CAROLINE AND BRANDON GET HITCHED!

Hello all,

This past weekend I made my way from my central Arkansas tornado response to Columbia, South Carolina to meet up with some of my favorite Clemson pals to celebrate Mr. Brandon Chin and Ms. Caroline Collum getting hitched!  Brandon, you are my hero.  I will continue to study your ways and hopefully learn to pull off a feat like this myself someday.  You are as solid a man as I know.  Thank you for making my dear friend Caroline so happy.  Caroline, you are on a short list of the kindest people walking on this planet or any other for that matter.  Good thing it took me the better part of a decade to graduate from Clemson.  Otherwise we never would have met.  You looked ANGELIC on your wedding day.  Then again, you look angelic everyday.  Your smile and dance moves are both contagious and we are all so lucky to have you in our lives.  Mr. and Mrs. Chin, even though your wedding dance floor was made out of concrete and brutal on my joints, I had an amazing time celebrating with you.  Thanks for having me be part of your big day.  It was a weekend I'll never forget.

I'd also like to thank the entire Clemson Crew in Columbia and Charleston for going big all weekend long.  Seeing each and every one of you all was an absolute thrill and I hope we can do it again sometime soon!  Some of my fondest memories are with you all from our undergrad days.  I was a lucky man to be part of it all with you.  You're good peoples.  Thanks for keeping me around.

Mark/Chops

I left Arkansas this morning and am currently making my way north to assess some flood damage in Minnesota/Iowa/The Dakotas....

Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank my friend Ms. Elizabeth Ann Herring for all the work she is doing to better the lives of many individuals in need in Charleston, South Carolina.  EA has established a feeding program on the streets of Charleston which provides the homeless population every Sunday night with a home cooked meal.  This beautiful young woman is making enormous strides towards bettering the lives of many and is an example to us all.  I am so proud of your work.  You are changing the world around you.  Thank you.

The Future Is No Place To Place Your Better Days

MR. AND MRS. CHIN!

ENTRANCE TO THE RECEPTION

BRANDON AND CAROLINE SURROUNDED BY CLEMSON TIGERS!

ALISON ALEXANDER LOOKING BEAUTIFUL.  ME LOOKING HOMELESS.

THE MAN OF THE HOUR! MR BRANDON CHIN AND COACH PRESCOTT! NO IDEA WHOSE BEER I'M HOLDING...

ALISON ALEXANDER LOOKING BEAUTIFL.  ME LOOKING HOMELESS

ALI LOOKING BEAUTIFUL.  ME LOOKING HOMELESS.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE WEDDING RECEPTION DANCE FLOOR WITH COACH PRESCOTT!

MY TIE HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS BY THIS POINT

GETTING SOME DANCE TIME WITH THE CAROLINE!

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!

MY PARTNER IN CRIME IN ALL YOU CAN EAT CONTESTS.  BRANDON "CHEESESTEAK" CHIN!

YOUNG MEN, THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD GO TO CLEMSON!

THIS IS WHAT 20 PEOPLE IN AN ELEVATOR LOOKS LIKE! TAKING IT ALL IN NEXT TO MY MAN RANDALDINHO!

CLEMSON LADIES AND A FEW LUCKY GUYS!

C L E M S O N    T I G E R S !!!!!!!!

OCEANSIDE GOLF IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA WITH GRAMPS AND FRANK!

MY PARTNER IN VICTORY.  I'LL TAKE THIS GUY ON MY TEAM ANYDAY!  MR. RYAN BARRETT LADIES AND GENTS!

ON THE WATER IN CLEMSON COUNTRY!  LOOOVE SOUTH CAROLINA. ALWAYS WILL.

CAMPING ON A PRIVATE ISLAND IN CHARLESTON?!?!

CRUISING CHARLESTON ON THE USS TITANIC 2.  HOPING OC'S BOAT DOESN'T SINK

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT 10 YEARS OF QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS WITH THIS MAN IT IS AMAZING WE ARE STILL ALIVE.

MISSISSIPPI AND ARKANSAS TORNADO RESPONSES

Hey all,

After a month in northern Mississippi with the tornado response team, we wrapped up our work there. We put in 3,000 hours in the field and completed work for 25 different families in need.  It was an awesome deployment that included amazing volunteers and an incredible community that supported our response team from day one. There will be many memories from my time here that I'll keep with me forever.  Thank you to all of you that made this response the success that it ways.  We were lucky to have each of you.

