“Adolescent Family Life” Launches in Spartanburg County
September 17, 2014
SPARTANBURG, SC – Mary Black Foundation, along with statewide and community partners, today celebrated the launch the “Adolescent Family Life,” a program that will support pregnant and parenting teens in Spartanburg County. A lunch event at the Mary Black Foundation building in Spartanburg brought together community and state leaders to mark the kickoff of the innovative program that will encourage pregnant and parenting teens to stay in school, delay the next pregnancy, improve their parenting skills and become better connected to supportive resources.
Pictured (left to right): Dr. Darryl Owings, Superintendent, Spartanburg County School District Six; Tamela Spann, Program Specialist, Mary Black Foundation; Rep. Rita Allison, R-Spartanburg; Lee Porter, Chief Program Officer, Children’s Trust; Forrest Alton, Chief Executive Officer, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Statewide organizations that are working together to provide program oversight, evaluation and support include Children’s Trust of South Carolina, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, South Carolina Rural Health Research Center and South Carolina Thrive/The Benefit Bank. Funding for this effort comes through the Pregnancy Assistance Fund at the Office of Adolescent Health at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Spartanburg County ranks second in the state for the number of births to 15 to 19 year olds and 24th in the percentage of repeat births. The new program is expected to serve nearly 300 young parents in Spartanburg County this year. Young parents interested in participating should contact Tina Gaudiano with Middle Tyger Community Center at 864-439-7760.
“We know young parents need an array of support services to ensure children are raised in a safe and nurturing environment,” said Sue Williams, chief executive officer of Children’s Trust. “The collaboration and partnerships at the statewide and local levels will ensure young parents have everything they need to be successful – both in the short- and long-term of raising their family.”
Organizations working together to implement the local program include Middle Tyger Community Center, Spartanburg School Districts 1 – 7, Upstate Family Resource Center, The Upstate Fatherhood Coalition and West Gate Family Therapy Institute.
“Mary Black Foundation and its community partners were chosen based on the need as well as the ability to successfully implement the collaborative model,” said Forrest Alton, chief executive officer of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. “In a state where more than 25 percent of all of the teen births are repeat teen births, we must be more diligent about providing appropriate programs and services to expectant and parenting teens. We are excited to be a part of this partnership with some other great statewide leadership organizations, and are equally as excited to be working in great communities!”
Community and state leaders have endorsed and expressed support for the new program.
“Working together we can bring the hope we need for a better future for our community and state,” said Representative Rita Allison, R-Spartanburg County. “This collaborative work is that hope for the future.”
The five community organizations are in the final stages of preparing for the program to begin serving young parents.
“The Mary Black Foundation is very appreciative of the support received from the Children’s Trust of South Carolina and the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,” said Tamela Spann, program specialist, early childhood development at the Mary Black Foundation. “This grant will allow our great partners in Spartanburg County to receive and, in some cases, expand their efforts to serve pregnant and parenting youth in our community.”
As part of the project, a website for teens, pregnant teens and parents of teens is available at NotRightNowSC.org. The interactive, mobile-friendly site features resources about love, sex and relationships and will encourage teens and their parents to engage in conversations with one another on these topics.
