Saturday April 28, 2018
Virginia Hylton Park (Lexington Town Hall)
10AM TO 2PM
This Year at Kid's Day...

Download Event Flyer

Our Gratitude to Women’s Clubs of Irmo and Lake Murray for Their Generous Donation

Lexington 1 schools closed on January 17, due to a winter weather advisory and snowfall. That day, the children/youth bundled up in warm jackets and gloves, played in the snow and ended the day by gathering and enjoying hot cocoa with marshmallows. They were disappointed the snow didn’t stick for building snowmen and having snowball fights, but they made the most of it by sticking out their tongues and letting the snow fall onto their tongues! We were very fortunate to have had generous guests donate many of the winter clothing items that kept everyone warm.

Links to News Articles
http://www.thestate.com/news/state/article195054099.html
http://www.lexington1.net/lexnews/schools-closed

In August of 2016, Dr. Jarrell Smith, Director of the Nancy K. Perry Children’s Shelter and Jeremy Vetter, Chairman of the Board for the Shelter and a Lieutenant with the Lexington County Sheriff Department began discussions on how to improve the safety and security at the shelter. Lt. Vetter mentioned this need to Mobotix AG, Communication Management Inc., Global Surveillance Systems, and Radius White Knoll. In August of 2017, the four establishments provided all of the labor and equipment required to install cameras greatly improving the children shelter’s security. We want to thank Mobotix AG, Communication Management, INC., Global Surveillance Systems, and Radius White Knoll for joining together to improve the safety of the staff and children who live and work at the Nancy K. Perry Children's Shelter.

MOBOTIX has developed and manufactured IP video systems, video management and analysis software in Germany since 2000. An intelligent IP video system from MOBOTIX allows you to reduce total costs. The investment pays for itself after a short time and the free-of-charge software and updates ensure it is a future-proof investment.

Global Surveillance System, Inc. (GSS) is one of the foremost national distributors of full IP/analog video surveillance and low-voltage security equipment, partnering with security installers and resellers to provide effective solutions to meet any application.

Communication Management, Inc. (CMI) designs and installs high-performance, structured cabling networks and turn-key hardware solutions for all commercial market-verticals throughout the state of South Carolina and the southeastern US.

RADIUS is a church of ordinary, flawed men and women living real life with real faith. As followers of Jesus, we believe that our calling is to serve within our circle of influence, or as we call it, our radius.

Many donors of funds have help in a fundraising campaign that is still on-going. In addition, several local businesses have donated their time and materials. Seen here is Yarborough Construction Company donating free labor. Hoover Buildings has donated all materials. When completed we will have space to store things which has been much needed! (August 15, 2017)

What an exciting Saturday April the 5th was! The “Lasting Impression” Youth Group from Palmetto Health Children Hospital, Dr. Julian Ruffin, Director, and Children from The Nancy K Perry Children’s Shelter joined forces with Back-To-Eden, LLC to design, construct, and plant a Raised-bed Vegetable garden. Youth Team Leaders were provided a set of blue-prints with instructions to pick their team members and build two giant raised-bed gardens for the children of the Shelter. One garden is shaped like a plus sign, and the other like a couch. What would have taken Back–To-Eden over 12 hours to complete, the youths, armed with detailed instructions; hand and power tools; quality control over-sight and team-work, completed the project in less than 5 hours.
Notable highlights: A few Teams had to be forced to take a lunch break; others forgot that they hadn’t dressed for manual labor and happily crawled around in the dirt; and one even thought she might consider changing her college major to agriculture! All in all, the children said the day was filled with life-experiences that would never be forgotten!

Lt. Jeremy Vetter, 31, and his wife Whitney were awarded the Sheriff’s Medal, the highest law enforcement award the Sheriff can bestow, by Sheriff James R. Metts on March 6, 2014. The award was given because of their volunteerism with the Nancy K. Children’s Shelter, foster parenting, and now Jeremy is an active volunteer and Board of Trustees Member of the Shelter. “Jeremy encouraged correctional officers to take a personal interest in the Christmas gift project,” said Sheriff Metts. He also raised awareness about the Children’s Shelter among other Sheriff’s Department employees as well as citizens and businesses who donated supplies needed for operations of the facility. Lt. Vetter was a volunteer, then a foster parent, then a Board of Trustees Member of the Shelter. He led a very successful drive for Christmas presents for the child and is now operation a large food drive for us! We are proud of you Jeremy!

