Curt Loftis

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Curtis M. Loftis, Jr. (born September 8, 1958) is Director of the South Carolina Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging. Appointed by Lieutenant Governor André Bauer on February 28, 2007, Loftis is founder and benefactor of Saluda Charitable Foundation.

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[edit] Biography

Curtis is a lifelong resident of South Carolina. He attended Brookland-Cayce High School in Cayce, SC and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1981 where he served as president of the student senate and president of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

Prior to government service, Curtis was a business owner and was further engaged as a real estate investor and developer. He ceased day-to-day association with his business in 2001 and, until March 1, 2007, he was involved with the Saluda Charitable Foundation in a full-time capacity. He has been active in local and national politics.

He is a member of First Baptist Church of West Columbia, SC.

[edit] Lt. Governor's Office on Aging

The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging (LGOA) is South Carolina's "State Unit on Aging" and administers federal funds received through the Older Americans Act. The General Assembly and Governor Mark Sanford transferred responsibility for South Carolina's Older Americans Act programs to Lt. Governor André Bauer on July 1, 2004, moving the Bureau of Senior Services out of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Bauer's position at the LGOA is largely ceremonial, though he does exercise executive authority over major decisions. He appoints the Director of the Office on Aging and approves the budget and other major decisions. He is the prime advocate and spokesman for the Seniors of South Carolina. The office administers approximately $39 million in funds, and directs the Aging Network of South Carolina, which is present in each of the 46 counties. The LGOA is located in the Wilbur Smith Building on Gervais Street in Downtown Columbia, SC.

The LGOA works with a network of regional and local organizations to develop and manage programs and services to improve the quality of life of South Carolina's older citizens, and to help them remain independent in their homes and communities. The LGOA, through its administration of the Older Americans Act programs, aids 34,000 older adults who have the greatest social, economic, and health needs, and rural and low-income minority elders. Additionally, the LGOA works with many other state agencies, as well as with the private sector, to coordinate the needs and interests of older adults and to develop new resources.

The LGOA is the statewide leader for advocating, planning and developing resources in partnership with individuals and communities to meet the present and future needs of over 717,000 older South Carolinians and their caregivers; to develop and coordinate a comprehensive continuum of care system; and to promote education, research and training in the field of gerontology.

The vision of the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging is a state where seniors enjoy an enhanced quality of life, contribute to their communities, have economic security and receive those supports necessary to age with choice and dignity.

The mission of the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging is to enhance the quality of life for seniors through advocating, planning and developing resources in partnership with state and local governments, non-profits and the private sector, individuals and advocates to meet the present and future aspirations of the growing senior population.

The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging is responsible for oversight of home and community-based services funded through federal and state sources that are not specifically under the jurisdiction of another state agency. These include primarily programs funded through the federal Older Americans Act and various state-funded programs.

[edit] Service Committees and Organizations

[edit] Saluda Charitable Foundation

The Saluda Charitable Foundation is a faith-based Christian humanitarian group that operates international missions for the housing and medical care of the elderly. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, Saluda Charitable serves on four continents with a wide range of missions from medical treatment and food distribution to community services and housing for indigent locals.

The New Hope Village in Shelpachy, Ukraine
The New Hope Village in Shelpachy, Ukraine

In Ukraine, Saluda Charitable began a partnership with a small missionary group which has grown into a stand-alone Ukrainian organization, the Saluda-Ternopil Charitable Foundation. Saluda-Ternopil administers the largest food pantry in Ternopil as well as a humanitarian mercy center and one of Ukraine's first foster care projects in partnership with Ukraine government.

The New Hope Village, a direct product of the Saluda Charitable Foundation and Saluda-Ternopil Charitable Foundation alliance, is a Christian humanitarian mercy center. It consists of an elder hostel, a distribution point for humanitarian aid and services, and an emergency shelter for poor families and other challenged peoples. The New Hope Village recently became home to one of Ukraine's first "foster family" projects. This project is a partnership between the Ukrainian government and Saluda-Ternopil that seeks to alter the traditional system of large and unfriendly government orphanages in favor of more traditional family structures. Re-construction recently completed on several buildings allows New Hope Village to become even more involved as a center for village life, from "movie night", a free computer lab and business center, to a new sport field. The goal is to become a model for Christian-based groups to integrate themselves in a manner that promotes Christian and wholesome lifestyles.

In Bolivia, Saluda Charitable works with Rik and Sabine Celie's organization, Doctors on Mission. Through Doctors on Mission, Saluda Charitable has funded programs including the construction of a new church, medical clincis, humanitarian aid shipping and a vitamin distribution program.

[edit] Affiliated Charities

[edit] External links

[edit] References