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Our Impact
Family changes everything in a child’s life.
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Mission

Thornwell serves to prevent child abuse and neglect, to build up and reunite families, and to support healthy communities in the name of Jesus Christ.

Vision

We believe in empowered communities in which all people can experience both life and love in abundance.

We Continue to Care
Foster Care Family Services Child Development Services Academic Services Transitional Living Residential Care

No matter the stage of life that a child or family is in, Thornwell aims to come alongside them as an empowering partner to nurture, encourage, enrich, and advocate for them on their journey.

Our Continuum of Care is our unique, comprehensive, and ongoing cycle of programs designed to meet holistic needs through personalized care, family, and academic services.

Thornnwell Annual Impact Report

Our success is measured by children and families made strong, and our impact is a testament to the strength of a community when we come together to build tomorrow’s families.

Thornwell in Numbers | 2022
1872
Children & Families

Supported through counseling and skills classes in A.R.C. Residential Program, Building Families, and Strengthening Families.

91
Children loved

and supported in safe, caring foster homes, including 14 teens, by 72 licensed foster families.

2583
Counseling Sessions

and assessments provided to children and families who are now closer to healing.

342
Children Equipped

with essential education and development support through Child Development Center, Read Right, Momentum Summer Camp, and Learning Center tutoring.

Thornnwell Strategic Plan 2022-2024
Many Voices. One Mission

Thornwell will celebrate 150 years in service to children and families in 2025. As the ministry approaches this milestone, Thornwell is more committed than ever to innovative solutions that support and sustain the prevention of child abuse and neglect, building and reuniting families, and supporting healthy communities in the name of Jesus Christ. This strategic plan seeks to answer the question, “Who is Thornwell when we are at our best?” The plan represents hundreds of unique answers from leadership, staff, and external stakeholders in which common themes arose, and metrics were derived that will engage and inspire the ministry of Thornwell to year 150 and beyond.

Our Financial Transparency

We believe in maintaining the highest levels of financial transparency and accountability. In 2022, 76% of every dollar went to programs directly serving children and families. We’re proud Thornwell has earned a 2023 Platinum Seal of Transparency with Candid. We’re equally honored to be a “Four Star Charity” by Charity Navigator, earning a score of 95 out of 100. Thornwell is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA). Learn more about our accreditation standards or visit our nonprofit profiles by clicking on the images below.

Impact Report

Impact Report

Download our Mission Impact Report.

990s

990s

Download our Form 990.

Finances

Finances

Download our audited financial statements.

Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet

Download our latest Thornwell Fact Sheet.

Strategic Plan 2022-2024

Strategic Plan

Download our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan, “Many Voices. One Mission.”

Stories of Impact
“At Thornwell, kids from hard places have chance to just be kids again.”

You wouldn’t know it today, but as a small child, Mikayla endured her mother’s death, her father’s incarceration, and the passing of a loving grandfather who cared for her. At the age of 7, she came to live at Thornwell when no one else in her family was able to care for her. You and I can only imagine how hard that must have been for anyone, let alone a 7-year-old child. But to hear Mikayla share her story, she was able to enjoy a life on campus that included summers filled with fun! Now Mikayla has come ‘full circle’ and is a Thornwell summer counselor—serving others whose pain she knows all too well.

Thanks to friends like you, Mikayla was met with loving care and a safe, family-like home. Her Teaching Parents shepherded her. They took Mikayla to church and showed her what it means to follow and love God. At church, she met her small group leader who would later become her forever family at the age of 18. Today, she’s earned her bachelor’s degree and is well on her way to earning her master’s degree in Clinical Health. She would tell you that if it weren’t for Thornwell and caring people like you, she wouldn’t have had a second chance.

Mikayla's Story
“I’ve learned to look at things from another’s point of view, and I’ve realized that your past, while it doesn’t have to affect your future, does have an impact on how you act in the present.”

When a child turns 18, it is often expected that they are ready to enter the world of adulthood equipped with the necessary resources and a “village” to help them succeed. For a teen without a support system in place, navigating the challenges that come with adulthood can be daunting. Sometimes those challenges are compounded by past trauma, disability, poverty, and limited access to affordable housing, food, transportation, and technology.

That’s what life was like for Chris before he enrolled in Thornwell’s Transitional Living program. Due to the lack of a support system and his special circumstances with being on the autism spectrum, Chris entered the program needing extra care navigating big life milestones like going to college, getting a job, and managing finances. Because of your immense support, Thornwell’s Transitional Living program sets up young adults like Chris for strong, independent lives by giving them the emotional, practical, and essential life skills they need to begin their next chapter as adults.

Today, Chris is making A’s and B’s as a criminology major at a local technical college. He works full-time at a university dining hall, where he is praised by his supervisors for his work ethic. He’s even learned how to manage his finances, including paying rent and taxes, thanks to personalized training from Thornwell staff. Soon, he will be ready to get his own apartment off-campus and feel confident in navigating public transportation! You help give young people like Chris the ability to dare to dream!

Chris' Story
“It truly blessed my soul.”

Parenting does not come with an instruction manual. Many times, we have used skills passed down from our parents, only to discover they may not be the healthiest of skills to use. This was the case for Glenda, a grandmother raising her 10-year-old grandson. They recently graduated from Thornwell’s Strengthening Families program, a fourteen-week family program on Thornwell’s Clinton, SC campus designed to help families strengthen their bond through education, enrichment, and community.

Thanks to your incredible generosity, the program helps parents, caregivers, and their children through tried-and-true solutions to help with problem behaviors, social struggles, and navigating difficult circumstances.

Holding back tears of joy, Glenda said the lessons learned, the connections with other families, and the support of program leaders have changed their lives. “I just enjoyed it so much. There was so much love, and the teachers were so patient, so respectful, and so encouraging,” said Glenda. “It is hard to try and find people to encourage you in life. It truly blessed my soul.”

Glenda's Story
HOW WILL YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY?

Your generosity helps our region’s most vulnerable children and families access the necessary care, family, and academic services needed to thrive.

Leave a lasting imprint on the hearts of children in need across the Southeast by giving financially, offering your time and resources through several volunteer opportunities, or sharing your heart and home as a foster care family.

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