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Community Action Projects

Blue Pearl Club Connectors

The Blue Pearl Club Connectors is proud to partner with Jesse Bobo Elementary School in Spartanburg to provide valuable educational opportunities to its Blue Tie and Pearls of Wisdom Clubs. Jesse Bobo is a Title I school located just inside the city limits of Spartanburg, SC. Their Blue Tie (Boys) Club and Pearls of Wisdom (Girls) Club currently consists of twelve boys and twelve girls, all in the 5th grade, who have been identified by the school’s faculty as students who would benefit from additional learning and character-building opportunities.

DLI Carry On Crew

In honor of Foster Care Awareness Month, and in partnership with Fostering Great Ideas and the Greenville Fire Department, the Carry On Crew led a city-wide project to collect gently used or new luggage, handbags, and diapers for children in foster care. In South Carolina, there are more than 4,600 children in foster care and nearly 500 children in foster care in Greenville. As these precious children move from one place to another, they often have nothing but plastic garbage bags to carry their belongings with.

H.E.A.L. (Helping Educate and Lift)

Heal, Educate, And Lift (H.E.A.L.) is a cohort of the Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI) Program through the Riley Institute at Furman University. We are a diverse group of community leaders fueled by our desire to facilitate meaningful and intentional change in our community. H.E.A.L. selected to pursue EJI’s Soil Collection Project as our Capstone Community Action Project for DLI because of our genuine commitment to progress in South Carolina.

SAFER (Shelter Access for Every Rider) Greenville

The Greenlink bus transit system is the primary means of transportation for many members of the Greenville community. However, many Greenlink bus stops are not easily accessible by individuals living with disabilities because these stops lack ADA-compliant waiting areas. In addition, only 65 of Greenlink’s 427 bus stops have sheltered waiting areas. Building concrete landing pads and shelters at Greenlink bus stops can improve the look, safety, and accessibility of these stops.

#LikeAGirl

For the past 20 years, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce has hosted dozens of high school students annually for Business Week, which seeks to prepare young adults for their future by “introducing them to the principles of leadership, teamwork and the American free enterprise system while promoting self-reliance, individual responsibility and entrepreneurship”. Diversity and inclusion are crucial components of these principles. #LikeAGirl will be providing modules to the Business Week students this July on the concepts of diversity, inclusion, and bias.

Book Bags of Love

The Book Bags of Love initiative was developed to provide book bags to adult men who are experiencing temporary homelessness. The team feels this is an important initiative based on the disparity of resources available for men compared to women and children enduring similar situations. By partnering with local companies such as Dude Wipes, Dead Down Wind Body Wipes, and Good Wipes as well as raising money, the team will be able to provide bags containing toiletries and a document holder. Supporting this need will strengthen our community.

College Bound Kids

Saving for college is a difficult task for any parent or student, and often parents and students give up before even trying because they assume it is simply an unachievable goal. 529 savings plans, which were created pursuant to Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, are investment accounts that can help parents or students save money over time for the high cost of education. These accounts are sponsored by individual states and provide tax advantages when funds are used for qualified education expenses.

Food for Thought

Food for Thought was inspired by the notion that we, as a society, have forgotten the importance of civility. Civility begins when people can discuss their differences in a way that unifies and strengthens their bond as opposed to creating a division. The team recognizes the importance of civility in society and the responsibility to instill that same belief in young people. Their goal was to create a space for young people to experience diversity and inclusion in a welcoming environment and to recognize their differences as strengths.

One Fairfield

Purpose:

The goal of One Fairfield is to create an opportunity for the student bodies of Fairfield Central High School and Richard Winn Academy to foster communication and ultimately establish relationships with each other. As a result of the racial composition of each school, student exposure to diversity in the education setting is limited. Richard Winn has a predominantly Caucasian student body, and Fairfield Central High School has a predominantly African American student body. While the schools are separated by only 5 miles in Winnsboro, SC, their current interactions are limited and educational opportunities vary. One Fairfield poses a plan for a purposeful interaction between the two student bodies.

Project Power Play

Project Power Play is a capstone project that connects USC Rotaract, USC’s Society of Automotive Engineers, and a corporate sponsor to enhance maneuverability for children with mobility challenges. Following a model designed by Georgia’s Etowah Electric Eagles FRC robotics team, South Carolina college students will design, build, test, and deliver mobility solutions through robotic technology. The project will allow students to apply their STEAMM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics, Medical) to serve others and impact the local community.