1. family and parenting
2. children

S pr i ng 2 0 1 5
A Note to Our
Readers:
Richard's Report is a periodic review of
programs and organizations worthy of
charitable support named after Program
Officer, Richard Hendry. After this issue, Richard’s Report will undergo a design change, along with our newsletter,
What Gives? Beginning this fall, expect to
see one publication per quarter. We will
continue to provide the same content in
the new publication, but in a more targeted format. Along with our design
change, we again encourage you to opt
into paperless newsletters. Email [email protected]
to sign up for paperless newsletters.
Community Development
North Charleston’s Fresh Future Farm Supports Healthy
Eating and the Economy
In This Issue
How much money does a neighborhood with median income of $12,000 spend on
food annually? In North Charleston's Chicora-Cherokee, the answer is $4 million.
Fresh Future Farm plans to keep some of that money in the neighborhood
Fresh Future Farm
through its nonprofit inner-city farm and grocery store, slated to open later this
—2—
spring. Residents of Chicora-Cherokee live in what is considered a food desert – a
Arts Center of Coastal Carolina; The Gaillard
neighborhood that is located at least one mile from the nearest supermarket and
Center; Alzheimer’s Nonprofits
where at least 20% of its residents live in poverty. Currently, they must travel long
—3—
distances by bus, bike or often on foot just to reach a convenience store. This
Med-I-Assist; Spay Not Slay Fund; Children’s
means millions of dollars of potential job-creating revenue leaves the
Trust of SC; Clap Your Hands
neighborhood, in addition to preventing residents from eating the healthy food
—4—
they need most.
—1—
The Village Group; Camp Wildwood; East
Cooper Land Trust
Don’t miss Lowcountry
Giving Day!
On May 5th, gifts to 180+
Lowcountry nonprofits will be
incentivized by generous gifts from
dozens of local donors. For a full list
of participants or for more
information, please visit
www.lowcountrygivingday.org.
Run by local community leader Germaine Jenkins, pictured above, Fresh Future
Farm's replicable urban farming model uses low-tech gardening practices that keep
costs down while engaging the community through volunteer and employment
opportunities. The farm and grocery store's location at 2008 Success Street is
strategically located near the high-traffic Rivers Avenue and several bus stops to
increase customer accessibility. Most of Fresh Future Farm's products will be
SNAP eligible, and the grocery store will also cater to nearby Park Circle residents,
who spend an estimated $5 million annually on food and also live in a food desert.
Fresh Future Farm received a $5,000 grant last fall from Social Venture Partners
Charleston, a donor-advised fund of the Foundation, to support the upcoming
grocery store launch. Currently, the organization is raising money to purchase a
van for local customers who plan to spend more than $50, but lack the
transportation to get to the store. Keep up to date with Fresh Future Farm's latest
efforts by visiting their website at www.freshfuturefarm.org.
Page 2
S pr i ng 2 0 1 5
ARTS
ArtsReach Reaches Out to Rural Counties
With a 350-seat main-stage theater, fully equipped art studio and other
facilities on Hilton Head Island, the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina
attracts a steadfast membership and many well-regarded artists every
year. After seeing many programs cut after the recession, the Center is
slowly regaining ground with programs like ArtsReach. With support
from CCF’s Beaufort Fund, this new program provides economically
disadvantaged students from Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties
with theatre performances in their own schools. In addition to arts
exposure, ArtsReach incorporates a reading curriculum into its
presentation that is the true benchmark of the program's success.
Working in education, the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina hopes to
create a meaningful arts experience with lasting benefit. Visit
Above: Children watch a performance at the Arts Center of Coastal
Carolina; Below: An artist’s rendering of the completed Gaillard Center
www.artshhi.com to learn more.
