through a penny sales tax increase.

Ferillo, who was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Riley in 1987, produced and directed the award-winning film “Corridor of Shame: The Neglect of South Carolina’s Rural Schools” in 2005 as part of a multi-year effort to build public awareness for the needs of South Carolina’s poorest and most isolated school districts.

The Catalyst Award recognizes an individual who exemplifies the qualities of a servant leader through volunteerism, community involvement, compassion and professional contributions.

Chewning, of Lexington, has received numerous awards including the Gubernatorial Citation for Efforts in Sexual Abuse Education and Prevention, South Carolina’s First School Nurse of the Year, and the first inductee to the South Carolina Association of School Nurses Hall of Fame.

She was a member of Riley’s statewide Task Force on School Health in 1985 and South Carolina’s first member of the board of directors for the National Association of School Nurses.

In 1992, Chewning became the first director of Healthy Learners, a Ministry of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine that is dedicated to help alleviate health related barriers to learning for children without adequate resources.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina is committed to addressing the needs of the poor and underserved in all 46 South Carolina counties, and uses resources to reduce poverty through action, advocacy and leadership.