Investing in comprehensive care transforms the life of a child. Epworth has many stories of success and hope. We have captured some of those here and made them available for your to read and share. Please note that names and pictures have been changed for the protection of our children. Check back as stories are added on a regular basis.
We Were Made for More
Charleston couple Allison and Bo Cordle are the kind of people willing to take bold chances to create the most fulfilling and meaningful lives possible. Their courage, sense of adventure and open hearts led them to sail the ocean, spend time in dozens of foreign countries, and foster – and ultimately adopt – five beautiful children.
From Childhood Dream to Reality
Epworth’s growing Foster Care program recruits and supports foster families with training, services, fellowship with other foster parents, and more. When a foster parent chooses
Fostering Family Ties: Kinship Care
Gina and Albert, a South Carolina couple in their mid-30s, invited Amelia, now 16, into their rural home in 2021. “Amelia was my cousin’s child,”
Steering Teens Toward Better Futures
School bus driver Michelle Harris, 52, said that growing up in New York as the only child of a single working mom, she lived a
Life Lessons in Patience and Love
Lead Clinical Specialist A’Nadia Anderson recruits and supports foster parents for an Upstate foster agency. So, when the 38-year-old, with her husband Desmond, decided to
You Have the House, Now Go Get the Kids
Has there ever been a time in your life when everything seemed to fall into place almost without effort, as if fate – or God
The Rules of Love
“You’re the best mommy I could ever ask for.” When 12-year-old Kylie first spoke those words to Epworth foster mom Jennifer Rule months ago, Jennifer
Encircling Parents with Love and Support
Ripley, a 35- year-old divorced mom from the Upstate, works 50-60 hours a week at two jobs to provide for her daughters, 7-year-old Ivy and
Family Values
By the time Mandy and her siblings were taken into foster care, the 16-year-old lagged nearly two grades behind her peers.She often found herself simply
Lily Looks to the Future
Many people recall childhood as a time of safety and comfort when mom or dad took care of everything. Eighteen-year-old Lily carries starkly different memories
Full House, Full Hearts
During pre-marital counseling at their Baptist church, Sarah and Justin Weller were advised to think through where they wanted to be in five years
Comeback Kid: Charlie Sprints Ahead in School
When 10-year-old Charlie arrived at Epworth in 2021, he was a second grader who had been identified as a student with a developmental disability. He
Rising to the Challenge
Growing up Natalie lacked a stable home life and dependable role models. At 16 years old, Natalie found herself making bad decisions and she became
David: A Young Man Ready to Succeed in Life
David* is a leader, a young man regarded by his peers at Epworth as someone to emulate, a friend to look up to. He is
Home for the Holidays
Often when people think of foster care, children’s homes, and residential care, the first thing that comes to mind is the separation of a child
The Epworth Basketball Boys
I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan For the first time in a few years,
Redefining Family
If you had met the Conroy family a year ago, they would have looked like your average family — Mom, Dad, and three wild and
Makala’s Story
The things that stand out most from our childhood influence who we become as adults. Our memories are our treasures. Maybe it is the way
How Community Broke Down Barriers to Foster Care
A little over four years ago at a Serve the City Event with Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, Mollie learned aboutEpworth Children’s Home and the need
“Being at Epworth Really Grounded Me” -Maria’s Story
As a teen girl, Maria is wise beyond on her years. She is a member of the ROTC, Youth Council, and this past semester she
Siblings Stay Together at Epworth
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Epworth received a call about a large sibling group that needed a safe space immediately. The sibling group