Lowcountry Giving Day's vision is to unite citizens, merchants, and nonprofits for the purpose of making our community a better place to live, grow, create, and learn through a spirit of generosity and collaboration. In conjunction with SCANPO, Bidr, and Coastal Community Foundation, the mission is to grow capacity for non-profits, while in turn, build a stronger Lowcountry. Beginning on April 1, 2016, online contributions can be scheduled in advance.

HALOS, along with numerous nonprofits in the nine county area served by the Coastal Community Foundation, will join together to empower the Lowcountry. This year, it will be easier than ever to find, engage, and make a difference in the HALOS kinship campaign. Now, you can donate safely and securely through a text message by texting 'kinship' to 33923. In addition, we have our own personalized page at text.gives/kinship.

We, as a generous community, have made a direct impact in the lives of the nearly 55,000 children in kinship care in the state of South Carolina. In the spirit of Lowcountry Giving Day, we are able to collaborate with other local nonprofits to benefit our kinship families! We thank you and look forward to updating you on our kinship campaign on May 3rd!


HALOS Receives Competitive Funding from The Duke Endowment and Sisters of Charity Foundation of SC

Charleston, SC - HALOS has received $1,017,014 from The Duke Endowment and The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina to expand its successful Kinship Care Program.

The Kinship Care Program, launched in 2007, has provided comprehensive services for more than 700 kinship families in which grandparents and other relatives have stepped in to raise children so they will not have to enter foster care. Services for kinship families include home visits, referrals for services, advocacy and support groups. The program works with families to address obstacles and challenges that are unique to kinship care.

The Duke Endowment's grantmaking process, as well as that of Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, is highly selective. This funding signals HALOS's success at pioneering and championing kinship care. "The HALOS Kinship Care Program was the first, and still the only, program in South Carolina targeting kinship families," said Kim Clifton, Executive Director of HALOS. "We are truly grateful to The Duke Endowment and the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina for their continued support and for recognizing the program's value to our state's children."

The combined grant will support the addition of an in-depth case management model and increase the likelihood that the children can remain safely in the home of relatives rather than (re)entering the foster care system. "We know kids are better off when they are placed with relatives instead of foster care; this funding will help ensure even better outcomes by giving these families access to services and support," Clifton noted.

For more information on the HALOS Kinship Care Program, please contact Kim Clifton, Executive Director at kim@charlestonhalos.org and see www.charlestonhalos.org.
 
Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $3 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina works daily to address the needs of the poor and underserved in South Carolina through a variety of programs, grant opportunities, education and training for nonprofit organizations, evaluation, collaborative ventures and public policy work.