(Columbia) -- Governor David M. Beasley today presented Mary
Ellen O'Leary, who founded the Irish Children's Summer Program in the capital
city, with the Order of the Palmetto.
"You have truly gone beyond the call of duty," the Governor
told Mrs. O'Leary, who lives in the St. Andrews area near Columbia. The
Governor praised her and others involved with the program for spreading
a message about peace to other people in the world.
"You help bring peace to others. Blessed are the peacemakers,"
the Governor told the children and parents involved in the program. Mrs.
O'Leary, a mathematics instructor at the University of South Carolina,
founded the program in 1984 with a group of friends who gathered around
a kitchen table.
The program, recognized as one of the best of its kind in
the U.S., brings Catholic and Protestant children from Northern Ireland
to Columbia. The children, ages 9, 10 and 11, stay with host families for
five weeks. Each child is paired with a "buddy" from the other denomination,
and they learn peace and reconciliation. The non-profit program raises
money privately to pay for the children to fly to South Carolina, and the
host families pay for other expenses.
"I'm speechless," Mrs. O'Leary said this morning after receiving
the award from the Governor.
Governor Beasley visited briefly with the Irish children this
morning shortly before they began a scheduled tour of the Governor's Mansion.
The Governor and Mrs. Beasley are honorary co-chairs of the program.
"It is a distinct honor and privilege to present Mary Ellen
O'Leary with the Order of the Palmetto," the Governor said. "This program
is another example of just how great South Carolina is and can be."
The Order of the Palmetto is the highest honor South Carolina
can bestow upon a civilian. It is awarded at the sole discretion of the
Governor.