Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Ashley Culp (center) was surrounded by family and friends as she received the WJBF Giving Your Best award.
WJBF News Channel 6 anchor Jennie Montgomery (left) congratulates Ashley Culp for winning the Giving Your Best award from the Augusta, Ga. television station.
Ashley Culp loves Barnwell for all that it is, and all that it could be. In recognition of her dedication to the county, Culp was named one of the twelve recipients of WJBF NewsChannel 6’s 2022 Giving Your Best Award.
“It’s beautiful,” said Culp upon receiving this award. “It’s nice to know that somebody cares, and it's nice to know that somebody recognizes your efforts when you are trying your best to give to your community.”
WJBF weekday anchor Jennie Montgomery and camera crew met with friends and family of Culp in the Barnwell City Hall council chambers before surprising Culp with the award.
Culp did not know she was going to be the recipient of the Giving Your Best Award when walking into the city council chambers. She only knew she was nominated over a year ago by friend and fellow Barnwell Development Association (BDA) member, Melissa Roberts.
Roberts nominated Culp because of “everything that she does and the energy she has,” said Roberts.
“She is always wanting to help Barnwell grow and thrive both socially and economically,” said Roberts. “This woman never slows down.”
Many people in Barnwell know Culp by her nickname,’Happy,’ which accurately fits her personality. Chad Grumbling, long-time friend of Culp, often refers to her as ‘Happy’ rather than her actual name.
“She’s got a nickname of ‘Happy’ and it just fits her perfectly,” said Barnwell City Administrator Lynn McEwen. “It’s hard not to be friends with Ashley, she’s so energetic, so spontaneous.”
Drive and enthusiasm have been character traits Culp has always had. Her parents, Kenneth and Phylis Kearse, are proud their daughter’s ambition has manifested in public service.
“She’s always been her own person, and we are proud she is doing stuff like this,” said Kenneth. Neither he nor Phylis knew their daughter was receiving this award until about 10 minutes before they were meeting the WJBF crew.
Culp is the owner of the Barnwell hair salon, Shear Perfection, a member of the Barnwell Development Association, and in 2020 became a driving force behind The Sundial Festival.
“We started the Sundial Festival in 2020 during a very scary time,” said Culp of beginning this event in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
The Sundial Festival took a hiatus in 2022 due to a lack of volunteers. Culp, Roberts, and other dedicated BDA members and volunteers could not tackle the major undertaking without a much wider breadth of support.
Some of the individuals who played a role in bringing The Sundial Festival to fruition stood right beside Culp as she received this award. Ronnie McClain, McEwen, and Roberts were only a few.
The lack of volunteerism from the community for The Sundial Festival left Culp asking herself, “‘Are my efforts really working?’” she said.
According to Culp, receiving this award re-energizes her passion for Barnwell County.
“It’s nice to have this because it makes me go, ‘Alright maybe it’s time to get the ball rolling again,’” said Culp.
Culp’s feature on WJBF aired on Monday, November 7, but is also available online here. Award winners will also be honored at the Annual Giving Your Best Jefferson Awards Banquet.
