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August 17, 2013   All-in Team Foundation invests $ 270,000 in Serenity Place

Wow.  Dabo & Kathleen Swinney have announced that their All-in Team Foundation will invest $ 270,000 in the construction of transitional housing at Serenity Place.  This project has been on our wish list - and theirs - for several years now.  And finally the time is right.

Drawing of the Transitional Housing project at Serenity Place.Why housing at Serenity Place?  Because some of our more vulnerable graduate families need a safe place to live once they've successfully completed their treatment program.  They might have come from a toxic, dangerous environment to which they can never return.  And after living at Serenity Place for six to seven months, they need a safe place to live while they get back on their feet.  We're building three duplexes, with a total of six three-bedroom living units for those families.  Construction has begun and our first hopeful families will move in by Spring 2015.

We're very grateful to the All-in Team Foundation for making this project possible.  Their investment and the generosity of many other donors will provide safe haven and new possibility for many mothers, families and children.  Quite an accomplishment.

If you'd like to read more about this project and the generosity of the All-in Team Foundation, here's what the local press had to say.

The Greenville News - front page story on August 21 2013

The Greenville Journal, August 23 2013

May 21, 2013   We invited 610 of our closest friends to breakfast.

And they all came.  Our one big public event of the year is turning out to be quite popular, and we're grateful for that.  The 2013 Transformation Breakfast, presented by Sealevel Systems, was a chance for us to tell the story of our mission and our families in treatment. 

Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson TigersCoach Dabo Swinney, a Board member of ours and the popular Head Football Coach at Clemson University, was on hand and offered a signed football to all donors giving more than $ 500.  Scores of supporters took him up on that offer, collectively investing $ 186,000 in treatment funding for our community's families and children. 

Also on-hand were Steve Grant, the founder of Chris & Kelly's HOPE Foundation, and Ginny Knight- a beautiful and focused young mother who also happens to be a former graduate of Serenity Place.  Those in the crowd are still talking about Ginny.  She's a winner.

Sure hope you didn't miss it.  But either way, we hope you'll join us for the 2014 Transformation Breakfast, scheduled for Tuesday, May 20 at TD Center.

April 26, 2013   The United Way "Doubles Down" with The Family Effect

When you have the right idea, the right people want to help make it happen. 

After several years of support for our programs, The United Way of Greenville County has chosen to "double down" with The Family Effect.  Their financial commitment to our mission will more than double through June 2016, and will fund programming at both White Horse Academy and Serenity Place.  We are very grateful to the staff at United Way and its dedicated volunteer leadership for their confidence in our work, and their investment in our families.  Thanks United Way!

 December 11, 2012   Whole Foods Market's 5% Day

Whole Foods Market of Greenville has selected The Family Effect as the recipient of their "5% Day Community Giving Campaign."  On Tuesday, December 11, Whole Foods Market will donate 5% of their net proceeds to The Family Effect and their mission to reduce addiction as a leading cause of family collapse and harm to children.

We're grateful to Whole Foods Market for providing our community with an easy opportunity to support The Family Effect while also completing something on their to-do list, grocery shopping.  Stop by Whole Foods Market on Woodruff Road on December 11 to stock up on holiday baking supplies, gifts for any foodies on your list, or get a jump start on your healthy-eating New Year's Resolution.  Or join us for lunch or dinner!  Either way, know that you'll be making an impact with your purchase.

November 1, 2012   Board Chair Ben O'Hanlan and family are honored

You could say we know how to pick 'em.  Our Board of Directors is a stellar group of busy, influential people who care deeply about their community, and our mission.  And we're very proud that one of our own is being recognized for exactly that.

Ben O'Hanlan, his family and their company, Sealevel Systems, were honored with the Philanthropic Spirit Award last week from The Community Foundation of Greenville and TOWN Magazine.  Their commitment to children's issues, the arts and education is making a positive difference for the people of this community.  And Ben's service to our Board has certainly brought horsepower to our mission of ending child neglect and abuse by attacking the number one cause of these problems.

Click here to download a two-page PDF of the TOWN Magazine article on Ben, his family and their efforts to improve the lives of others.

