Thanks to generous donations by three Beaufort-area businesses and a local donor, AMIkids Beaufort has a renovated laundry facility with commercial-grade equipment.

[caption id="attachment_17973" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Cover-AMIkids-donors-7-24.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-17973" alt="From left: Dr. Michael Harris, AMIkids board member; Jimmy Boozer, AMIkids board chairman; James N. Rivers, AMIkids director; Trey Ambrose, owner of ProSlab, Inc. Photo by Brycen Ambrose." src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Cover-AMIkids-donors-7-24-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" /></a> From left: Dr. Michael Harris, AMIkids board member; Jimmy Boozer, AMIkids board chairman; James N. Rivers, AMIkids director; Trey Ambrose, owner of ProSlab, Inc. Photo by Brycen Ambrose.[/caption]

Pro-Slab’s Trey Ambrose; T&amp;D Commercial Builders, with Scott Dennis and David Tilton; and Grayco’s Richard Gray, Sr., all stepped up to make the renovation possible.  Their donation of time, labor and materials helped save more than $15,000 on the project, said AMIkids Board of Trustees Chairman Jimmy Boozer.

The laundry renovation was a top priority for the residential treatment and education center’s board, said Boozer.

“This has been something we have needed for a long time, but until these people stepped up to help, it was going to stay on our wish list,” Boozer said. “Now, the young men at our campus have a clean and safe place to do their laundry.”

“It’s something we might take for granted, but these young men are up working from sunrise to past sunset, often in the heat, and they go through a lot of laundry!” Boozer added.

AMIkids Beaufort’s campus in Dale provides not only education but numerous hands-on educational opportunities, treatment and behavior modification for young men convicted of non-violent offenses in South Carolina.

AMIkids also partners with eight community service projects throughout Beaufort County.  Students at the facility work toward their high school equivalency diplomas and also can earn job training certificates in welding. The nationally based organization’s motto is “Separating a troubled past from a bright future.”

Additionally, a generous donor from Brays Island contributed money for the trustees to buy commercial grade washers and dryers for the renovated laundry room. The new equipment will last longer, wash and dry more clothes, and be more efficient to operate than the previous residential-grade washers and dryers.

“We stay connected to the community,” Scott Dennis said. “AMIkids Beaufort does an exceptional job helping young men turn around their lives, and we are happy to have helped with this project.”

Ambrose agreed: “The Lowcountry is different than other places, around here people help people. When I found out AMIkids Beaufort needed help with concrete for the renovation, you didn’t have to ask twice. Pro-Slab was glad to help.”

AMIkids Beaufort serves young men from across the lower portion of South Carolina, including youth from Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, Colleton, Dorchester and Berkeley counties. The S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice offers the AMIkids option to certain offenders as an alternative to prison.

For more information about AMIkids Beaufort, visit www.amikidsbeaufort.org.
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