NOTE: As of Feb. 29, 2024, Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC) has rebranded to Landmarks for Families. Our nonprofit, community programs and residential services remain committed to cultivating thriving youth and families in this new chapter.
May is National Foster Care Month, which provides an opportunity for people all across the nation to focus attention on the year-round needs of American children and youth in foster care.
In 2016 in SC, there were 4,029 children in foster care, a nearly a quarter of them lived in group homes.
CYDC gives home, healing and hope to Lowcountry children in foster care who have been removed from their home lives due to circumstances beyond their control, whether abuse, neglect or parental abandonment.
We offer a safe and nurturing environment through our 3 residential group homes: Charleston
Emergency Shelter and Ledford House on our main campus in North Charleston, and Callen-Lacey Center for Children serving Berkeley County; Additionally, we provide academic support, caring adult mentors and job readiness and life skills training to help our young people get back on track during a turbulent time in their lives.
And did you know that in addition to serving youth ages 6-16 in the community, that our Big Brothers Big Sisters of CYDC program also offers Site-Based mentoring services that match positive role models to children in foster care living in Carolina Youth Development Center’s residential group homes?
Our site-based program allows more opportunities for these young people to travel off campus and enjoy a range of mutually-shared interests and activities with another caring and trusting adult.
CYDC’s Empowering Families Network works on the preventative and intervention side to identify families in the community who are at risk of abuse and neglect in the home. Case managers meet in the home to assess the situation and collaborate with families to develop a management plan and connect them to resources that will help them address need areas and stay together.
How Can I Get Involved?
Become a donor, a volunteer or a mentor. There are a number of volunteer and mentor opportunities
with CYDC that give you a chance to make a difference in a child’s life, whether organizing a play date activity with your business, church or civic organization, becoming an after school academic mentor, pitching in to help with campus upkeep and maintenance, or volunteering as a mentor with our Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Becoming a monthly donor allows you to continuously support CYDC’s work in helping provide a better future for the Tri-County’s most vulnerable children, youth and families.
To give a monthly gift to CYDC, visit https://cydc.org/make-a-monthly-donation/.
