Anderson County is in the Upstate region of South Carolina.
Anderson County serves approximately 250 children in foster care.
Currently, when the Department of Social Services steps in to remove a child, their first stop is the county DSS office to try to find placement for the child in a foster home or kinship home. Children are often waiting in the office for hours and sometimes days.
Prior to Lily Pad coming to Anderson, a community group led by Kieran Hooker connected with staff members at Anderson DSS to put together a beautiful space for these kids. Through donations via GoFundMe, Amazon, and word of mouth, they were able to clear some of the old, broken furniture, deep clean the room and organize, paint the walls (including a beautiful mural), and replace flooring.
Kieran Hooker and Josie Jones, Director Anderson County DSS, coordinated with Lily Pad to finish off the space.
Jay Gilstrap and his team at Gilstrap Family Dealerships partnered with Lily Pad by donating the remaining funds needed to outfit this space with a new sectional sofa, new bed, Nintendo Switch, new kitchen table and chairs, new rocker/glider, Ruggable brand washable rugs, linens, pillows, and more soft lighting.
Hands of Hope partnered with Lily Pad by organizing the bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen areas. This group plans to maintain this Lily Pad space for years to come.
This Lily Pad is a true labor of love from the Anderson County community. Many groups have come together to create a “soft place to land” for the children in foster care in Anderson County.
Lily Pad #8: March 2023
Department of Social Services Anderson County, SC Second Floor
Before: May 2022
Before: May 2022
Flooring and wall mural completed by community volunteers in July of 2022.
January 25, 2023: Lily Pad was asked to finish off space and further organize.
The completed Lily Pad space in March of 2023.
A kitchen table provides a place for a sibling group to eat a meal together or a case manager to work while supervising a child.
Clearing of the room, wall mural, paint, and flooring were all completed by a community group of volunteers led by Kieran Hooker. Wall mural by Kelsey Bush.
Washable pillow covers help to keep the space easy to maintain.
This sectional sofa is easy to wipe clean and can comfortably fit a tall teenager or provide a comfortable place for a young sibling group to cuddle up and watch a movie.
Offices are not meant for sleeping, but due to a shortage of foster homes and the fact that kids often enter foster care in the middle of the night, having a bed in the space ensures kids have a comfortable place to sleep if needed or rest and read a book.
Two Chromebooks were provided for children to use for schoolwork, meetings with an attorney or case manager, or Telemedicine appointments.
![Both artificial and natural light influence our moods.
Research has found that "warm-yellow light made [4th graders] more relaxed and helped them perform better on independent work activities."
Lily Pad prioritizes eliminating harsh office lightin](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6248eda367c9956c149d9870/766e4c45-6a76-47ee-8b8e-265231900fa2/IMG_9928.JPEG)
Both artificial and natural light influence our moods. Research has found that "warm-yellow light made [4th graders] more relaxed and helped them perform better on independent work activities." Lily Pad prioritizes eliminating harsh office lighting and providing softer light sources in our Lily Pad rooms.
A rocker/glider, weighted blankets, and our lollipop jar are tools to help case managers find ways to help children with Sensory Processing Disorders.
The professionals that are a part of the Anderson County Department of Social Services dedicated this space to their former director, Kenneth McBride, who recently retired after 30 years of service.