Help Me Grow South Carolina selected two organizations from Midlands and Lowcountry to receive the first round of grants from their network partners.
Calhoun County First Steps and the ICNA Relief Shifa Free Clinic will each receive a $ 10,000 grant, in addition to becoming the first official members of the Help Me Grow partner network.
“We are delighted to launch the HMG SC partner network with these two first round beneficiaries, said Jane Witowski, state director of Help Me Grow Me SC. “Both organizations really understand the needs of families in their communities and we are excited to have the opportunity to work with them to ensure that children’s development and behavioral health needs are met.”
Help Me Grow SC launched a state office at the South Carolina Children’s Mental Health Association in 2020 with the intention of establishing a state network that will increase the capacity of communities to provide access to services for young children and their families. Grants for network partners are designed to help recipients establish, improve and maintain a network of community partners who provide child development services and resources for local families and community members.
The Shifa Free Clinic in Mount Pleasant offers a range of services, including primary care, prenatal care, gynecology, pediatrics, dermatology, vision, dental and mental health with an experienced team – all free. It is part of the national ICNA Relief.
Calhoun County’s First Steps help families help their children to be healthy and ready to succeed when they enter kindergarten. Its focus on child development, early literacy and school readiness make it a natural partner, as it serves children from birth to five years old in Calhoun County, part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area of Columbia.
“We are very excited to receive this grant,” said Dr. Reshma Khan, founder and medical director of Shifa Clinic. “This will open up new paths for us to reach the population from 0 to 5 years old and we are looking forward to using this donation for the betterment of the community. There are already many plans and we are looking forward to putting them into action now. “
Help Me Grow South Carolina is a multi-sectoral, systems-based approach that connects families with the resources they need to help all children thrive. He builds and maintains a network of community resources across sectors and coordinates service across the network. Established in 2008 as one of the top five affiliated states in a national model, HMG SC engages in effective outreach to ensure a consistent and best practice approach among child health providers and community organizations.
Help Me Grow SC will offer its next round of funding from network partner grants in the summer of 2021.