I am excited to be writing the first of what I hope are many more installments in our new series Charleston Moms CARES, which recognizes non-profits around the Lowcountry.
This month we’re highlighting WakeUp Carolina, an amazing organization that we were introduced to through our friends at Sullivan’s Board Co (hint hint, stay tuned for next month’s Charleston EATS!). SBC is partnering with WakeUp Carolina for the rest of the month of August, donating 10 percent of its proceeds and 100 percent of tips to the organization.
WakeUp Carolina describes themselves as a “community-based movement, born out of a family’s heartbreaking loss of their son, Creighton.” Since they began in 2016, WakeUp Carolina has helped youth at risk of substance misuse and their families in the Charleston area.
This is a vital resource in our community especially since according to the Addiction Center, “The number of annual opioid prescriptions written in South Carolina is nearly equal to that of its total population size. With 5.2 million opioid prescriptions and countless opiates purchased on the streets, Charleston (and South Carolina as a whole) has experienced its highest number of overdose deaths to date.” And although we do have government programs to help with drug abuse, they might always not be a great fit for teens and young adults.
This is why WakeUp Carolina started Creighton’s House in 2017. Creighton lost his life to substance abuse, and his siblings knew that our community was lacking a safe place for people when they returned from rehab. They wanted to make sure that no one else would have to feel alone, and that they would have a solid foundation with the right tools and resources to help start their lives again.
Creighton’s House provides peer-support services, meetings, and training to people seeking and maintaining recovery. And with our current environment, they are also offering virtual meetings as well as in person. But more than that, Creighton’s House believes in delivering hope to the community they serve, and hope and awareness to Charleston’s youth and their families. WakeUp Carolina has created a place in Charleston where young people can go and see the light on the other side, and realize it is attainable.
If you would like to find out more information about this great Lowcountry non-profit or volunteer, you can find out everything you need to at WakeUp Carolina. You can also donate there, or order from our mutual friends at Sullivan’s Board Company until the end of this month.
