While broad praise of Ceips was sounded by many of the attendees, specific acknowledgment of her work to protect Hunting Island State Park was mentioned by House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bobby Harrell.
State officials took time to speak with the media prior to the private luncheon at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club.
Ceips, R-Beaufort, who was elected to her first two-year House term in 2002, faces a Democratic challenge this November from Benjamin Schwartz for the District 124 seat.
Ceips' colleagues were quick to credit her involvement securing $5 million from the 2005 state budget for the nourishment of Hunting Island's fast-eroding beaches. Wilkins commented that the money awarded to the island "happened for one reason, and that reason is Catherine Ceips."
Harrell, R-Charleston, agreed, saying "Catherine drove that train."
The $5 million is being combined with $3.5 million the state already set aside to pay for nourishment and the placement of sand-trapping structures out in the water, both measures intended to slow erosion of the beach, which loses about 15 feet of sand annually.
The $5 million was won last term despite a veto from Gov. Mark Sanford.
Beyond environmental issues, Speaker Pro Tem Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg, said he looks forward to working with Ceips on other prominent issues on the state Republican agenda, including medical malpractice and tort reform.
Smith said the leadership hopes to pass such bills within 6 to 8 weeks from the start of the next legislative session in January, in time for next year's budget debates.
Citing her importance in the Republican caucus and House leadership, Smith beamed that "(Ceips) is the type of person we want back in Columbia."
Local supporters also filled the foyer of the yacht club, including Diane DeWitt, who told of the support for Ceips that is common within her family. DeWitt admitted that her 73-year-old mother registered to vote for the first time following a meeting with Ceips during the legislators door-to-door campaign in 2002.
DeWitt said Ceips' commitment to hit the streets and "beat the neighborhood" was what inspired her mother to register.
In addition to pitching in to the House Republican leadership's agenda, Ceips herself hopes to investigate the regulation of check-cashing businesses, explore safety improvements for U.S. 17 between Charleston and Beaufort, and tackle the state's school-system woes should she be elected to another term.
Dissatisfied with many of the problems in public schools, Ceips gasped, "We've got to do something different."