CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LATEST ROUND OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GRANT AWARDEES!

Kids On Point - Kids On Point Squash Bash                                                                               

One Saturday a month Kids On Point students and their families participate in an open squash day. Students who practice squash two to three times a week during Kids On Point afterschool programming get to compete with other KOP students and invite their parents and younger siblings onto the courts. Kids On Point will use Community Engagement funds to open one of our squash days to a broader audience, including potential new students and their families, partner schools, YWCA, Charleston Parks and Rec, and related College of Charleston programs and faculty.  

 

Be A Mentor, Inc. - Mentor Appreciation Celebration                                                            

At the end of each school year, Be A Mentor honors mentors and the impact they have on mentees, schools, and our community. The Mentor Appreciation Celebration is a time for family collaboration to support youth on the brink of success. The event honors more than 7,500 hours of individualized attention students received from mentors that school year and for people from both ends of the mentoring spectrum to come together to support our youth. The families of Be A Mentor children are an important piece of the village and Be A Mentor not only honors their support during the Mentor Appreciation Celebration but also builds relationships with them.

 

Lowcountry Youth Services - 2020 Boys to MENtors Fellowship Banquet                          

The Boys to MENtors Fellowship Banquet is an annual event held during National Mentorship Month to identify and celebrate the importance and impact of mentorship in the Lowcountry. The event includes a panel discussion and college scholarship award announcement.  The event also supports our organization as a fundraiser and is open for youth organizations of all types to attend. 

 

Carolina Youth Development Center -Strengthening Families: Celebrating Communities and Services                                                                                                                                       

On April 2, CYDC invites people to North Charleston’s George Williams Community Center to celebrate family and offer support services to disrupt dysfunctional, behavioral patterns and reduce the risk of abuse or neglect in families. Through invitations distributed to three local schools serving low-income, vulnerable youth from at-risk families, CYDC anticipates 150 guests will receive a meal and learn about the group and individual therapies provided by trained staff and social workers at CYDC.

 

Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area - “Smack Dab Book Club” & Writing Workshop with Best-Selling Author Jo Hackl                                                                                                            

Greenville, SC-based author Jo Hackl’s award-winning novel, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, celebrates the importance of resilience and character in children’s lives—particularly those who face challenges of poverty, social isolation, and the loss of a parent.  Communities In Schools (CIS) Site Coordinators from four low-income Middle Schools in North Charleston and Johns Island (Haut Gap, Zucker, Morningside and Northwoods) will lead a “Smack Dab Book Club” with 80 case-managed students in a series of up to five sessions this spring. The Book Club culminates with an interactive final session, including a creative writing workshop with the author and a celebration party.

 

College of Charleston Foundation - Be Well Expo                                                                                    

The Be Well Expo is a daylong health and wellness event that promotes holistic well-being in communities of color through mind, body and soul. The first Be Well Expo was planned as a one-time event, but after receiving such positive feedback, organizers decided to make it an annual event and grow it to accommodate more people. This year’s program will address health and wellness through the lens of healthy relationships with oneself and others. The event will focus on minorities and LBGTQ community members and will be marketed, with the assistance of Burke High School, to students and families of Burke and the surrounding community. 

 

Roper St. Francis Foundation -Take Back Tri-County: 2020 Opioid Reduction and Awareness                                                                                                                                                          

AccessHealth Tri-County Network will be working with the Roper St. Francis Foundation, Charleston Center, North Charleston’s Dream Center Clinic and Summerville’s Goodwill, to hold drug take back events. The events allow people to drop off unused medications for free, no questions asked. The Dream Center event will take place in March and the Goodwill event in May. Local law enforcement will provide required police presence during the three-hour long events. Safe disposal of unused medicines is a good first step in preventing further drug abuse.