Thornwell Campus Blog

Reaching out to those in need is always an uplifting gesture. But when we see children put their own interests aside to help others, there is no comparison.

One longstanding example, and now tradition, of kids helping kids is that of Justin Pepper. He felt so moved by the stories of the children at Thornwell that he donated his birthday gifts to the kids living on Thornwell’s campus. And today, Justin Pepper’s Toy Drive is inspiring other children to follow in his footsteps.

Anita-Nancy Cottage with Caroline Rider and family

Just this month, Caroline Rider (Chapin, SC), was so inspired by Justin’s story that she wanted to donate her birthday presents in honor of Justin and his generosity. Her family traveled to Clinton to drop off the gifts, and were surprised by a festive birthday celebration for Caroline by the girls and Family Teachers of Anita-Nancy Cottage.

“I can’t say enough wonderful things about the girls in the Anita Cottage,” said Caroline’s mother, Taylor Rider. ”They were polite, friendly, gracious, inquisitive, creative, and oh-so loving.  Each one of those girls shined bright and knew they had potential and were loved.”

Other children have continued Justin Pepper’s efforts, too. Daniel Brasington (Woodruff, SC) and Paige Partain (Honea Path, SC) also recently gave up their birthday celebrations to give to Thornwell’s kids. Thornwell continues to be amazed by the generosity and compassion of these young people!

For more information on how to become a Thornwell Cottage sponsor, click here. You can also view our wish list here to see what in-kind gifts the children need right now. Thanks!

If you’ll be in Columbia this Saturday, plan to stop in at Applebee’s for a yummy pancake breakfast. Proceeds support Thornwell Home for Children, so it’s a win-win. Eat great food and help a great cause! See the flyer below for details and if you haven’t yet gotten tickets, you can purchase yours at the door. See you there!

It is always inspiring when kids reach out to help others, but there is something special about the spirit in which the children at Thornwell serve. This year, Thornwell youth groups chose African Soul American Heart (ASAH) to be the recipient of their fundraising efforts.

They have hosted bake sales, spaghetti lunches, and car washes to bring in as much support as possible for those in need in Africa. About a week ago, Thornwell kids hosted a two-day bake sale and raised $611 for the ASAH cause. With the Farrell Fund doubling their efforts, that is $1,222 going to help orphans in a country an ocean away from Thornwell’s campus.

That is the reach the love of these children in our care. We expect to love on them and they turn around and spread that love out to all the world. Talk about inspiration!

Every child’s birthday is certainly worth celebrating – especially here at Thornwell Home for Children. Each cottage family has its own unique way of recognizing birthdays, but every one is special and personal.

Berkele Cottage Family Teachers always try to make birthdays a big deal. Each girl writes a birthday wish list before her big day.

“It is so much fun and with the sponsorship changes over the last year, we’ve really been able to help them get things that are meaningful and useful to them,” said Bethany Collins, Berkele Family Teacher. “Plus, it makes it fair and even across the board for all the kids.”

The cottage is usually decorated with banners and balloons, and the family has a special breakfast or dinner according to the birthday’s girl’s request – and of course there is always a cake! “We make it a point to all be around for cake and ice cream and singing happy birthday and to watch them open presents,” added Bethany.

Because each girl is different and has her own interests and personality, their birthday celebrations are just as varied. There has been a prom-themed Sweet 16 party, an outing to Carowinds, and even a cheerleading party. One year, one of the girls who has a fall birthday asked for a spooky trail, so the TPH Cottage boys hid in the bushes on the way to the Thornwell lake house. As the girls walked down the path to the bonfire to make s’mores, screams could be heard all the way down the gravel road.

This year, one of the Berkele girls, Mikayla, was able to participate in the Color Run in Columbia, SC. Her Family Teacher when she lived in Sarah’s Cottage, Joyful Brown, had told her about the run last year and she decided she would like to go this year. Three Thornwell staff members, including Bethany and Joyful, joined her on the Color Run along with three of her closest friends. They all had a blast! See the photo on the right.

To sponsor a cottage at Thornwell, please click here for details. You can also contact Chandra Coleman at chandra.coleman@thornwell.org or call 864-938-2700.

In case you didn’t make it last Saturday, YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SUPPORT THORNWELL! On Saturday, March 30^th from 10am-2pm (rain or shine), Thornwell is hosting Part II of its Second Annual Plant Sale on campus just in front of the Dining Hall next to the Home of Peace.