By Rachel Ham September 4, 2013 Reposted from: ColaDaily.com

The secondhand furniture that sits in the office of Jarrell Smith at the Nancy K. Perry Children’s Shelter has a few nicks and dents. But that didn’t stop the shelter’s namesake and co-founder from seeing its potential and reclaiming it from the trash pile one day.

As Smith fondly remembers, the parsimonious, but caring, spirit of Perry is what made the temporary home for abused and neglected children the safe haven it still is today. The executive director tells the story of running errands with Perry the afternoon she saw the gently-used furniture being hauled to the curb. Wanting to save money so more funds could be directed to the kids at the shelter, she wasted no time grabbing up the usable pieces.

“She’s the reason the shelter came to be,” Smith said. “She just loved the kids and could get things done.”

The mission of the shelter continues to be what Perry and Lexington County Sheriff James Metts envisioned 41 years ago when they fought to open it. Taking in those who have been cast aside and showing them love, the staff are dedicated to providing a sanctuary for children no matter their circumstance.

“They can stay as long as they need,” Smith agreed. “We are here to be a shelter and a home.”

Children from birth on up to teens are welcome at the Nancy K. Perry Children’s Shelter. Through Department of Social Services placement, the facility is open to kids who have been abused, neglected, abandoned or otherwise exploited. About 50 children pass through each year, some staying for a few weeks while others are able to remain there for more than a year. The shelter often gets large sibling groups, too, as DSS can’t always place a full family in a smaller foster home.

Although each child has his or her own story, the shelter’s staff do their best to make everyone feel a part of the family unit. Fourteen children is the limit for the facility, and the dinner table does get crowded some evenings – but never too full that everyone can’t fit. Smith agreed that incorporating aspects of normal family life such as eating together is key to bringing children out of their shell and getting them to trust again, especially if they were abused.

“Our goal is to have them leave in a better situation them when they came in and to be closer to recovery,” he added. “We want them to know someone cares for them.”

During his tenure as executive director, which began in 2002, Smith has seen his share of suffering children. Not all have known how to respond to the affectionate nature of the staff, but Smith said he knows all have been shown what a loving family looks like.

Described by Smith as the “stars of the show”, houseparents Roscoe and Jean Moore just marked their ninth year of being mother, father, teacher and confidant to children at the shelter. Days of caring for an ever-changing group can be tiring, but they wouldn’t trade those hours of watching cartoons and helping with homework for anything.

“We saw this as another opportunity to serve children after years of ministry,” Roscoe Moore said. “When you live with them, there are more chances to model the Gospel.”

Having a listening ear when a child is ready to talk about their past is a part of the the routine just as is preparing lunch and picking older kids up from school. Moore said it can be tough to see a child upset when he or she returns to the shelter from a home visit, but he always tries to point out the positives.

“We try to give them a different outlook on the situation,” he added.

After some time, even a child taken from the worst environment can be taught about better decision making, friendliness and sociability through role modeling and honest discussions.

“When they come home from school and share what happened, they tell us how they handled a bad situation differently this time,” Moore said. “That’s when we make a difference.”

Believing that each child deserves a place of his own, the Moores and the rest of the shelter’s staff worked with donors (local civic clubs and churches) to create kid-friendly rooms. From jungle to princess to sports, the 2-person spaces have a separate theme, and children are given a choice of which to stay in whenever possible.

“We try to give them something they’ll enjoy,” Moore said. “We want this to be the best possible experience and be a home away from home.”

When it’s time to leave, some children go to a foster or group home, others are placed with a family considering adoption, and a few go back to their relatives. But they all carry their time at the Nancy K. Perry Children’s Shelter with them. Moore said he often has former shelter kids stop him at school to catch up, and the staff also keeps in touch with several who call to say hello.

“The Moores have really been dedicated, and Jean works wonders with the children,” Smith said.

The shelter receives its funding from Lexington County and donors. To remind people just how important the facility is in the area, Smith writes a personal letter each January to share updates and occasionally stories from children who lived at the shelter at one time or another. His request is simple each time: make whatever contribution you can to make a real difference in the life of a child.