<em>Photo above: 20 students in Thumbs Up’s program.</em>
<h3>By Taylor Shawver</h3>
Thumbs Up is a nonprofit focused on enhancing the lives of children whose parents face pervasive economic, educational, linguistic, and mental health barriers preventing them from helping their children in school. The organization is currently run by one full-time employee, one part-time employee and around 60 volunteers.

To celebrate their 20th year anniversary, the Thumbs Up Children’s Learning Center is hosting the Candace Glover Christmas Gospel Concert on December 12th at 5 p.m. at Battery Creek High School. Candace Glover is known for her Season 12 win on American Idol, after two prior rejections. Miss Glover, who is from St. Helena, has remained close to her hometown and generously gives back to her community in order to inspire young people to chase their dreams. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Thumbs Up Educational Fundraising Campaign. The campaign’s goal is to raise money in support of tuition and transportation costs for at-risk students in Thumbs Up’s after school and summer programs.

Joseph “Woody” Rutter, who has been on Thumbs Up’s Board for 10 years, explained “To me, this is a perfect way to celebrate both the 20-year anniversary of Thumbs Up and its founder Sister Mary Trzasko and to recognize one of Beaufort’s most famous citizens, Candace Glover.”

Over the years, Thumbs Up has impacted many students’ lives. The organization’s building can accommodate 20 students, and although they wish they could help hundreds of students, the impact they make on their 20 is invaluable. The program focuses on the child’s academic success, but they help in every aspect of a child’s life with the belief that children cannot succeed in the classroom without the fulfillment of basic human needs. “It’s really a full human service organization with a primary focus on academics,” Woody says.

For more information, call (843) 379-8882 or email thumbsupbft@islc.net.