There are still thousands of seedlings for sale with close to 50 varieties of organic and generic vegetables to choose from. Click here to see our inventory list.

But this is more than just a plant sale – it’s a fundraiser! While you peruse the assortment of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, kale, spinach, okra, cucumber, squash, beans and several others, you even can get your car washed – all for a great cause.

The Plant Sale is part of an effort to support cottage-based garden sites that provide fresh and healthy food for the cottage families. The Thornwell children have loved getting their “hands dirty” planting and cultivating the plants and learning about greener living. The whole process has been an amazing educational opportunity for the cottage families in home-based vegetable production.

For more information, contact Rob Gallagher at 864-547-1500.

The youth at Thornwell Home for Children have been collecting canned food for the “Souper Bowl of Caring” for 10 years now! And this year was better than ever with donations going to the Laurens Cluster Food Bank.

Canned food was gathered in support of donors’ favorite Super Bowl teams, either the Ravens or the 49ers, but that wasn’t the only rivalry. Thornwell staff departments also engaged in friendly competition between Children & Family Ministries (CFM) and Advancement & Administration. With two boxes in each staff building, one for each team, cans began rolling in to support favorite teams and departments.

Thornwell youth group and their 2013 collection of food and canned items.

The final tally was 142 cans from CFM and 140 from Advancement/Admin – that was close! The Ravens also eeked out a victory with 157 cans over the 49ers with 125 cans. In all, the Thornwell youth group collected 945 items of food and $383 for United Ministries and Laurens Cluster food banks!

To see Thornwell’s “Souper Bowl of Caring” profile and photos, click here.

The Thornwell BLITZ was a fundraising effort that began in 2010 with several Thornwell Alumni and the Thornwell Alumni Association.   The original idea was to facilitate a social media campaign to raise funds that would support Thornwell Home for Children during the last quarter of the year.  Today, the BLITZ is one of Thornwell’s highest revenue-generating volunteer-led annual fundraiser.

As a testament to the impact that a group of like-minded people working together can have, the BLITZ is the sum result of many individual gifts. At its core, the BLITZ is a $10 donation campaign on Facebook. Friends ask friends to give just $10 to Thornwell and ask their friends, family members and coworkers to do the same. The combined impact of all of those gifts is exponential.

And the answer is…YES!

Leading the effort, David Rivers, Thornwell Board of Visitors member and Thornwell alumnus, challenged fellow alumni and supporters to take the BLITZ campaign beyond Facebook.  Rising to the occasion, volunteers went to work sharing the challenge with The Thornwell Alumni Association, foundations, churches, corporations, private companies and individuals.

In 2012, BLITZ advocates for Thornwell hosted fundraising social events, held garage sales, coordinated tailgate parties, launched email campaigns, facilitated company and individual matching programs, filled donation jars at their work and used one of the best tools of all, word-of-mouth.

In its first year, the BLITZ raised approximately $50,000 to benefit Thornwell. The following year, the results doubled bringing in over $100,000 for the ministry in 2011. And now the 2012 BLITZ has broken even that record with almost $110,000 in donations for the children at Thornwell.

The annual BLITZ gives volunteers, alumni, and supporters a catalyst for sharing about the life-saving work Thornwell does for children in SC, GA and FL. It provides a conduit for others to tell their stories and become involved in their own way.  With everyone’s help and sacrifice this year, the BLITZ raised vital funds to help with feeding, clothing, educating and nurturing the kids that call Thornwell their home!

In this technology-infused society we live in, especially for kids and teens, it’s easy to get caught up in our digital existence and forget about all the experiences we can have face-to-face. That’s why most cottages on Thornwell’s campus have what we’ve dubbed “unplugged days.”

For a designated number of hours a day or even a whole day, everyone in the cottage is not allowed to use any electronics. It forces kids to entertain themselves in creative ways, interact with one another and their Family Teachers (FTs), and use their imaginations.

“We are always impressed with the creativity that comes out of unplugged days,” says Thornwell FT, Stephanie Gruber. “And, when it’s nice out they tend to get good exercise.”

Unplugged days are a way that cottage families can take a step back from the culture and reconnect. Some of the best ideas, conversations and memories come from these electronic-free times. Just check out the Lego battlefield the boys at Georgia-Beatie Cottage created (see photo on left)!