Epworth Children’s Home, a ministry of the United Methodist Church, is acquiring land and buildings formerly owned by the Carolina Children’s Home (CCH).
The property comprises 19.6 acres and over a dozen buildings on Sunnyside Dr. near Trenholm Rd. Essentially all the land is within the Columbia city limits. The land is the last remaining property of the former CCH campus.
“The need for high quality residential services, independent living programs, and early intervention services for children and adolescents is growing in the Midlands and in South Carolina,” said Rev. John Holler, Epworth president and CEO. “As we continue to address how best to meet our mission going forward, our board, after lengthy and thorough discussions, thought it prudent to acquire this additional property which is less than two miles away from our current thirty-two acre Millwood Ave. campus.”
“Both Epworth and CCH have, for over 100 years, shared a similar mission to serve South Carolina’s underserved children and adolescents and help transform them to become productive citizens in our community. The leadership of both organizations has discussed this transition for months and both organizations believe the transition of the CCH property to Epworth best serves vulnerable children, the community and other organizations which are dedicated to serving children and adolescents,” said Stephen Creech, CCH board chair.
The CCH organization will continue to fulfill its mission, “to meet the underserved mental and physical health needs of children, young adults and their families through providing support and advocacy for children in South Carolina,” Creech said. Further, “CCH will support children’s initiatives where support produces tangible, positive results.”
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Since 1896, Epworth Children’s Home, as a mission of the United Methodist Church, has been a place for children to grow, learn and be loved. Children ages four to eighteen come to live at Epworth from fractured families and other circumstances and are loved, nurtured, provided with individualized educational support, medical care, and recreational and spiritual enrichment opportunities. The aim of Epworth is to break the destructive cycle of abuse, neglect and shame and replace it with an opportunity to live with self-respect, responsibility and productivity. Epworth is fully accredited by The Council on Accreditation (COA) and is rated as a four star charity by Charity Navigator. For more information about Epworth Children’s Home visit: www.epworthchildrenshome.org
Carolina Children’s Home (CCH) was established in 1909 as a non-denominational orphanage. The orphanage grew rapidly and has served over 3,000 children. As the needs of South Carolina’s children changed in the late 1970’s, CCH began caring for behaviorally challenged and mentally ill youth. In 2012, CCH identified the need for mental health treatment targeted toward children and young adults with eating disorders. Realizing there was no comprehensive, residential and outpatient eating disorders program in South Carolina, CCH opened The Hearth Center for Eating Disorders on the CCH campus in January 2013. This program suspended its operations in September, 2015. Interested individuals can contact Carolina Children’s Home at www.carolinachildrenshome.com
Contacts:
Rev. John Holler
President/CEO
Epworth Children’s Home
803-256-7394
jholler@epworthsc.org
Stephen Creech
Chair, Board of Directors
Carolina Children’s Home
803-264-9898
Stephen.creech@bcbssc.com
