Every Child in Foster Care Deserves
A Soft Place to Land
NO CHILD SHOULD SPEND THEIR WORST DAY IN A CUBICLE.
Right now, thousands of children are experiencing foster care, many removed from their homes after trauma, with no belongings, no bed, and no sense of what comes next. They’re brought to a county DSS office, where staff work tirelessly to help, but the space itself wasn’t built for comfort, calm, or care…
THIS IS WHERE WE CREATE SAFE PLACES.
Lily Pad transforms DSS offices into warm, welcoming rooms, complete with beds, cozy blankets, books, and familiar comforts. It’s more than a makeover. It’s a message: You matter. You’re not forgotten. You are safe.
Join us in giving every child a soft place to land.
Inside Foster Care Reality
3,900
Children experiencing foster care
Every day, nearly 4,000 children across South Carolina are experiencing foster care. Removed from everything they know, parents, siblings, schools, routines. They didn’t ask for this. But they’re living it, daily.
57%
% stuck in care longer than 6 months
More than half of the children in foster care aren’t finding quick resolutions. They’re waiting. For months. Sometimes years. Waiting for a home. Waiting to belong. Waiting for someone to say, “You matter.”
2,160
Foster homes missing from the system
South Carolina has roughly 1,740 licensed foster homes. But nearly 3,900 children need a place to sleep tonight. That’s a gap of over 2,000 homes. Until that’s fixed, kids will continue to spend time in DSS offices.
This Is What Hope Looks Like.
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36
36 Lily Pad rooms installed across South Carolina, transforming cold DSS spaces into warm, comforting places where children can rest, breathe, and feel like they matter.
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10
At least 10 more Lily Pad rooms are scheduled for installation this year and next, bringing safety, comfort, and dignity to even more children experiencing foster care.
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2400
Over 2,400 children experiencing foster care have walked through a Lily Pad room, each one given a soft place to land, a moment of peace, and the care they deserve.
Imagine This
It’s the middle of the night.
You’ve just been pulled from your home after a traumatic event. You’re scared, confused, and completely alone.
You arrive at the county DSS office…
You have no suitcase. No toothbrush. No familiar face.
You’re wearing the same clothes from yesterday.
A kind caseworker does their best; but they’re a stranger.
You’re handed an air mattress in a cubicle or conference room.
And then… you wait. For hours. For answers. To feel safe.
This is the reality for thousands of children experiencing foster care.
What If the Room Said:
“You Matter”?
You’re still scared. Still unsure. But this time… the space feels different.
You walk into a cozy, welcoming room, right inside the DSS building.
A soft blanket waits on a real couch, not a cold cubicle floor.
There’s a book to read. A show to watch. A game that feels familiar.
The lights are warm. The room feels safe.
You curl up and, for the first time that night, you feel okay.
And when morning comes:
There’s a bed with fresh linens, not an air mattress.
A tablet or Chromebook helps you log into school.
Because of Lily Pad, this moment isn’t defined by trauma… It’s softened by comfort, care, and dignity. This is the difference one room can make.
A Lily Pad is that space. Your own “Soft Place to Land”.
Your donation provides comfort & restores a sense of security to children experiencing foster care.
Every gift matters! You too can give securely and help us bring comfort to thousands of children in South Carolina.
All donations go directly towards expenses for installations and operations of Lily Pad: A Soft Place to Land, Inc.
Thanks to our generous donors and volunteers, Greenwood, SC now has a Lily Pad space for children experiencing foster care waiting in the DSS office.
Visit our “Before and After” page to see all the before and after photos from our Lily Pad installations.
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