September 25, 2012   Fluor brings big fun to Serenity Place

The staff at Serenity Place says When our mothers and children come to us for help, the kids often show signs of neglect.  Addiction has robbed the mother of her ability to be a mother, but that all changes when they walk through the doors of Serenity Place.  Many of our kids need help developing their gross motor skills.  Simple movements like running, climbing and swinging are beyond them...but not for long.  And certainly not now.

We are very grateful to Fluor Corporation and their Golf for Greenville committee for providing a new developmental playground for our preschoolers at Serenity Place.  The equipment was installed in mid-September, and the kids are going crazy.  The new playground is fun and safe, and it's specially designed to build the gross motor skills our kids often lack.  

The Fluor folks provided funding for a climbing station, slides, swings, water table, paint station and a sandbox.  You can see more pictures in our Facebook album.  Want to see our kids in action?  Come take a tour!  And thanks again to the good people at Fluor for their community spirit and generosity.

September 19, 2012   The Press Just Keeps on Coming

Click and read all about it.Maybe we're on to something.  People seem to be getting our message.  And we're very grateful for that. 

City People, a weekly supplement to The Greenville News, published a great feature on The Family Effect and our work.  Sure, it might appear that the article is actually about Scott Dishman, our fearless Director of Community Engagement.  Maybe it's the headline.  But Scott was able to divert the attention where it really belongs...on the mission. 

You can read a two-page electronic copy of the story HERE.

Thanks very much to writer Donna Walker for her good work.

 
September 10, 2012   Upstate Parent features the work of The Family Effect

You want to read this.  You really do.Thanks to Chris Worthy of Upstate Parent for a great article on The Family Effect and our work at Serenity Place.  This is a very well written piece, and really captures the reality of the mothers and children who are seeking our help - and the community's support. 

You can read a four page electronic copy of the Upstate Parent story HERE.  And you want to read this piece.  It features Angie Crawford, Denise Gambrell and Belinda Wilson...all rock stars today...and all graduate mothers of Serenity Place.

Like what you're reading?  Call us and let's talk about volunteer opportunities.  Trust us...working with our kids and mothers will change your life.

 
September 4, 2012   TOWN Magazine spotlights The Family Effect

Click to read the article.We're all about getting the word out...so we're always pleased when the media pitches in to help! 

In the September issue of TOWN Magazine, you'll find a nice write up of The Family Effect on page 50.  Don't have a print copy of the magazine?  No worries.  You can find an electronic copy of the story HERE

Thanks to TOWN Magazine and their stellar new Editor, Blair Knobel, for the nod.

 

 

 

 
August 20, 2012   Chris & Kelly's HOPE brings fitness to The Academy

Our top-notch staff at the Academy has put together an amazing program for teenage boys working to recover from addiction.  But one component has been missing - a well-designed outdoor fitness area.  Research has long shown that physical exercise early in the day can help teenagers keep their focus in a classroom setting for the rest of the day.  Particularly important gains are seen in teen boys with ADHD.

We are very pleased to announce that Chris & Kelly's HOPE Foundation has pledged to provide a major portion of the funding needed to create a high-quality outdoor fitness area for our boys at the Academy.  Chris & Kelly's HOPE Fitness Park will be located on Academy property, directly next to the Swamp Rabbit Trail.  It will feature 10 - 12 pieces of permanent outdoor exercise equipment, benches, bike racks and a few other surprises.  

Steve, Chris & Kelly GrantAnd how about this - users of the Swamp Rabbit Trail will have access to the fitness park each afternoon, after our Academy boys have exercised and moved on with their treatment day.

Chris & Kelly's HOPE Foundation was launched earlier this year by Steve Grant, who lost his sons Chris and Kelly (at left) to addiction.  Steve is a valued member of our Board of Directors, and is a man on a mission to prevent tragedies like his from affecting other families.  We're very grateful to him for his generosity and his hard work.

