Charleston Hope Seeking to Raise $100,000 for New Mental Health Programs in Charleston’s Title 1 Schools

On Saturday, September 17th, local nonprofit Charleston Hope will host their “Match Hope” fundraising event from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at Ripple in The Cigar Factory. The event will benefit Charleston Hope’s new mental health initiative that it is designed to increase mental health access in Title 1 schools for students growing up in poverty with multiple adverse childhood experiences.

The organization’s vision for this new program is to equip youth in high-poverty, Title 1 schools with the techniques, skills, and knowledge to thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and mentally. In schools that Charleston Hope serves, 95% or more students live at or below the federal poverty line. Students living in poverty are negatively impacted in various ways, such as health issues, homelessness, lack of food, lack of health care access, and few educational resources to equip them for success.

In Charleston County alone, district officials say there is one school psychologist for every 1,100 students. The national standard is one for every 500 students. To help close the gap in the number of students to counselors, Charleston Hope has created a three-tiered mental health program that is launching in two schools this year: Mitchell Elementary and Hunley Park Elementary. 

The tiers include an in-school model, group support, and one-on-one sessions. Currently, they are piloting a new afterschool mental health program T.H.R.I.V.E. (Techniques and Hard work make us Resilient, intelligent, victorious, and excellent), which aims to provide the highest quality of mental health counseling, cognitive-based therapy, body-based therapy over ten weeks. The curriculum also incorporates character building, confidence structuring, anatomy and brain-body mini-lessons, stress management techniques, morals and values training, and service projects. 

“We can’t keep allowing students mental health to fall through the crack,” Emily Kerr, Charleston Hope Executive Director, said. “Academics are important but if we don’t prioritize students’ mental health, we will not see an increase in student achievement. It’s our goal to come alongside the school district and provide additional services so more students can be reached. But we need our communities help to do that.”

The community can donate online or attend the in-person fundraiser to learn more about the organization’s mission, programs, and impact. You can also learn more about the program by watching the video below.

You can learn more about the event here.

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