Change f Children ANNUAL REPORT | 2021
SUCCESS STORIES From our Advocate Mentors* One of my mentee’s parents typically doesn’t allow him to leave the house with me other the other kids. We would have to stay at his house and play kickball which he really enjoys, but when it’s time for us to leave he becomes sad because he wants to go with us to the park or to go out to eat. After a year of mentoring, his mom finally allowed me to take him out and play with the other mentees at the park. He was so excited and gave his mom a big hug and ran to the car. When I returned to their home, his mother shook my hand and thanked me for a joyful day and is looking forward for more outings for him.
EDUCATION
SOCIAL SKILLS
BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT
When ‘Jane’ and I first started meeting with one another
‘Joe’ normally kept to himself when the class went out for
When I first started working with ‘Tom’, he would show-
she disliked doing any type of school work and did not
recess. But recently he has been leading in all of the games
case uncontrollable behavior. He had a hard time manag-
care if she failed. Now she is an A-B honor roll student
and the other kids are following his lead. I have also no-
ing emotions whenever confronted with instructions that
and notifies me whenever she gets an A on an assignment.
ticed that his classmates now want to be on his team. His
he disliked. We have worked tirelessly, addressing these
teacher informed me that the other kids love playing with
episodes when they occur. We got to the root of how these
him and really enjoys recess now.
emotions surface and what triggers them. Now that he un-
‘Chris’ had struggled with the ability to spell and sound out words. This became a confidence issue as he began to
derstands them, he is able to regulate his responses better
retreat from reading and participating in class. We started
‘Nicole’ had struggled with interacting with the other kids
from the basis of small words and allowed him to take his
when we first started meeting. At the beginning of her men-
time to identify simple words to elevate his confidence.
torship she only socialized with me and would not engage
He is now learning 5-7 new words each week and can read,
with the other kids. After some time in the program she
write, and pronounce them all proficiently.
now looks forward to with playing and socializing with the
and he is much more self-reliant overall.
other mentees and her mother sees a big difference in her. *Mentee names have been changed to protect their privacy
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REAL CHAMPIONS, INC.
WE START EARLIER
WE GO DEEPER
WE GO LONGER
Our mentees start with a full-time mentor in kindergarten or first grade.
We focus on all areas of growth a child needs to succeed.
Our mentors stay with their mentees until they graduate high school.
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
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BY THE NUMBERS Our impact on families and the community One of the differences between Real Champions and other mentoring programs is that their Advocate Mentors work with the whole family and they work in the child’s ecosystem. Advocating for them at school, advocating for them in the community and ensuring that their family has adequate access to resouces. – Dr. Samuel McQuillan, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina
2,156
1,076
120
50
24
HOURS
HOURS
BOXES
BASKETS
MEALS
MENTORS SPENT WITH MENTEES
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REAL CHAMPIONS, INC.
SPENT TUTORING MENTEES
OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED AT CHRISTMAS
DISTRIBUTED AT EASTER
DISTRIBUTED AT THANKSGIVING
WE START EARLIER
COMMUNITY PARTNERS We are grateful to so many businesses and organizations who have enabled us to continue our mission with grants, donations and in-kind support.
• Jack Frost Ice Cream, Ridgeland, SC
• Palmetto Electric Trust
• YardWorks, Mt. Pleasant, SC
• Savannah Disc Golf
• Suggs Johnson CPA
• Rogers Slater Family Foundation
• The Brown Law Firm, Savannah GA
• Coastal States Bank Community Fund
• Montage Palmetto Bluff
• Church Mouse Thrift on HHI
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
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ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS THE JOHN R. WIGINGTON SUMMER PROGRAM You just have to know Wigington. He is not just excited about what he is doing; he is genuinely excited in what YOU are doing. He wants to see those around him succeed, achieve, be celebrated.” – Pete Hartman on why he wanted to donate to the creation of the John R. Wigington Summer Program
The John R. Wigington Summer Program is the fulfillment of our promise to “go deeper” and “stay longer.” Many organizations only operate during the school year, leaving children unattended during the long summer months. Ona a personal level, for the children in our program, this can lead to extended periods of time without adult supervision while parents and guardians are working which leads to spikes in risky behavior. Academically the picture is even more bleak, “on average, children from low-income families lose nearly three months of gradelevel equivalency durnign the summer months each year, compared to an average of one month lost by middle-income children when reading and math performance are combined”. We aim to change those statistics. Our summer program operated from June 22 to August 6 and gave children and families 8 weeks of enriching, creative activities.
John R. Wigington 6
REAL CHAMPIONS, INC.
WE GO DEEPER
REBRAND We’ve been hard at work updating the look of the Real Champions brand, to better represent what our mission and goals are for the future. We chose deliberately not to stray too far from our original logo, rather updating and modernizing it to appropriately visualize who we are and where we are going. Real Champions still advocates for children by forming lasting relationships and providing them opportunities to be successful - and we feel our new look perfectly depicts that. Our new logo is made up of a graphic depiction of the ‘R’ as a keyhole representing the opening of doors, and a “C” which respresents the broken circle of poverty
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
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OUR TEAM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ned McNair Chairman
Wynn Englisbe
Tamara Thompson
Ophelia Heywood
Walter Wheeler
Steve Bragg
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Carl Martin Executive Director
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REAL CHAMPIONS, INC.
Ricardo Perry Senior Program Director
Russ Johnsen
W. Keith Osborn, CIC
Ray Pringle
Bob Paulling
Scott Dalton
Dale R. Paulling
Patrick Walsh JR
ADVISORY BOARD
Megan Tice Senior Program Director
Ken Aerni
Randy J. Boehme
Dave Kostka
Jim Mahoney
WE GO LONGER
We provide full-time professional mentors. We call them professional mentors becasue the go through an 80-hour training program which teaches them how to deal with various issues regarding the children and families that we work with.”
ADVOCATE MENTORS
Anthony Cannick
Tina Hage
KhaDashia McMillian
De’Ante Scott
– Ricardo Perry, Senior Program Director
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
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Be a part of the change for children! With your help we can affect real change for the most at-risk children in our community. There are many ways you can support us. FOLLOW US. Please like and follow @realchampions on your social media channels and encourage your friends and family to do the same. VOLUNTEER. We have many volunteer opportunities, please contact us to learn more on how to get involved. DONATE. Please use the enclosed envelope or visit our website realchampionsinc.org to make a contribution.
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REAL CHAMPIONS, INC.
Your donation goes directly to the cost of paying our trusted Advocate Mentors so they can continue to provide unwavering support to children who need our help.
SCAN TO DONATE OR VOLUNTEER
SCAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RCI CARL MARTIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Visit realchampionsinc.org to view our video outlining our program or to make a donation
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
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7596 West Main Street, Suite D Ridgeland, SC 29936 (843) 540 4023 realchampionsinc.org