 
May 8, 2012   What a morning - The 2012 Transformation Breakfast

You were there, weren't you?Coach Dabo Swinney, Board Member for The Family Effect

Plenty of your friends were.  We were thrilled to host 420 of Greenville's best and brightest for our Third Annual Transformation Breakfast, presented by Sealevel Systems.  Coach Dabo Swinney was our host for the morning, and he presided over one hour of stories, music and straight-up talk about the mission of The Family Effect.  This great event is gaining traction in our community...attendance was nearly three times higher than just two years ago. 

The group heard from Adam Brickner, Executive Director of The Phoenix Center, and Jeff Georgi of Duke University Medical Center.  Jeff is one of the world's leading clinicians in the area of addiction treatment for families, and he's leading two projects with our programs in Greenville that will help to advance the science of our work.

Belinda Speaks Wilson tells it like it is.  Wow.But the hands-down star of the morning was Belinda Speaks Wilson, a beautiful, articulate and grateful mother- who also happens to be a past graduate of Serenity Place.  Belinda's powerfully-told story of her own re-awakening and renewed dedication to motherhood brought the house down.

Belinda and her daughter are the best possible proof of the value of this mission.  They are now permanently strong, healthy and much more than self-sufficient.  Belinda is working to help other young mothers who are suffering like she was years ago.

Coach Swinney, his wife Kathleen and the All-in Team Foundation also got everyone's attention, with a $ 50,000 match challenge.  Those in the room who wanted to invest in the mission had their contributions matched by Coach, to multiply the impact.  Scores of supporters answered his challenge right then and there. 

A $ 50,000 match challenge from Dabo and Kathleen Swinney!We're so grateful to Coach, Belinda, Jeff Georgi from Duke University Medical Center, and all who attended and made it a great morning.  And...drum roll, please...we were able to raise a record $ 161,000 for treatment of families and children.

A special thanks goes out to all of our sponsors for the morning.  Thanks, everyone!

 

 

May 2, 2012   Anderson Cooper brings Serenity Place to a national audience

We must really be on to something.  Greenville already knows about the transformations taking root at Serenity Place, our program for young mothers and their preschool children.  Now millions more have had the opportunity for a look.

On May 2, Anderson Cooper dedicated a full 30 minutes to the work of Serenity Place on hisLive on the set, with Anderson Cooper afternoon show, ANDERSON, and the issue of young mothers facing addiction.  We’re very proud of the two young mothers who were brave enough to step into the national spotlight and tell their stories.  We’re also proud of Natalie Fryar, the manager of Serenity Place, for representing our mission perfectly…despite an on-stage migraine and the bright lights of a television stage.  Nice work, everyone!

 
August 29, 2011   Bank of America makes a smart investment in the mission

We think healing families and children is a wise investment of our community's time and resources.  When we heal a family, we all get better.  So we're always grateful when local companies get behind the mission and invest in the work of The Family Effect.

Ann Robinson, a valuable community leader Adam Brickner and Ann Robinsonand Senior Vice President of Bank of America / Merrill Lynch in Greenville, stopped by to deliver a $ 5,000 check from the Bank of America Foundation.  We plan on putting their investment to effective use.  Eighty-four cents of every dollar will go directly to services for our families in treatment.  Mothers, fathers and children will be healed, and lives will be transformed.

 Thanks very much to Ann, her colleagues and the Bank of America Foundation.

 
 
August 15, 2011   AFL takes our boys to the ball game

Some companies encourage their companies to volunteer in the community, and some companies make philanthropic investments in causes they believe in.  And some great companies do both...on the same night!  We are grateful for our new partnership with AFL.  Several of their employeesKelly Byers, Scott Dishman and the AFL crew. gave an evening of their time and took our boys from The Academy to a baseball game recently.  They traded stories, heckled umpires, and had a great time.  And before the game, AFL presented The Family Effect with a $ 2,000 donation towards our mission.  Thanks to Susanne Hite, Corie Culp, Al Swanson and his business unit employees for a great night at the game.

 
 
August 12, 2011   Let there be light:  A New Generator for Serenity Place

We've been waiting for this for quite a while.  For fourteen years, the women and children in treatment at Serenity Place have been vulnerable to power outages, because the building has not had an electrical stand-by generator in place.  And of course, the building has always been most likely to lose power in the oppressive heat of a summer storm, or in the chilling cold of a winter ice storm.

