Karoline Surdyk Wins the Thumbs Up Guys Scholarship from Miller, Dawson, Sigal, and Ward

    NORTH CHARLESTON, SC, September 21, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Miller, Dawson, Sigal, and Ward is pleased to announce that incoming Furman University freshman Karoline Surdyk is one of three winners of the Thumbs Up Guys Scholarship. Surdyk's winning essay centered on her service at Lowcountry Orphan Relief (LOR).

LOR is an organization that organizes and distributes donations to children in need. Surdyk began her affiliation with LOR at the age of 14, when she helped organize the donations at an LOR distribution center.

However, there was one issue that didn't sit well with Karoline Surdyk. Many of the donations were used materials. "All donations are wonderful, but backpack and school supply donations had to be new," she wrote. As a sophomore in high school, Surdyk developed a solution.

Surdyk began School Supplies for Lowcountry Orphan Relief that year. She bought sets of backpacks with her own money and distributed them among the community with instructions on the types of supplies to fill them with

She also took advantage of every social media outlet she could, holding donation days on Instagram, setting up a GoFundMe, and even going door-to-door in the pre-COVID-19 era. Once the pandemic started, she got even more creative, selling her own portraits for commissions, which she then used to fund her school supply outreach program.

Surdyk's takeaway from her experience has been one she'll carry with her for the rest of her life. In an interview with MDSW representatives, she summed up her lasting impressions. "These obstacles that I have to overcome can go on to help others," she said. "And that's why it's so important to overcome them.

To date, Karoline Surdyk's efforts have resulted in 371 bookbags and over $5,300 in supplies for children in need. Considering that donations ranged from a single dollar to $50, this total represents constant dedication to her cause.

At Furman University, Surdyk plans on studying either Health Sciences or Biology. Her plans then take her on to the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine in Greenville, SC, where she has a spot open to her (pending GPA and additional requirements).

MDSW is a personal injury law firm in North Charleston, South Carolina. Known throughout the community as the Thumbs Up Guys, the firm has won millions of dollars in compensation for victims and their families.

The law firm of Miller, Dawson, Sigal, and Ward started the Thumbs Up Guys Scholarship to promote the idea of supporting local communities, providing aid, and proactive leadership in times of need. The scholarship was available to anyone entering a two- or four-year college in South Carolina in 2021.

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