The Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook Child Advocacy Network an initiative of the
The Mission of the ECKS CAN is to make a positive impact on the children of Johns and Wadmalaw Islands through the exchange of needs, ideas, and solutions in alignment with the ECKS's focus on Child Abuse Prevention, Hunger, Health and Education. The following charities are supported by Grants from the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook. A brief description of the services that they provide follows with a link to their websites. Please reach out to them as needed.
The Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center is the region’s leading resource to help prevent child abuse, protect abused and traumatized children, and put children and their families on the path to healing. As a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC), Dee Norton provides a safe, child-friendly place to turn when there is a concern about abuse. As the only provider of forensic interviews in Charleston County, we are able to minimize the number of times a child relays their story. We offer immediate support and coordination, medical examinations, mental health assessments as well as therapy for victims and their families. We know that abuse and trauma know no color, gender, or financial status and that is why our center is for all children, from all social, cultural and economic backgrounds.
Our mission is to provide hope, safety, and opportunity to pregnant, parenting, and at-risk young women in order to instill self-worth and self-sufficiency.
The mission of HALOS is to promote safe and nurturing homes for children in kinship care.HALOS serves grandparents, other relatives, and family friends who are raising children in the tri-county area. These special families are called kinship families. HALOS offers the following services: Kinship Navigation: providing resources and referrals to a wide range of community service providers and programs; Benefits counseling & application assistance (SNAP, TANF, Medicaid); Physical goods like carseats, beds, diapers, school supplies, clothing; Flexible financial assistance; Legal assistance on custody issues; Trauma-informed parenting education; Support groups for caregivers ;Intensive case management and goal planning; Summer Camp Scholarships; Back to School Supplies & Holiday Gifts
AMOR Healing Kitchen prepares and delivers healthy meals to those facing health challenges in the Lowcountry. Each client receives 4 prepared meals weekly, a healthy snack and healthy dessert, a menu with preparation instructions, a nutrition newsletter, and a fresh bouquet of flowers. Volunteer teen chefs work alongside adult kitchen mentors to learn culinary techniques and together they prepare the weekly meals. AMOR Healing Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and provides these meals free of cost to anyone in need, or on a sliding scale making these organic, nutritious, high quality meals accessible to everyone in our community.
Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach provides basic and emergency resources, education, job assistance and health programs to thousands of people each year in the Lowcountry. Neighbors in need receive dental and pre-natal care, emergency food, clothing, employment and financial assistance, lunch five days a week at Neighborhood House, and diverse educational and capacity-building opportunities such as after-school programs, money management, GED and ESL classes, and more. With two locations - Johns Island and Downtown Charleston - Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach serves residents in communities spanning downtown Charleston to Edisto Island. For more information, visit www.olmoutreach.org.
Lowcountry Orphan Relief has, for more than 20 years, provided support services and aid to meet the needs of Lowcountry children identified as at-risk of suffering from abandonment, abuse and/or neglect. Distribution Centers: The main way we help local at-risk youth and children in foster care is through our distribution center. We provide each referred child a “Care Kit” filled with two weeks’ worth of clothing, shoes, new socks & underwear, pajamas, and toiletries as well as school supplies, stuffed animals, and books. ● Just in Case Closets: We create emergency clothing closets in Title 1 public schools in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties as a school resource for children who attend school without the basic necessities of school life. The closets include underwear, socks, uniforms and toiletries. ● Children’s Events: Beach Day - We host our annual “Beach Day” each summer at Folly Beach for children in foster care. ● Make a Child Happy Day - We host our annual “Make A Child Happy Day,” a fun, fall carnival for children in foster care.
Begin With Books’ mission is to improve kindergarten readiness by providing Charleston County's youngest children with easy access to quality books that are age and developmentally appropriate, and culturally diverse. We make available a simple yet significant opportunity to give young children a measurable and sustainable advantage in their long term educational achievement by improving their pre-school home literacy environment.
Camp High Hopes Summer Enrichment Program is a community outreach program of Wesley United Methodist Church, located at 2718 River Road, Johns Island, SC 29455. Camp Hi Hopes provides a nurturing environment, affordable care, and enrichment to children ages (5-11). Children’s development is enhanced through fun, educational and creative activities. This program fills the void of other enrichment programs that are not economically available to children living on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands.
The Sunday Dinner Program of St. James Bethel AME Church located at 5303 Maybank Highway Wadmalaw Island SC is a community connectivity program for our elderly, homebound, sick and shut-in, the mentally and physically challenged and the isolated of Wadmalaw and John’s Islands to reduce meal insecurity and social and physical isolation. A nutritious meal is prepared and delivered on the third (3rd) Sunday of each month. The elderly, homebound, sick and shut-in, the mentally and physically challenged and the isolated are afforded an opportunity to bridge a community connection, enjoy a hot meal and get a wellness check.
Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic is a free clinic on Johns Island that treats adults without health insurance - at no cost. BIFMC provides patients with all of their primary care health needs, including diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease, depression, and more. Patient services include low or no-cost generic prescriptions as needed, with free labs and imaging provided by Roper St. Francis Hospital and free referrals to 19 sub-speciality medical offices for additional treatments. Specialty services include: Chronic Disease Management; Dermatology; Psychiatry; Reproductive Health; Labs & Imaging; Physical Therapy; Free Prescriptions and more.
Our school-based staff partner with teachers to identify challenges students face in class or at home and coordinate with community partners to bring outside resources inside schools through our evidence-based model of Integrated Student Supports. From immediate needs like food or clothing to more complex ones like counseling or social emotional support, we do whatever it takes to help students succeed. If you care to make a donation to the Exchange Club of Kiawah-Seabrook Foundation (a 501(c)3 charitable organization) please click the link below: Foundation Donation |
Tel: 854-444-3716;
Tel: 843-819-0257;
Tel: 843-747-4099;
Tel: 843-724-7100; 
Contact: Mary Hill or Christine Williams 843-557-0316;
Contact: Saundra Middleton Tel: 843-559-2442 
Tel: 843-266-9800; 