The new generator comes off the truck!

 Now, thanks to the generosity of The Hollingsworth Funds and The Graham Foundation, the lights and heat will always be on, no matter what.  Both foundations funded the purchase and installation of a gas-driven stand-by generator, and the new equipment was delivered on Friday!

For many years to come, the women and children of Serenity Place will be grateful.

 

August 3, 2011   Serenity Place and The Academy featured in The Greenville News

The Greenville News ran a great (and short) piece on Serenity Place and The Academy on August 3.  Both of these programs are centerpieces of our efforts to reduce addiction as a leading cause of family collapse and harm to children.  The News spoke with Adam Brickner, the Executive Director of The Phoenix Center of Greenville, which administers both programs.  Serenity Place and The Academy both have great opportunities for tours and volunteers, so we invite you to take a look.

You can read the Greenville News article here.

 

May 17, 2011  The All-in Team Foundation awards $ 52,600 to The Family Effect

Clemson Head Football Coach Dabo Swinney and his wife Kathleen really know how to make an impact on the issues they care about.  We're very grateful that they consider the mothers and children at Serenity Place to be one of their favorite investments.

Dabo and Kathleen have been very generous to Serenity Place, and their recent investment of $ 52,600 through the All-in Team Foundation is going to make some big things happen.  Three big things, in fact.Scott Dishman, Dabo Swinney, Kathleen Swinney, Adam Brickner  The award will be used to 1) complete the funding of our collaboration with Duke University Medical Center, 2) fund a construction project that will create a new "first experience" for new mothers to the program, and 3) fund a full hot breakfast for the women and children for an entire year.

We are so grateful for the continued support of Dabo and Kathleen Swinney, and the donors of the All-in Team Foundation.  Our families at Serenity Place are thankful as well.

 
May 11, 2011   Greenville Women Giving awards $ 47,000 to The Family Effect

Greenville Women Giving is a philanthropic organization that has done some amazing things in their short five year history.  This group of engaged women has already distributed more than $ 1.7 million to local nonprofit programming, and their funding decisions are made through a very stringent and detailed process.  That's why we're particularly proud to announce that Greenville Women Giving has awarded $ 47,000 to The Scott Dishman, Colleen Hinton, Lisa NalleyFamily Effect.  This award will be used to fund a collaboration with clinicians from Duke University Medical Center, with the objective of creating and replicating a new treatment curriculum for our families in treatment at Serenity Place.

This is powerful stuff...local leaders stepping up to enable a collaboration with some of the best minds in the country...all focused on reducing the impact of addiction on Greenville families and children.

 Thanks, Greenville Women Giving!

 

Mar 4, 2011   The Graham Foundation awards $ 15,000 to The Family Effect

We are very grateful to The Graham Foundation for their generous gift of $ 15,000 to The Family Effect.  The funds will be combined with $ 20,000 awarded by The Hollingsworth Funds to purchase and install a standby electric generator at Serenity Place.

Up to 48 vulnerable young mothers and their preschool children are living at Serenity Place at any given time, and power outages can be very disruptive to their treatment, not to mention their comfort.  The problem is especially serious in harsh weather.  Thanks to The Graham Foundation and The Hollingsworth Funds, a reliable standby generator will be installed that meets all code requirements.

The Family Effect is very grateful to these two Greenville foundations, which have both enabled so many good works for so many people in need. 

Feb 18, 2011  Most Child Abuse is Rooted in Addiction...a Treatable Problem

In early February, Greenville and the nation were horrified by the story of the newborn baby left in a toilet at BI-LO Center.  Although the baby is recovering, the community's shock has remained, leaving many to ask how a mother can get so far off track.  Charles Sowell of The Greenville Journal attempts to answer that question, in a story published on February 18.  Read his article here.