Renewing the Gaillard—and Ballet
Since first announcing plans to renovate the Gaillard Municipal
Auditorium in 2009, Charleston residents have wondered what impact
the new Gaillard Center, slated to open late this summer, would have
on the local arts scene. Now, it seems they have some of that answer in
a new partnership with the Charlotte Ballet. The North Carolina ballet
company will visit Charleston three times a year to host performances,
including their interpretation of "The Nutcracker". The Charlotte Ballet
will also foster dance education through teacher development
workshops and a summer dance residency in 2016. By bringing in the
Charlotte Ballet, the Gaillard Center hopes to reinvigorate commitment
to local dance, creating a sustainable environment for professional
dance companies in Charleston. The Charlotte Ballet partnership kicks Charleston County School of the Arts. To learn more
about the Gaillard Center, please visit
off with a workshop for school dance instructors on March 27 at the
www.gaillardfoundation.org.
HEALTH
Addressing Alzheimer’s: Many Options Across the Lowcountry
Julianne Moore's Oscar-winning portrayal of a college professor diagnosed with early-onset
Alzheimer's Disease touched all who saw Still Alice. In the Lowcountry, many nonprofits help
individuals and their families who are experiencing Alzheimer's, just as Still Alice has helped
millions across America. The ARK in Summerville serves Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston,
Colleton and Orangeburg Counties and recently received support from the Dorchester County
Fund. As a public service their website lists 50+ support groups that help both those with
Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Memory Matters, serving Beaufort and Jasper Counties,
provides confidential memory screenings to help determine the onset of memory problems.
Alzheimer's Family Services of Greater Beaufort offers a Home Educator program, which
brings trained instructors to the homes of caregivers who are unable to join community
programs. Both Alzheimer's Family Services and Memory Matters received support from the
latest cycle of The Beaufort Fund. Learn more at www.thearkofsc.org,
www.memory-matters.org and www.afsgb.org.
State-launched Initiative Provides Free Prescriptions, Glasses
The price tag to treat catastrophic illnesses grabs our attention - how will those individuals and their families pay those medical
bills? Equally serious are the thousands of prescriptions that go unfilled every year because the patient can't afford them. Med-IAssist addresses this issue, and more, across the Lowcountry by providing access to free health care services for those who can’t
Page 3
S pr i ng 2 0 1 5
State-launched Initiative, cont.
afford them. Sponsored by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), all Med-I-Assist programs
are run by volunteer "patient advocates" who interview potential clients and determine their service eligibility. If eligible, clients
receive assistance in filling out complex paperwork for prescription assistance programs, vouchers for high-cost medications or
free eye exams and glasses. The seven Med-I-Assist programs operate as either standalone nonprofits or programs of
established organizations from Jasper up to Charleston County. All programs continue to receive technical assistance and other
support from George Bush, a DHEC consultant who was the catalyst for the creation of local Med-I-Assist programs.
Each Med-I-Assist program faces distinct challenges day-to-day. For example, the Sheldon and Bluffton locations have seen
large increases in requests for their services over the past year of 32% and 70%, respectively. The Jasper County program,
based at the old Ridgeland High School, is relatively new and faces difficulty meeting demand in a region where an estimated
33% of the working poor are completely without health insurance. Recent support from CCF’s Beaufort Fund is helping all three
of these locations address service needs, but more help is needed to meet the increasing demands on these programs. Med-IAssist’s first program in 1991 was in Charleston County at East Cooper Community Outreach, and its newest, also in
Charleston County (West Ashley) will open its doors on March 25th. To learn more about Med-I-Assist and how you can help,
contact George Bush at [email protected].
ANIMALS
Spay Not Slay—A Donor’s Decades-Long Journey
All her life, Una Ashcraft has observed too many animals whose lives were ended
simply because they lacked a home. To change this she created the Spay Not
Slay Fund here at Coastal Community Foundation. Through this donor-advised
fund, for nearly three decades Una has recommended grants to nonprofits that
provide low-cost spay and neuter operations in order to address the root cause of
the unwanted animal population. Growing the fund through proceeds from
antique shows and donations, Una has supported animal care nonprofits across
six counties. To learn more about the Fund or give to it, contact Program Officer
Richard Hendry at [email protected].
Above: Donor-Advisor Una Ashcraft with her bird, Charlie
HUMAN NEEDS
Help Children With Special Needs
For families with special needs children, calming down their kids can be a
challenge. Using a weighted blanket, which contains special sewn-in pockets
of weighted "Poly Pellets", works to soothe many special needs children.
