Our Mission

The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families is a 501(c)(3) faith-based statewide organization established in 2002 as a ministry of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine.  The mission of the Center is to develop and support a statewide infrastructure, which strengthens relationships between fathers and families throughout South Carolina. The long-term vision for the Center is to achieve systemic change on issues related to fathers and families, reduce poverty and enhance the quality of life for families in South Carolina.

The Center is an outgrowth of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina's Fatherhood Initiative, "Reducing Poverty through Father Re-engagement," which was launched in 1997. As a result, 7 community-based fatherhood programs are in operation in 14 sites across South Carolina. The programs are located in: Charleston, Conway, Darlington, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Great Falls, Greenville, Lancaster, Lexington, Marlboro, Myrtle Beach,Richland and Spartanburg. To locate a program in your area, click here.

The goal of the Center is to coordinate funding; communication and research; policy development and advocacy; program development and capacity building in support of fathers and families through the programs across South Carolina.

Within this context, over the course of the past several years, the Center has strived to build the capacity of fatherhood programs, raise awareness, evaluate program effectiveness and share lessons learned of fatherhood program success in an effort to highlight the importance of strong fathers and families to benefit the quality of life in South Carolina, in its communities and its economy.