KIAWAH CARES
Helping Community Wellness Take Root
Each year in November, Kiawah Cares raises funds for
important causes on our neighboring islands and this
year is no different. On Nov. 19, Kiawah Cares kicked
off its Take Root Community Wellness Campaign
to raise $200,000 for addressing pivotal community
wellness issues on Johns and Wadmalaw islands. Before
we get into specifics, you might be wondering what we
mean by wellness.
Wellness is “complete physical, mental and social well-
being,” according to the World Health Organization.
And that’s what Kiawah Cares’ Take Root Community
Wellness campaign is all about. We’re focusing on
programs that positively enhance our neighbors’
experience — physically, mentally and socially. We’re
not just looking at individuals here; we’re looking at
programs that contribute to wellness for the whole
community. Let’s break it down.
The physical aspect of wellness is the most understood;
it covers everything from how you eat to how much
exercise you get. But on Johns and Wadmalaw islands,
we saw something else: insecurity. Generational poverty
and island income disparities have made food, housing
and even water insecurity a focus. Kiawah Cares has
partnered with programs like Meals on Wheels, CHIP
(Community Home Improvement Project) and Water
Wellness Mission to support the efforts to eradicate
these issues but we’d like to do even more. Other partner
programs provide physical wellness opportunities, such
as Barrier Island Little League and Going Places, which
provides bikes to Lowcountry school children. Without
physical wellness, the other two aspects suffer as well.
The physical manifests itself in the mental. Experts
see the results of hunger, for example, in emotional
and social roadblocks. Nearly 4,000 people on Johns
and Wadmalaw islands live below the poverty line,
a key indicator for food insecurity. Partners such as
Sea Island Hunger Awareness and Backpack Buddies
tackle the root cause of hunger but others offer help
to those in the community who are already suffering.
LEAP (Lowcountry Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy)
works with people meeting behavioral, emotional or
psychological challenges, and Made With Love regularly
reminds our neighbors that someone cares for them with
handmade crafts and thoughtful messages.
Social wellness is often a low priority, especially in
under-resourced communities. It’s understandable that
clean water and quality educational experiences would
be considered higher on the list but, again and again,
we’ve seen that enrichment contributes so much. Barrier
Island Little League teaches children to play baseball
but it also teaches them teamwork, sportsmanship
and the value of hard work – important skills for any
endeavor. Similarly, field trips like Kiawah Cares annual
A Shore Thing: Youth Beach Day provide fun learning
experiences and expose students to new things, fostering
curiosity and wonder. Imagine if we lay this kind of
groundwork for tomorrow’s healthy community.
A healthy community is like a healthy garden – there’s a
space for everyone to grow, thrive and flourish. Kiawah
Cares waters the seeds that others have planted in our
community by connecting resources with our partner
organizations and helping change to take root. Join us as
we tend the garden of our community. Audrey Hepburn
said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” We
believe in a tomorrow that’s brighter and healthier. We
believe in community wellness.
We often don’t realize how big an impact we can
have until we see the results of working together. As a
community, let’s nourish the seeds our partners have
planted. Make your donation, now through Dec. 31,
and watch change take root on our neighboring islands!
Visit KiawahCares.org for more information.
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