It is not uncommon for the Grand Strand to produce star athletes. It is, however, uncommon for those athletes to resist the bright lights of the big city, remain in the area, and humbly use their talents to help improve the quality of life for local residents. But such is the case for Susan Scarce—wife, mom and Development Officer for the Conway Medical Center Foundation.

When Scarce graduated from Carolina Forest High School in 2005, she was a four- sport athlete. Having achieved All State honors in golf and being a member of three state championship teams, she accepted a Division I scholarship to play golf for Gardner-Webb University, where she honed her skills until finishing her final year of college at Coastal Carolina University. Her communications/business administration degree was quickly put to use for Legends Golf Course in marketing before taking a marketing coordinator position with Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. That position allowed her to travel all over the world promoting the “Number One Golf Destination in the US” for years. When her son, Reece, was born, Scarce and her husband, Alex, decided it was time to make a switch.

Scarce was offered a chance to follow her passion and put her natural and acquired skills to work for a local not-for-profit, the Conway Medical Center Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1988 to support Conway Medical Center in achieving its goals and is “dedicated to improving the quality of life of all individuals in the Conway Medical Center service area.” More than 20 percent of Horry County residents have no health insurance, and there are numerous examples where lives have been saved/changed by early detection of cancer with mammograms and colonoscopies funded by the Foundation.

Scarce’s smile beams when she says “I love what I do.” These and many other services to the community couldn’t be possible without donors such as Waste Management, Conway National Bank, Monteith Construction and many others, but the main fundraiser is the Kingston Golf Classic.

Created in 1993 and celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Kingston Golf Classic will be held May 25–26 and is the premier fundraising event for the Foundation and one of Scarce’s primary challenges. Last year saw a rise in the number of golfers to 160 and Scarce is aiming for even more in 2018. Most of the prominent businesses in the Grand Strand area are represented and promoted at the event, partly due to the fact that there are opportunities to participate and sponsor the event at different levels without playing golf. Scarce invites everyone to come out and participate. For more information about the Kingston Golf Classic, go to www.cmcfoundationsc.com/KingstonGolfClassic.

Saving lives while having fun and doing what you love—priceless.