Richland Northeast High School HOPE 365 was a huge success once again. This year’s theme, “The Cavalier Who Stole Christmas,” inspired all to remember that holiday gifting should come from the heart and be received with an open heart, as the Grinch also learned. The focus is always on the joy and most importantly the HOPE of not only the holiday season, but 365 days of the year. To kick off the campaign, the RNE Student Government hosted their annual Community Dinner, providing a free meal, entertainment, and fellowship. Thanks goes to the Forward City Church, Pots and Pans Catering, Coca Cola, Incorporated, and Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles for donating food, beverages, and desserts to feed 100 people a Thanksgiving inspired meal.
Toy drives were a major focus this year. The National Honor Society donated 143 toys to the Transition Women’s shelter. Richland Northeast, in partnership with Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated, assisted in collecting 1,000 toys for their “Stuff a Truck” campaign and donated 243 toys to the community. The Senior Class also donated 100 toys to the Prisma Health Children’s hospital.
In addition to the toy drives, Richland Northeast’s HOPE 365 campaign accomplished the following:
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adopted 15 families and senior citizens
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donated food and gifts to 60 families
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packaged 10,000 food items
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crocheted 103 scarves and washcloths and purchased 802 pairs of socks to the homeless
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collected 1,000 toiletry items
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donated 42 pints of blood, helping as many as 126 people; and,
- donated 12,488 non-perishable food items to Harvest Hope Food Bank
The HOPE 365 campaign ended with an assembly to share how Richland Northeast can and have helped others. Principal Mr. Mark Sims said it best, Richland Northeast “would like to be the kind of givers that our community can count on every day, year-round – Helping Other People Everywhere and giving HOPE…365 days of the year.”
Thanks to Forest Acres Rotary, Richland Two Transportation and Service Hub, Thomas Rhodes (Rhodes Graduation), Fort Jackson, Condor Dance Company, Brian Maize, and the RNE students, staff, and community for their assistance and generosity in this year’s HOPE 365 campaign.
TD Charitable Foundation awards Mirci grant to support Midlands youth
The TD Charitable Foundation awarded Mirci $10,000 toward the construction of its transitional home for female-identifying youth. Once constructed, the program will house up to 10 young women at a time who are at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness.
One of the Foundation’s priorities is support services to help individuals in transition to affordable housing and independent living. Mirci’s transitional home accomplishes this by helping residents build savings, develop educationally and professionally, and receive access to wraparound services like behavioral healthcare and life skills classes. The goal is to interrupt the cycle of housing instability, homelessness, and mental illness.
“We are so grateful to the TD Charitable Foundation for supporting the development of Mirci’s home for female-identifying youth,” Mirci CEO Julie Ann Avin said. “TD Bank has a long history of supporting Mirci, and we’re thrilled they’re participating in the development of the home.”
The home will be based on Mirci’s existing home for maleidentifying youth. Over 60 youth have lived in that home since it opened in 2018. Former residents have said the program gave them a foundation for adulthood and independent living they would not have received otherwise.
Mental Illness Recovery Center, Inc. (Mirci) provides behavioral healthcare, outreach services and affordable housing for people who are vulnerable to the adverse consequences of mental illness. MIRCI’s vision is to be the place where people can find a way forward. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
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