The Children’s Trust of SC is a well-known These blankets are hard to find in stores, so Clap Your Hands, an all
funder that focuses on the prevention of child volunteer group of seamstresses and knitters, has come together to create
them. When recommended by a certified therapist, Clap Your Hands
abuse and neglect throughout the state. A
volunteers make a blanket free of charge for the child in need since weighted
relatively little-known fact is that they collect
blankets normally retail at $100. The first time one child slept under a Clap
and harness the data for the annual KIDS
Your Hands weighted blanket, his mother was concerned at her son's stillness.
COUNT report, funded by The Annie E.
She touched him, only to realize he was sleeping soundly for the first time in
Casey Foundation. The Children’s Trust
produces the SC section of the report through her memory. A gift of $200 covers the cost of fabric and Poly Pellets to make
twenty free weighted blankets.
comprehensive county-by-county research,
To learn more about Clap Your
culling information from the U.S. Census
Bureau and other supplemental sources. As the Hands and how you can support
premier resource for data on child and family their production of weighted
well-being in the state, it’s no wonder the data blankets, vests and other items,
please visit
makes its way into grant proposals and
www.clapyourhandsSC.com.
discussions here at the Foundation. Read all
about KIDS COUNT at
www.scchildren.org/
advocacy_and_media/
Page 4
S pr i ng 2 0 1 5
EDUCATION
A Village of Volunteers Educates in Georgetown
In Georgetown County, one nonprofit is making a big difference in its
children's futures through innovative educational programming: The
Village Group. Originally, this grassroots organization supported by
the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation only served the rural community
of Plantersville, but demand for its programs drove staff to open
enrollment to all of Georgetown County. Literacy Is For Everyone
(LIFE) inspires lifelong learning in students across Georgetown County
School District through various events, including a visit from
celebrated artist Mr. E.B. Lewis to Plantersville Elementary School.
The Plantersville Summer Academy engages hundreds of kids in
Grades 1-8 through a 7-week summer program that includes swim
classes, robotics and even public speaking . Over 60 summer academy
students also attended the Gullah Geechee Festival in Beaufort to learn
about their heritage and see more of the world. To prepare youth for the workforce, The Village Group also runs the
Aviation Education Career Program. Middle and high school students learn about aviation history, visit museums and attend
field trips to explore the possibilities of a career in aviation. To find out more, visit their website: www.thevillagegroup.org.
Hampton County Swim Camp Teaches Life Lessons
For over two decades, Camp Wildwood has proven how a dedicated few
can make a significant and lasting community impact. Thanks in part to
longstanding support from The Beaufort Fund and Winthrop Family Fund,
what was started in 1992 by local resident James Black as a two-week day
camp in rural Hampton County has blossomed into a summer-long
“school’s out” program that offers a broad range of educational,
recreational and social activities for over 600 youth. Swimming and water
safety remain central to the program, but the camp also opens campers'
horizons through partnerships with youth and adults outside of their
community. Camp Wildwood’s success has come full circle through an established tradition of “paying it forward”, as many
alumni now serve as program instructors and volunteers. This tradition highlights how one neighbor’s response to a
preventable issue can turn into a reliable pillar of the greater community. To learn more about Camp Wildwood, contact
James Black at [email protected].
ENVIRONMENT
Local Land Trust Saves Thornhill Farms
Land trusts work every day to preserve natural habitats. East
Cooper Land Trust does just that as they safeguard rural
landscapes against urban development. Formerly known as
Mount Pleasant Land Conservancy, the name change and
new focus came in summer 2013 when they expanded their
service area to the Santee River. “We recognize that the
surrounding rural areas are very vulnerable as Mount
Pleasant continues to grow – it’s the 9th fastest growing city
in the nation according to the U.S. Census Bureau,”
explained Executive Director Catherine Main. One of East
Cooper Land Trust newest purchases is Thornhill Farms, a
94-acre working and teaching farm just north of
McClellanville that is forever safe from developers thanks to
the Land Trust Keep up-to-date on East Cooper Land Trust
at www.eastcooperland.org/about/news.
Contact us at (843) 723-3635
Learn more at www.CoastalCommunityFoundation.org