By CHRIS SHIPMAN Hometown News shipman.news@gmail.com Mark Fullerton, or “Dr. Mark,” as he’s known around town works out of his Team Woodruff office on Main Street. He’s done well in his Woodruff office for the past 15 years, and he tries to do good for this community too. The Pennsylvania native moved to South Carolina more than 25 years ago to study at the Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, and since that time has made the state his home. “A lot of people think I’m from South Carolina,” he said, “which I take as a compliment.” He didn’t start out to be a chiropractor. He earned his bachelor’s degree in police science from York College in 1977. After that, he worked in loss prevention at McCrory’s department stores, but a few years later, he hurt his back on an undercover assignment. He could hardly move at times because of the pain, and it drove him to see a chiropractor for the first time. “Three days after the adjustment,” he said, “there was no pain.” Chiropractic is an “all natural approach to healing from the inside out,” Fullerton said. There are “no drugs and no surgery.” It’s “all natural and virtually painless.” A chiropractor works primarily on the spine, but with other joints as well, to improve their structure, release pressure on nerves, and allow the nerves’ energy to flow for improved health, he said. “Sick people get well, and healthy people do better,” he added. He believed in it so much, he decided to become a chiropractor himself. He moved south, became a chiropractor, and has been in business since 1984. He has had seven offices in Spartanburg County, but he has found his roots in Woodruff, along with Frankie Moore, a counselor, and Diane Schlafly, a massage therapist, who work out of the same office. Fullerton said he stays here because “it’s a small town with friendly people,” and it gives him a chance to do other things for the community. “Giving back is important,” he said. “There are so many opportunities to give in Woodruff and help the less fortunate.” He lives in Spartanburg with Dee, his wife of the past 11 years, but he donates his time and effort to helping Woodruff. As a doctor, he strives to provide inexpensive chiropractic care for the people in the area who need it. He also volunteers his time to area organizations and boards to improve the city and help the less fortunate. “It’s something everyone should do,” he said, “because there’s strength in numbers.” He has served as a member of the Parks, Recreation, Tourism Committee in the past and continues to help organize activities around town. Most recently, he helped with the city’s Easter celebrations—he hid the egg for the scavenger hunt at Ox Taylor Field, helped hide eggs at McKinney Park for the kids, and he even dressed up as the Easter Bunny to give out the prizes. He’s trying to make Woodruff a little bit better in his own way. Whether it’s promoting the city, giving people a reason to come visit, or just sweeping his sidewalk every morning. “It’s not much, but it’s my little piece,” he said. He also tries to help his fellow man by volunteering with the Woodruff Area Soup Kitchen and serving on its board of directors. “He has been on the board since we elected the first board in July 2007,” Shonda Mahler, the WASK committee chair said. He serves as treasurer and has helped in organizing the kitchen and spreading the word about it, she added. He wanted to bring attention to one of their needs. The kitchen, located at 340 McArthur St., recently bought a commercial hood for its stove, in order to meet DHEC regulations, but still needs to raise a few thousand dollars to have the electrical and construction work done to have it installed. Donations can be made to WASK and sent to P.O. Box 352, Woodruff, S.C., 29388. Fullerton said he has nine grandchildren and would like to think he is having a positive influence. “I’d like the world to be a healthier place for them,” he said. The more a person gives, the more God blesses him, he said. And he feels blessed here in Woodruff. “We have a small office in a small town, and we still see more people than the average chiropractor in the United States.”