From LOCAL REPORTS

The Cheraw Branch of the NAACP will host its 26th annual Freedom Fund dinner on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Cheraw Community Center.

The guest speaker will be Dr. Lonnie Randolph, president of the South Carolina State Conference NAACP and the president of the Columbia Branch of the NAACP. He is an advocate for civil rights and has led the fight for the removal of the Confederate Flag from the grounds of the State House. He is dedicated to the cause of equal justice and opportunity for all people.

Randolph has practiced optometry privately in Columbia for 26 years. In 1994, he was named South Carolina's Optometrist of the Year.

Randolph was the first African-American to serve as the president of the South Carolina Optometric Association. He also served on the American Optometric Association's nominating, membership development education services, and optometric recognition award committees.

He also serves the profession through his exceptional example. He has personally recruited six individuals to pursue optometry, and all six have graduated.

Randolph is a 1972 graduate of Benedict College, where he is a member of the School's Hall of Fame and Mentoring Program. He has lectured at Benedict's pre-health seminar since 1979 and taught developmental anatomy and genetics at Allen University in 1983 and 1984.

He was two time recipient of the S.C. Optometric Association's Service Award, commissioner of the S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs, board member of the Columbia Free Medical Clinic and member of the S.C. Commission for the Blind Diabetes Task Force.

The public is invited to attend. For ticket information, call Helen V. Palmer, 537-4507; Irene Cole, 537-5958; Cecelia Davis, 537-7384; or Georgiana Knight, 537-7358.