The Original Six Foundation raises over $90,000 for South Carolina students
The Original Six Foundation (O6 Foundation) raised over $90,000 for afterschool and early literacy programs that support South Carolina students in rural and underserved school districts. Over one-hundred participants from businesses and organizations across the Southeast took part in the 6th Annual O6 Foundation Sporting Clay Tournament fundraiser held at Rocky Creek Sporting Clays in Richburg, SC.
Original Six Foundation founder Nikki Haley shared with the crowd her experience growing up in the rural South Carolina town of Bamberg. “We didn’t know what we didn’t have,” Haley said.
“Those are the students the O6 Afterschool program is helping. What we’re doing is working with talented teachers to give students hope and we’re giving them confidence, and we’re letting them know they deserve better,” Haley said.
Top sponsors who made the event possible include US Brick, Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc., AOS Specialty Contractors, Hood Construction Company, LLC, and eSources.
“The number of students our O6 Afterschool program is serving this school year continues to climb,” said Kara Gormley Meador, executive director of the O6 Foundation. “The growth in O6 Afterschool is why financial support from people who believe in our mission to help provide a quality education to students in rural and underserved areas is more important than ever,” Meador said.
During O6 Afterschool, qualified educators reinforce school-day learning and aid 2nd-8th grade students in the completion of their assignments. The program provides a safe space for students after school and offers individual support from teachers to help them achieve their academic goals. O6 Afterschool is providing hundreds of students access to supplemental instruction in Allendale, Bamberg, Clarendon, Marion, Union, Florence, Colleton and Greenville counties. .
In addition to after school programming, The O6 Foundation’s My First Library program provides South Carolina’s highest-need students with at-home libraries to encourage reading. O6 My First Library works with 5K students to ensure they are prepared to enter the first grade.