Cypress Adventures awarded a $59,000 grant from Power:Ed to expand its afterschool youth leadership program
November 21, 2024
Cypress Adventures, Inc. has been awarded a $59,000 grant from Power:Ed, the philanthropy of SC Student Loan Corporation, to help meet the demand to expand its successful youth leadership program to serve more students.
Cypress Adventures’ Youth Leadership Program combines experiential education with adventure-based programming to teach middle and high school students essential life and leadership competencies. The goal is to equip them with communication, team building, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills they can apply to school, home, and work today and every day. Hartsville has among the highest income disparities by race of any city in South Carolina. Power:Ed is helping Cypress Adventures in its evidence-based efforts to bridge the gaps.
The 14-week afterschool courses are free to Darlington County middle and high school students. The program provides opportunities for youth to connect with others, manage stress, strengthen resilience, explore careers, discover civic engagement, and participate in challenging outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and canoeing. A critical component of Cypress programming is that students develop valuable social & emotional learning, academic, and workforce skills while learning from and with other adolescents that are different from themselves.
“We are immensely grateful to Power:Ed for this partnership to continue fostering positive youth development in our rural community. The ripple effect of these funds expands beyond the youth we serve to their families, their classrooms, our business community and the greater community at large,” says Aimee Cox-King, Founder and Executive Program Director of Cypress Adventures.
“Power:Ed is proud to support Cypress Adventures for a second year to ensure more Darlington County students have the opportunity to participate in this life-changing program,” says Power:Ed Executive Director Claire Gibbons.
In FY2024-25 Power:Ed will award $1,000,000 in grants to South Carolina education and career readiness nonprofit organizations. In this second quarter, Power:Ed has awarded six grants (including this grant to Cypress Adventures) totaling $254,000. Grants are administered quarterly, and the next grant funding deadline is January 1, 2025.
About Cypress Adventures
An incubator of youth leaders founded in 2015, Cypress Adventures develops adolescents’ emotional, social, and physical well-being, empowering them with the skills necessary to reach their highest potential. We are dedicated to creating a challenging and supportive environment accessible to all. Through experiential learning and boundaryless thinking, we meet our youth where they are and position them to create vibrant futures for themselves and their communities.
About Power:Ed
Founded in 2019, Power:Ed, the philanthropy of SC Student Loan is dedicated to creating opportunities for South Carolina’s youth and adults by supporting low-income, minority, and first-generation students; improving access to college and degree completion; and creating pathways to quality workforce opportunities. Organizations serving middle school through post-college talent who are interested in applying for a grant or partnering with Power:Ed, should visit power-ed.org.
[Photo enclosure caption]: Pictured L to R: Cypress Adventures Founder, Executive, and Program Director Aimee Cox-King; Power:Ed Executive Director Claire Gibbons; CA students; and CA Program Coordinator Archie Torain (back right).
