Carolina Community Actions continues war against poverty

Carolina Community Actions celebrated 50 years of love Thursday.

The celebration was more than just the emotion of love – it was the act of love, of doing something to make a difference in someone’s life.

Over 50 years, Carolina Community Actions estimates it has served thousands of children and adults through its programs that range from early childhood education to teaching job skills to assistance with winter heating bills and home weatherization.

Carolina Community Actions, based in Rock Hill, serves residents in York, Chester, Lancaster, Fairfield, and Union counties.

On Thursday, clients and employees, plus education and government officials, gathered at the First Baptist Church to embrace the past and embark on the organization’s chapter two, the next 50 years.

Thursday’s program focused on the success of the local Head Start program which began as an eight-week summer assistance program for low-income children who would enter public schools in the fall of 1965. Year-round Head Start began a year later.

Among those hired to administer the program was Jane Spratt, wife of former U.S. Rep. John Spratt. In addition to help running the program at what is now the McCelvey Center in York, Spratt was one of the employees who offered to pick up children. She was paid 25 cents per student and picked them up in her new Volkswagen.

She said the three children she picked up all have jobs now and one, Beverly Love, is in charge of a Head Start center.

“We liked what we were doing, something important,” she said. “It’s all about love.”

Her husband, John, said Head Start was a program that “earned its name and proved its worth.” He noted Head Start remains one of the few federally funded programs that has bipartisan support in Congress.

Luncheon speaker David Bradley, executive director of the National Community Action Foundation, said Carolina Community Actions has “created a better life for all.”

Bradley was a protege of Sargent Shriver, one of the architects of the war against poverty.

While the term might be outdated and often misunderstood, Bradley said the purpose was clear “poverty must be abolished.”

“We told the poor that they would not be ignored, not be forgotten and we would help them become active citizens,” Bradley said.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 7:11 PM with the headline "Carolina Community Actions continues war against poverty."