Palmetto Goodwill Partners with South Carolina Future Minds to Donate Books to Darlington County School District
CHARLESTON – Palmetto Goodwill partnered with South Carolina Future Minds (SCFM) to deliver more than one thousand gently used books to Darlington County School District.
The books will be used to build in-class libraries for new teachers in Darlington, an expense that typically comes out of teachers’ pockets. The pilot program, which is the first of its kind in South Carolina, was created to ease the burden faced by new educators and is one way that communities can come together to improve teacher retention in South Carolina.
The teacher shortage in South Carolina presents an urgent challenge for our public education system. Research shows that over one-third of new teachers leave within their first five years, in part due to low salary. For example, of the 6,500 educators who left their positions in 2016, 38 percent had taught less than five years—a worrying trend for the state’s diminishing teacher pipeline. By donating books for new teacher libraries, Palmetto Goodwill and SC Future Minds are making it easier for educators to continue serving the students who need them.
“We are grateful to Palmetto Goodwill for donating in-class libraries to Darlington Country’s new educators,” said Caroline Mauldin, Executive Director of SC Future Minds. “By simply connecting the dots between Goodwill’s book inventory and the needs of South Carolina’s public schools, this innovative program is making it easier for teachers to teach and for learners to learn.”
“Like SC Future Minds, Palmetto Goodwill believes that the key to a healthy community starts with educational attainment and instilling the love of reading in our children,” said Palmetto Goodwill President & CEO Robert Smith.
This inaugural donation of approximately 1,000 books represents the first of many books that Palmetto Goodwill plans to contribute to the children of South Carolina through SCFM’s program.
Upon completion of the pilot in Darlington, Palmetto Goodwill and SCFM plan to take the program statewide. School districts that are interested in participating in this program for new teacher libraries are encouraged to contact SC Future Minds via www.scfutureminds.org.
About Palmetto Goodwill
Palmetto Goodwill is a not-for-profit social service organization whose mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. More than 90 percent of Goodwill’s revenue goes to fund mission related services. Goodwill serves their mission by providing career counseling, job training, and other employment related programs to people with barriers to employment. Last year, Goodwill placed more than 1,596 people into new jobs and provided services for more than 57,981.
About South Carolina Future Minds
SC Future Minds envisions a public education system that equips each and every student with the tools, knowledge, and attitude for success in work or post-secondary education. SC Future Minds champions world-class student achievement by supporting excellence in teaching, encouraging collaboration among public education stakeholders, and connecting private financial support to public schools.
