The tall weeds overtaking Carolina Forest’s medians pulled at Richard Skrip. He also loathed the litter lining his community’s roadsides.

So last fall, he volunteered to help.

"It was a mess," he said. "[I thought] ‘Somebody’s got to step in and do this.’"

Since that time, Skrip and his wife Lucinda have formed a beautification committee for the Carolina Forest Civic Association. They’ve agreed to take over some median maintenance. And recently, they secured a $2,500 state grant to buy trees for the medians and persuaded Horry County officials to begin regular litter cleanups along the area’s busiest thoroughfares.

"We want to do more," Skrip said. "We want to make sure that the whole Carolina Forest community looks nicer."