THE STORY BEHIND BEAUFORT CHALKBOARD

The Lamprechts’ Lasting Impact and Dedication to Community

story by KAREN SNYDER          photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH             and courtesy of THE LAMPRECHTS

It started with a simple sentiment, written on a front-yard chalkboard sign, to thank first responders and essential workers during the pandemic. Today, it has become a phenomenon impacting thousands of people in Beaufort and beyond.

Ask Beaufort Chalkboard creators CJ (Cindy) and Tom Lamprecht, and they are quick to admit they could never have imagined that a sign erected to spread some cheer during a difficult time would now become a newly formed nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization ready to continue its important work in our community.

So much about Beaufort Chalkboard resulted from happenstance beginning in March 2020. “I was sitting on our back porch, and feeling depressed and scared. COVID was killing people. I wanted to do something. So, I said to my husband, Tom, that I wish I had a sign to put in the front yard to thank our first responders and essential workers,” explains CJ.

As is typical of Tom Lamprecht when his wife shares an idea, he is quick to act. “It didn’t take that man more than 15 minutes to figure out how to make me a chalkboard!” After erecting it in their front yard along Parris Island Gateway, it wasn’t long before people began to take notice of the messages CJ shared.

Some funny, some inspirational, the goal with the written messages was to “give back to the community that had given so much to us,” she says. “Sometimes people even dropped by our driveway to suggest what we should put on our sign next!”

Several months passed, and assuming their work to brighten community spirits was finished, the Lamprechts decided to take the sign down. “We didn’t realize that so many people were actually reading it. One day, some older folks stopped by our driveway. Two of the wives had cancer and couldn’t go anywhere during the pandemic. They told us they were leaving their house each day just to come to see what our sign said.”

After that, “I told Tom that I didn’t care if five people were reading the sign that we had to put it back up!” You guessed it. Tom did just that, but neither could have predicted what came next.
Deciding to share their sign’s messages on social media, including Instagram (@beaufortchalkboard) and Facebook (The Beaufort Chalkboard), the Lamprechts’ mission of spreading positivity in Beaufort was gaining momentum. After 18 months of the sign being staked into the ground, people everywhere began to take notice.

“I checked Facebook one day, and we had 146 followers, and I thought to myself, ‘No big deal,’ but I would continue to post pictures of the board’s messages. Then one day, I woke up to find I got 7,000 followers overnight. I assumed my account was broken or hacked into,” she chuckled. “It was my coworkers at the time at Stokes Toyota that had to explain to me that one of our posts went viral!”

Shared by the likes of Katie Couric, Mariska Hargitay, and Jennifer Garner, among others, the message that sparked the surge of social media attention said: “Someone, somewhere, remembers you because you were kind to them.”

“From then on,” reports CJ, “celebrities just kept sharing our sign posts. At that point, I had so many visitors coming into the dealership to see me that they dubbed me ‘The Chalkboard Lady,’” she laughs.

Quick to acknowledge that her husband is called “Mr. Chalkboard,” CJ says Tom prefers to stay behind the scenes but has played an integral role in this husband-and-wife team whose community service extends well beyond the board.

Working in support of the United Way, the Department of Social Services, Bikers Against Bullies, HELP of Beaufort, and others, the Lamprechts are busy with many outreach activities. In addition to their jobs, Tom at SCDOT and CJ as an insurance adjuster, the couple estimates they put approximately 30-40 hours a week into community service projects.

Whether it’s collecting food donations on their front porch or participating in toy and bike drives, among other projects, CJ laughs that whatever idea she has, Tom is happy to go along. “He’s worn Grinch costumes, dressed as Santa, and hopped around as the Easter Bunny,” she says, all to raise money or support for the causes important to them.

Tom acknowledges that the impact they are making began with the chalkboard and its influence in the Beaufort community. “The board has been so successful, yet that’s a strange word as it’s not like we had a business intent for doing it. It was just a communication tool,” he explains. “It seems everyone can relate to something that has been written, yet it’s nice to see what it has evolved into. It’s now a much bigger thing.”

So much so, in fact, that they contend Beaufort Chalkboard no longer “belongs” to them. Tom recounts, “I wanted to take down the chalkboard to fix the posts that were getting a bit rickety. It needed to be sturdier and more permanent. But I realized it might cause a problem if I took it down. Everyone drives by our house, and they expect to see it. It had become no different than a billboard along the freeway,” he says.

“Well, I started to take it down anyway, took the bolts out, and set the board on the ground. It literally took two minutes. It was then that I noticed a car had stopped, and the driver was looking at me. I wondered if they thought I was stealing or destroying the sign. Then other cars began slowing down too. I thought to myself, I better fix this sign as fast I can, and then I gave everyone a friendly wave,” he laughs.

It can be difficult to grasp that a sign could have so much impact. CJ recounts a time when a young man showed up at her desk at work asking if she was “The Chalkboard Lady.” She says, “He told me I was doing good things and suddenly took off. But then he returned and asked to speak to me alone. He told me that he had planned to kill himself and was going to drive off the bridge. But after seeing and reading the chalkboard, he turned around and went home.”

The sign he had read said, “God never said you ruined everything, my friend. You’re not that powerful!” According to CJ, she still receives cards from the young man. “He went to counseling, found a church, and now has a baby!”

It’s stories like this, and many others shared with the Lamprechts, about how the sign made a difference in their lives, that led them to work with Amber Hewett of the United Way to form a nonprofit organization. Referring to herself as a “crack filler,” CJ says the nonprofit provides “a more formal way to collect donations” to assist those in need, so they don’t fall through the cracks. Those interested in donating can visit the newly launched website beaufortchalkboard.com.

In addition to her husband, Tom, CJ says Beaufort Chalkboard’s efforts would not be successful without the assistance of Amber and friend Kelly Chelten. “We call ourselves ‘The Three Amigos,’ and we work together on chalkboard projects.”

Originally from rural Ohio, a pastor’s daughter, and the youngest of nine children, you may wonder what gives CJ such a passion for Beaufort, having only relocated to the Lowcountry in 2019. She says it’s a simple philosophy that she and her husband abide by: “Your community is exactly what you put into it.”

Joking that her husband, originally from Wisconsin, frequently says he was “born to be a Southerner,” it’s clear that these dedicated community servants consider Beaufort their home. Welcoming both the warmer climate and the beauty of the Lowcountry, CJ says, “One of our favorite things to do is take a drive to see the sunset.”

It’s hard to imagine either of them having any free time, but both admit to enjoying many hobbies. “I love to mow the lawn,” laughs Tom. “I really do. I find it so relaxing. I could have the worst day ever, but if it’s nice out, I’ll hop on the mower, and I’m good to go!” If not on his own “greens,” Tom may be found playing a round of golf. Or playing his guitar or drums. CJ writes her own series of historical Christian fiction books (cjsamuels.com), sings and plays the piano, and also is learning to play the harmonica.

Yet, both say that one of their favorite things to do is spend time with their rescue dog, Diesel. “You’ll find us walking around downtown Beaufort with Diesel in his stroller. Just about everyone seems to know him and stops to say ‘Hi!’”

Clearly content in their life, work, and service to others, CJ adds, “In four short years, we’ve managed to create a life here, and we wouldn’t change it for anything!”