Children

Children’s Attention Home

The Children’s Attention Home is a 42-bed HOME that provides 24 hour a day emergency and residential care and supportive services for children who have been physically or sexually abused, abandoned or neglected. The home serves children from birth through 21 years old. Volunteers are needed for tutoring, recreation, gardening, reading to toddlers, office work, arts and crafts and much more.

The Children’s Attention Home’s main objective has always been to provide a temporary care shelter in which a child can experience a loving and secure family life until the child’s own home conditions are corrected or a permanent home can be found. The Children’s Attention Home continues to fulfill this objective after 40 years of operation

In 2004, the Children’s Attention Home’s Charter School, a separate nonprofit, was started to extend this objective by providing a secure, more individualized educational experience for our children in grades K-8. With small teacher to student ratios, the children are able to move forward with their education while dealing with turmoil in their lives.

The Children’s Attention Home, Inc. believes safety is our greatest gift to children. We strive to provide quality care to help children who have suffered from child abuse in all of the various forms that manifests itself. Our emergency shelter helps heal the devastating effects of emotional, physical and mental neglect suffered by these children in our community.

The home offers love, security and respect to children not fortunate enough to find it elsewhere. A concern for others created this home to provide a safe haven for the lives entrusted in us.

Volunteer opportunities range from reading to toddlers, rocking babies, painting fingernails, playing basketball, football, soccer, arts and crafts, Zumba, Yoga, hopscotch, and playing cards and video games. Volunteers may also host pizza and ice cream parties, backyard BBQs, swim parties, and much more. On site and off site opportunities are offered for all of our events. Cooking classes and providing meals for the children are also opportunities. Many of these events that occur at the Children’s Attention Home are educational, recreational, and just plain fun.

Website:
The Children’s Attention Home

Thornwell Home for Children

The Thornwell Home for Children, located in Clinton, SC, is a ministry of the South Atlantic Synod of the Presbyterian Church USA serving abused, abandoned, and neglected children in SC, GA, and FL. The home opened in 1875 and is one of the oldest children’s homes in the United States. The children at Thornwell live in a family setting in 11 residential cottages with eight to ten children and professional caregivers in each home. They learn how to value themselves and their families and are assisted in learning academic and social skills, sound values, and high morals.

Unity collects a special offering for Thornwell each year around Thanksgiving. Thornwell receives approximately 78% of its funding through gifts such as these. This offering will be collected on Sunday, November 24th. You can make a check to Unity with “Thornwell” on the memo line. Please open your hearts to these children.

Website: Thornwell

Angel Tree

Unity’s Angel Tree has a long tradition of helping people in our community at Christmas time. The generous participation by its members provides many families with a happy and joyous Christmas. In November, we decorate a Christmas Tree in the Narthex with angels. These angels represent clients of the Fort Mill Care Center as well as our RAIN (Regional AIDS Interfaith Network) Team partners and Family Promise. Church members select an angel and purchase the suggested gift. Wrapped gifts are then returned to the church. These gifts are distributed to the family or other groups in December.

This project needs many volunteers.  It is heart warming to see how happy the families are to receive our gifts as they give hugs and many bring Christmas thank you cards. One comment made by a parent with tears flowing was, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart because my children would not have received any Christmas presents if you had not given them to us”. Please join us either by giving a gift or volunteering to help.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Joyce White  803.548.4135
Doris Dunn  803.372.7119
Linda Bunge  704.907.4083