When the bell rings at the end of the day at Ridgeland Elementary, nearly 200 students between the ages of 6 and 18 grab a snack before heading off to classrooms to spend a supervised “Power Hour” on homework. They are members of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Jasper County, and they really have something to celebrate. Their grades are improving, and they’re having fun with sports, art and music. “We not only change lives, we save lives, says Marcia Zerler, Director of all Lowcountry Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs. “Every child enrolled is one less child home alone or hanging out in the street looking for trouble.”

Grants from The Beafort Fund helped start and sustain the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Jasper County. Other Beaufort County organizations receiving grants from The Beaufort Fund and CCF donors include: Second Helpings, Hope Cottage and Jasper County Neighbors United. 

Photograph credit: Peter Frank Edwards