Picture of a group from the Arras Foundation holding up t-shirts

Arras Foundation and Kershaw, S.C. map a healthy future together

With Community Heart & Soul and a focus on healthy outcomes, Kershaw, S.C. led itself out of a childcare desert and into a more engaged community

About Our Partnerships

Snapshot Overview

Location: Kershaw, South Carolina

Partner: Arras Foundation

Key Challenge: Low civic engagement and inefficient communication resulting in a diminished sense of community

The Narrative

The Arras Foundation was looking for ways to better inform its grantmaking with stronger community input, which led to a natural partnership with Community Heart & Soul. Kershaw saw the potential benefits of strengthened community connections and applied for inclusion in The Arras Foundation’s efforts to bring the resident-driven Community Heart & Soul process to South Carolina.

The Challenges

Challenge #1

Growing civic engagement:

In Kershaw community life centered on individual institutions, leaving limited town-wide engagement and no shared vision for the future.

Strategy:

With financial and coaching support from the Arras Foundation, Kershaw’s Community Heart & Soul team engaged residents — including youth and others often absent from town decision-making — through more than 1,300 surveys and 200 collected stories. The resulting Heart & Soul Value Statements and Community Collaboration Action Plan informs major projects, including a downtown library expansion with community gathering spaces and the conversion of a long-vacant bank into an early childhood education center. The process strengthened community relationships and established a culture of collaboration.

Picture of residents and volunteers holding signs during community engagement training by Kershaw Heart & Soul team

Challenge #2

Improving communication:

Residents saw a need for improved community-wide communication about town resources, community events and ways to connect with each other.

Strategy:

When listening to fellow residents, the Kershaw Heart & Soul team saw that communication between town government, organizations and residents could be improved. Based on residents’ ideas, efforts to improve communication included a revamped town website, improved use of social media, and strengthened relationships with local media. Schools, churches and organizations were encouraged to share their news and events with wider audiences. The town publishes a robust newspaper-style newsletter called “Town Time” that shares news of businesses opening, meeting notices, community events, volunteer opportunities and much more. The town also introduced several new brochures, including one with emergency contacts and one about Kershaw history.

Challenge #3

Revitalize community life:

While the foundation was committed to supporting local priorities, its engagement efforts lacked a consistent, replicable framework. Without a structured process, it was hard to sustain momentum or measure progress over time.

Strategy:

Like many rural communities, Kershaw had limited opportunities for residents to gather. Residents felt there were silos of connection, such as one’s own church, but an overall sense of community was lacking. Through creative story gathering, such as “Sit a Spell” sessions in which residents on rocking chairs interviewed each other, the Kershaw Heart & Soul team uncovered a common desire for more ways to connect. In response, residents brainstormed several simple ways to improve connection, such as a welcome packet that includes basic information about town resources and community life. To break down silos, the Heart & Soul team collaborated with local organizations, businesses and 25 churches to host a massive, 10,000-Easter-egg hunt with food and games, rather than many individual Easter activities.

The Result

The Arras Foundation, which focuses on fostering healthier communities through community investment, youth development and partnership building, saw those goals play out in Kershaw in measurable ways. The Heart & Soul process helped guide major projects in Kershaw, including the relocation of a public library branch to its downtown, with a designated space for teenagers and community gathering spaces. Through Heart & Soul, it also became clear Kershaw was suffering in a “childcare desert,” and resident voices informed the transformation of a long-vacant bank building into an early childhood education center. With Kershaw Heart & Soul, the area strengthened relationships among residents, local organizations, and town leaders, creating new channels for communication and a culture of collaboration that continues to shape community priorities and investments.

Thoughts From Our Partner

“The Board and I were starting to think together about how to do authentic community engagement to listen to the needs of people. We knew we needed a process that brought the voices and needs of the people to the table.”
— Susan Devenny, President/ceo of Arras foundation