With our work done in Mississippi, we made our way west to Vilonia, Arkansas.  This area was hit by the same string of tornadoes that struck Mississippi in April.  Vilonia has plenty of unmet needs that fit the scope of work we do, so it seemed to be a no brainer to head over here and dig right in.  We are off to a fast start and are excited to team up with the community to get some work done!

During this transition from Mississippi to Arkansas, NECHAMA took a few days off which I spent with Mr. Alan Richardson, site seeing some of Arkansas and hiking/camping in the Ozark Mountains!

I'll sleep when I'm dead.    

Hope you are all well and that your summer is off to a great start.

Talk soon,

Mark/Chops

The Future Is No Place To Place Your Better Days

HUGE HIGH FIVE WITH ANDREW AFTER CLEARING DEBRIS FROM A 40 ACRE FARM IN NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI. THE FAMILY OWNED FARM COULD NOW HARVEST THEIR CROPS!

TO YOUR RIGHT THERE HAD BEEN A HOME THAT NEEDED TO BE DEMO'D.  IN THE MIDDLE, THE SUPER HEROES WHO DEMO'D IT.  TO THE LEFT, THE EVIDENCE!

ABOUT TO ENTER THE OZARK MOUNTAINS WITH MR. ALAN RICHARDSON.  FITTING NAME TO THE PARK CONSIDERING THE TWO GUYS ENTERING IT.

EAGLE EYE ALAN FOUND BAMBI

BOSTON MOUNTAINS IN ARKANSAS!  ALAN CAUGHT A PICTURE OUT THE WINDOW AT 70MPH.  NICE WORK!

HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS?

MAN MADE DAMN BUILT DURING FDR'S NEW DEAL PROGRAM

MIDDLE OF THE OZARKS!

95* OUT BUT DEVIL'S DEN CAVE WAS MISTING AND ABOUT 60* AT THE ENTRANCE!

WATERFALLS ARE THE BEST

COOLING OFF WITH MR. ALAN AFTER A FEW HOURS OF HIKING IN THE ARKANSAS OZARKS

AFTER THE MOUNTAINS WE FOUND A POOL.  I MIGHT BE DEAD.

HEADING TO THE CAROLINAS WITH THE CLEMSON CREW FOR MS. CAROLINE COLLUM'S WEDDING NEXT WEEK TO SIR BRANDON.  FOUND HER NAME ON A HIGHWAY SIGN IN THE ARKANSAS OZARKS!  

LITTLE ROCK FROM ABOVE THE ARKANSAS RIVER

THE OLD ARKANSAS STATE HOUSE.  THIS IS WHERE CLINTON ANNOUNCED HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

MR. ALAN RICHARDSON BEFORE I BAILED HIM OUT OF JAIL.  ALAN'S MOM, I'M KIDDING.  WE WERE IN A MUSEUM.... MAYBE...

SOME OF THE CREW DOMINATING OUR LAST MISSISSIPPI WORK SITE!

WORKING HARD OR HARDLY WORKING.  WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY, THE SUPERHEROES PLAY.  BHAVUK AS WOLVERINE.  ALAN IS IRONMAN.  TWO AWESOME GUYS AFTER A DAY OF CHAINSAWING!

THE MISSISSIPPI TORNADO RESPONSE TEAM OUT CELEBRATING A SUCCESSFUL DEPLOYMENT!  THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HARD WORK!

EATING SOME STRAWBERRIES WITH MY MAIN MAN LUKE!  WE GET ALONG WELL BECAUSE HE JUST TURNED 8 AND I'M TOLD I ACT LIKE I'M 8. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUD!

THE NECHAMA MODELS ALAN AND TRAVIS

DANI AKA WONDER WOMAN!  CRUSHING BRICKS WITH HER HANDS!

STAN THE MAN DOING SOME DEMO WORK ON OUR FIRST ARKANSAS JOB SITE!

HOLLIS AND ALAN DOING SOME DEMO WORK!

WHEN WE DO THIS, IT MEANS WE ARE TOO TIRED TO WORK ANY LONGER THAT DAY

NOT SICK AT ALL.  MEETING NURSES.

NICOLETTE WAS SICK SO WE TOOK HER TO THE HOSPITAL.  SHE SURVIVED!  THIS IS GOOD NEWS BECAUSE SHE IS PRETTY MUCH THE BEST HUMAN BEING ON EARTH!

SELFIE WITH NEIL!  THIS GUY IS A CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER DISASTER RESPONDER.

JESS FROM THE UK.  WIFE OF NEIL.  THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE AND SWEET ACCENT!

Below are a few pictures of the people that make our disaster response work possible.  The volunteers!!  You all are the true heroes. Thanks for all the sacrifices you make to better the lives of others.