In this Oct. 19, 2025 episode, we talk with Stephanie Kelly of East Cooper Community Outreach and Kellen Butler of Friends of the Hunley. Photo: 92.5 Kickin' Country/Saga Communications
Lowcountry Forever: East Cooper Community Outreach & Friends of the Hunley – Oct. 19, 2025
SEGMENT #1: East Cooper Community Outreach
GUEST: Stephanie Kelly, Executive Director
ISSUE: Community Service
Established following Hurricane Hugo, the East Cooper Community Outreach has been assisting residents east of the Cooper River since 1989. Over the past 18 months, the organization has undergone a renovation at their facility off Six Mile Road in Mount Pleasant. The rebuild broke ground in April of 2024 and was completed in August of 2025. Stephanie Kelly is the Executive Director of East Cooper Community Outreach and explained the need for the renovations and what it means for the organization and the clients they serve. Kelly spoke of the challenges they are facing because of rising prices and how that limits what they can provide and affects the amount of donations coming into ECCO. With the holidays close, Kelly spoke of the needs they have and how East Cooper Community Outreach works 24/7/365 to assist those in need.
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SEGMENT #2: Friends of the Hunley
GUEST: Kellen Bulter, President/Executive Director
ISSUE: Historical Preservation
This summer market the 25th anniversary of the H.L. Hunley being raised from the floor of the Charleston Harbor after having been discovered following its only mission in 1864. The Hunley was moved to the Charleston Naval Yard in North Charleston where it has continued to be restored. The Friends of the Hunley is a nonprofit established to help protect and preserve the H.L. Hunley. Kellen Bulter is the organization’s President and Executive Director who talked about the importance of the Hunley today, more than 150 years after the end of the Civil War. She explained how people could visit the Hunley today and how the sub is a tourist attraction. Butler also shared information on the nonprofit’s largest fundraising event, their 20th annual Oyster Roast on Friday, Oct. 25.
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