Kappa Delta sorority at the University of South Carolina is a supporter of Children’s Trust for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Sorority members planted a pinwheel garden on April 8 during Child Abuse Prevention Month to highlight the importance of keeping kids safe and families strong in South Carolina. Neil White, who tells the stories of Children’s Trust, captured the day’s event.
Kappa Delta members Anne Peyre Carter and Mae Dandridge discussed their dedication to child abuse prevention while sitting in the pinwheel garden next to the student union on the USC campus.
Bright blue and silver pinwheels spun in the breeze on a sunny day at Davis Field between the Russell House and Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus.
The pinwheel serves as the national symbol for happy, healthy childhoods during Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, when pinwheel gardens are planted by individuals, community organizations, businesses, and civic and faith groups across the state and nation.
Anne Peyre Carter, a junior from Mt. Pleasant and president of USC’s Beta Zeta chapter of Kappa Delta, smiled as she looked at the pinwheels planted by her sorority sisters to bring attention to the importance of preventing child abuse and neglect.
“We love giving back,” Carter said. “This is one of the many great things we do for our philanthropies of Prevent Child Abuse America and Children’s Trust. I love it because I was born and raised in South Carolina, and when I can help my state, it means so much to me. We’re helping reach the whole state (through Children’s Trust), and it means so much to all of us.”
Pinwheels spin on a beautiful day in the Kappa Delta garden.
Kappa Delta collegiate and alumnae chapters across the country have held events since 1984 to support the prevention of child abuse. The USC chapter, currently with 387 members, began its partnership with Children’s Trust in 2008, and since that time, it has raised approximately $450,000 for child abuse prevention in South Carolina, including $50,000 during the fall semester of 2018.
Mae Dandridge, a freshman from Charlottesville, Va., has enjoyed being a member of a sorority that works tirelessly to raise funds for programs to benefit children and families with the knowledge and skills that can make their lives better. She has served as a camp counselor during summer months and knows first-hand what it means to build happier, more resilient kids.
“It’s definitely awesome,” Dandridge said. “It’s super special for our organization. We always have a great turnout (in fundraising efforts for child abuse prevention), and it’s really nice to know where your money is going and who you are helping.”
Through federal, state and private funding, Children’s Trust implements evidence-based prevention programs across South Carolina that work to build strong families and help parents to parent better.
Anne Peyre Carter snaps a photo of the pinwheel garden planted by her sorority sisters.
