Charlamagne tha God gives back to his Moncks Corner roots

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCBD) – To Moncks Corner locals he is known as Lenard McKelvey but to the rest of America, he is Charlamagne tha God – or just Charlamagne for short.

Charlamagne has been an active hometown hero for the Moncks Corner community for nearly a decade by leading annual backpack and turkey drives at his alma mater, Berkeley High School.

He says, “If they don’t have to spend money on school supplies or spend money they don’t have on Thanksgiving turkeys – or whatever it is – whenever I can provide a little bit of relief, they can take that money and hopefully pour it into something else.”

According to Kinta Palmer, the co-founder of Third Eye Awareness, the givebacks stemmed from a conversation that he and his cousin, Charlamagne, had during the holiday season over ten years ago.

Charlamagne has been honored with his own day in Moncks Corner, North Charleston, and Charleston, which is celebrated on August 14. He expressed how grateful he is to be recognized for his accomplishments.

“I was raised in hell in South Carolina when I was a kid growing up, I’ve been kicked out of two high schools. I’ve been arrested for drugs and guns, like I was a person who wasn’t doing what they were supposed to be doing,” said the radio personality. “So to be able to turn their life around and be able to give back to a place that I once took so much from – it’s a beautiful thing, it means everything.”

Some could argue that being from a small town could be difficult, but Charlamagne says being from Moncks Corner, SC has taught him life skills that he can carry with him every day.

“It enables you to walk into any room and look whoever you’re talking to in the eye and not feel intimidated by it in any shape or form because – I’m not impressed. That’s just the reality of the situation – because like I said I grew up where I feel was the realest,” he added.

In his opinion, Charlamagne says he believes Moncks Corner needs to have more opportunities or simply something that gives people hope that they have a shot of achieving what they want to do in life.

“I think that’s what places need, they need more resources, they need more money poured into those communities, you need more trade schools, you just have to create more lanes of opportunities for people to walk through,” said Charlamagne.

Charlamagne’s 11th Annual Turkey Drive is scheduled for November 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Berkeley High School.