The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina recently announced that the 2017 Immigrant Families Initiative grants totaling $186,920 have been awarded to 10 organizations serving South Carolina’s immigrant and refugee populations during National Immigrant Heritage Month.

The Neighborhood Outreach Connection, which serves Beaufort County, was awarded $25,000.

The Neighborhood Outreach Connection’s mission is to fight poverty by helping all individuals in the community achieve the “American Dream” building economic independence, progress and personal fulfillment while focusing on individual, family and community transformation and development.&nbsp;

Promoting social change and community development in three low-income neighborhoods, funds will be utilized to sustain their outreach programs consisting of education, health care and civic engagement.&nbsp;

The YMCA of Beaufort County was awarded $7,000.

The mission of the YMCA of Beaufort County is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.&nbsp;

Funds will be used to provide summer camp options to children of migrant workers who live seasonally on St. Helena Island, the geographic region of the state with the highest concentration of migrant students during the growing season. &nbsp;

Immigrants represent nearly 5 percent of South Carolina’s total population and research shows these individuals make multiple contributions to the state’s economy sharing business, leadership, education, labor and other skills. However, a large number of immigrants and children of immigrants experience poverty across South Carolina.

“The Foundation recognizes the value of welcoming and embracing newcomers who strengthen the communities across South Carolina,” according to a press release. “Rooted in the Foundation’s mission and core values of compassion and courage, the Immigrant Families Initiative was launched in 2014 dedicated to enhancing individual and family well-being through grant-making and the creation of strategic partnerships to support organizations that lift families out of poverty, and supporting efforts to build inclusive, welcoming environments for immigrants. The goal of the Immigrant Families Initiative is to improve the health, well-being and economic mobility of first and second generation immigrants, mixed status families and refugees working alongside our grantees, community stakeholders and philanthropic partners.”

Funding in the Immigrant Families Initiative category is intended to:

• Assist these programs to boost resources of families living below 200 percent of the poverty line to meet basic needs (e.g., a safe, stable place to live, access to enough food, affordable health coverage and quality child care;

• Build inclusive, welcoming communities increasing social capital of newcomers;

• Employ two-generation strategies to strengthen and support families;&nbsp;

• Improve educational outcomes from early childhood to postsecondary educational pathways;&nbsp;

• Enhance workforce and career skills for family-sustaining employment or entrepreneurship;

• Support DREAMers by positioning them for success and next generation leadership;

• Bolster efforts to obtain citizenship, naturalization or other legal statuses;&nbsp;

• And increase civic engagement to strengthen communities and create social change.