Jan 20, 2011 Preventing Addiction Lowers Government Spending

Adam Brickner, Executive Director of The Phoenix Center, writes a guest column in The Greenville News on Thursday, January 20th spelling out the economic impact of addiction and its damaging effects while outlining solutions to lower government spending by focusing on prevention.  Read the entire article.

Dec 20, 2010   Coach Swinney Provides Christmas to the families of Serenity Place

The Family Effect would like to extend a special Thank You to Coach Dabo Swinney and his wife, long-time supporters of The Family Effect, for their generous donation that provides Christmas to the mothers and children of Serenity Place.

Addiction in the home is the root cause of family collapse and creates more abused and neglected kids, more unprepared first graders and more high school dropouts than any other single root cause.  The negative effects can be permanent for children.  The Family Effect’s mission is to reduce family collapse and harm to children caused by addiction by raising money and recruiting volunteers for effective, research-based recovery programs at The Phoenix Center focused on children and families. 

Serenity Place is at the heart of this mission to transform families at risk of collapse.  A residential treatment center for pregnant women, young mothers and their preschool-age children, Serenity Place helps approximately 120 mothers and children annually find hope, healing and transformation in the program, with each family living on-site for four to six months. 

Serenity Place provides a holistic approach and highly structured environment needed for long-term recovery, a healthy lifestyle, and positive parenting.

The Family Effect would like to thank Coach Swinney and his wife for their generous donation and belief in the work of The Family Effect.  To follow the work of The Family Effect, join us on Facebook
 

Dec 14, 2010   The Hollingsworth Funds helps keep the lights on...even in a storm

For many years, struggling mothers and their children have found hope and transformation at Serenity Place.  But during a strong summer wind or an ice storm, sometimes they can't find a light that will turn on!  When the power goes out in our neighborhood, the families at Serenity Place have been out of luck, because the facility has no stand-by electrical generator.

Thanks to The Hollingsworth Funds, we are close to solving Adam Brickner and Ed Good of The Hollingsworth Fundsthat problem.  On December 14, this very generous local foundation awarded $20,000 to The Family Effect, for the purchase of a gas-powered generator at Serenity Place.  To meet the requirements of the building and a number of codes and regulations, the unit will cost $36,000 total, and we are actively seeking the $16,000 we need to complete this project.  We know we'll find it soon.

Thank you, Hollingsworth Funds!

 

Nov 14, 2010   The Family Effect's Board writes an Op-Ed for The Greenville News

The work of The Family Effect was featured in an Op-Ed column in The Greenville News, published on Sunday, November 14.  The column was signed by Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers, and Wallace Lightsey of Wyche Freeman Burgess & Parham.  Both men serve on the Board of Directors for The Family Effect, and Mr. Lightsey serves as Board Chair.  Their message was clear:  when we heal addiction in the family, we also prevent child abuse, neglect and domestic violence.  You can read the entire column here.  The Family Effect would like to thank Coach Swinney, Wallace Lightsey and the entire Board of Directors for their support and belief in the mission.

Dabo Swinney & Wallace Lightsey:  Help a Family Fight Addiction and we all Benefit
 

Nov 3, 2010   TimesTwo launches a great idea...and helps out The Family Effect

Three smart people, one great idea, times two.  Greenville is the home of a compelling new brand promise...a consumer products company that gives shoppers an easy way to help others, including the women and children of Serenity Place.  Every time a consumer purchases a TimesTwo product, the company gives an identical product to a child or family in need.  Simple, isn't it?

TimesTwo was launched in October by June Wilcox, Tim Mesaric and John Hampson, three Greenville businesspeople with deep backgrounds in consumer marketing.  They believe that people want to help John Hampson, Tim Mesaric, Carolyn Belt, June Wilcox, Natalie Fryareach other, and that making it easy will entice more people to do it.  Their first products include snapshirts for infants and other baby products.

On November 3, June, Tim and John visited Serenity Place and made the company's first official donation to children in need.  They were excited, we were excited, and we think you should support this great new effort.  Check out the TimesTwo website at dogoodtimestwo.comThe Family Effect is very grateful to be selected as the first beneficiary of an idea we think will be around for a long time.  Thanks TimesTwo!