CENTRAL — A Southern Wesleyan University student was honored for making a difference in the lives of residents in an area recovering from plant closures and a tragic chemical spill.

Anne Fulcher of Warrenville was enrolled at Southern Wesleyan’s North Augusta learning center and graduated May 6 with her master of science in management and leadership.

Anne Fulcher, above, received the Provost’s Community Leadership Award April 28 at Southern Wesleyan University in Central. Dr. Tonya Strickland, Southern Wesleyan’s provost, presented Fulcher with the award.

Fulcher is the editor of the GVW Report, a community activism newspaper that was started last year as a way to help redevelop the towns of Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville following a devastating chlorine spill from a 2005 tanker derailment. She also volunteers as the Graniteville Community Coordinator for the Graniteville Brownfield Project, in which she works with local businesses, churches, and nonprofits to help make the area a better place to live.

Fulcher also serves on the board of directors for several organizations, including Area Churches Together Serving, Christ Central/Hope Center Graniteville, Masterworks Chorale, Aiken County Family Y, Midland Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and the GRACE Study. She has written multiple funded grants for the area.

Dr. Tonya Strickland, Southern Wesleyan University provost, shared comments about Fulcher, describing her as an individual of “strong moral fiber,” character, leadership ability, enthusiasm and a willingness to help others.

Fulcher was selected out of three finalists.

One of the finalists, Lindsay Blair, is enrolled in the bachelor of science in human services program at Southern Wesleyan’s Greenville learning center and is the founder of Switch, an Upstate-based non-profit organization aimed at fighting human trafficking. As its Survivor Services Director, Blair focuses her efforts on fighting human trafficking and sexual exploitation on a local level through awareness, prevention, demand, intervention, and restoration.

Another finalist is Tim Prendergast, who attended Southern Wesleyan’s North Augusta learning center and graduated May 6 with his master of science in management and leadership degree. Prendergast served in the military for 26 years and is currently veterans outreach coordinator at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Augusta Vet Center. Prendergast serves veterans who are institutionalized in nursing homes and is spearheading an effort to visit veterans in local nursing facilities to ensure that they are aware of their earned benefits.