Low Country, in South Carolina, is one of the most beautiful areas along the East coast. It’s also a popular vacation spot with a rich history and some of the finest golf courses and resorts in the South. It’s a place that makes you think of warm breezes and beautiful beaches.
It’s also home to a small but rapidly growing non profit that is focused on providing clothing and support to orphans – The Lowcountry Orphan Relief.
Orphans, in this country? You don’t hear a whole lot about them, perhaps because the number of children orphaned in the United States in 2010, according to UNICEF, was low – 2100.
That’s not a big number when compared to the more than 2 million children that are orphaned every year in Africa or the 31,000 orphaned in India last year according to UNICEF’s comprehensive report entitled The State of the World’s Children 2011.
So, why write about an organization named Lowcountry Orphan Relief (LOR)?
Simple. This small but dedicated group of people doesn’t just help orphans; it helps abused and neglected children, too. If you look at those numbers, you’ll understand why their work is even more important.
In 2010, there were more than 700,000 verified incidents of child abuse in this country, 85% of which involved either neglect or physical abuse.
The Lowcountry Orphan Relief is catching and caring for children in and around Charleston, as fast as they can. Founded in 2003 by a woman whose job it was to speak for children caught in the court system, this organization provides clothing, toiletries, books and school supplies within 48 hours of a child’s removal from his or her home.
Two statistics define this mostly volunteer group that makes up Lowcountry Relief:
- They have clothed more than 10,000 needy children since 2008.
- 90% of all income given to this group is used to provide for the children’s needs.
LOR has also built libraries at emergency shelters and group homes in the tri-county area and continues to attract support of its neighbors and neighboring businesses in its quest to meet its mission statement:
…to provide services and aid to meet the meet the needs of abandoned, abused and neglected children in the Lowcountry and specifically intervene where government aid ends.
That’s why Lowcountry Orphan Relief is on my list of 365 organizations and people who are changing the world. If you want to learn more about this wonderful organization, check out this article: Guardian Angel.
My thanks to fellow WordPress blogger Andy who nominated Lowcountry Orphan Relief and whose posts make me grin.
If you have a group or a person who you think belongs in the list of world-changing people, please share it with me. I will do the rest!
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Thanks Andy. I love sharing stories of people who have the courage and the commitment to make a difference.
Pat, you are amazing! What a wonderful article! And what a wonderful thing you do by promoting organizations like the LOR in your Project 365! If the LOR, and the other Organizations you mention, are helping to change the world YOU are a Person that is doing her part to enhance our world as well. Thanks so much! Keep up your great work!
~ Andy