Kelley’s Corner, Volume 1

Have you ever been at a place in your family’s life when you just didn’t know which way to go or where to turn to get direction? Maybe it was a place that you didn’t expect to be, and you felt certain that you were the only family going through those circumstances. I know my family has been there and without my faith, family and friends, it would have been difficult to move forward. Even with all that in my corner, I still needed practical guidance and direction to help determine the next steps to a resolution.

In January 2007, the vision for a place to offer such guidance and support took a step toward reality. We had a desire to serve families in times of uncertainty. We wanted to be a beacon of hope during times of crisis and provide educational opportunities to help divert family crisis in the future.

Let me give you an example that touched my heart recently:

Beth had dropped out of school when she was 16 thinking that she didn’t need an education. She eventually married and became a stay at home mom. As a mother she quickly realized that she wanted to get her education so that as her boys grew, she could find a good job. She also began to see that it was a challenge to stress the importance of education to her adolescent boys when she had not valued it herself at a young age. She needed to set a good example for them. She was determined to get her GED and show them that even though she had made a poor choice years ago, she could make a choice now that would make a big difference for her family. Beth enrolled in our GED program and she achieved her goal. She now plans to attend college in the near future.

In addition, shortly after her graduation, she and her husband were introduced to the Family Solutions Program offered by the UFRC. Presently enrolled in this program, she and her husband are discovering how to guide and support their sons’ behavior through monitoring and supervision. At the same time, the boys are learning the importance of education and school attendance, as well as acquiring positive decision making skills and peer pressure management. As a family, they are finding acceptable ways to manage anger and conflict. Cooperation and communication tools will help their family become stronger. Most importantly, they are able to take advantage of these resources right in their own community.

Barbara Bush once said: "To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there." I believe that her definition of family has become our creed at UFRC. We want resources to be available to be there for the individuals and families, who live, work and learn in our community.

Maybe you are a volunteer, or maybe you have donated food. It could be that you have made a financial contribution. Whatever your involvement, you have helped us to “put our arms” around our community and “be there”. Thank you for your support of the work that we are doing at the Upstate Family Resource Center. You can also help us to grow our support network encouraging others to join you in supporting our community. Introduce them to our website or have them call to schedule a visit to discover how they may also become a part of this tremendous organization.

~Kelley

Prom Dress Collection

Just around the corner in every woman's mind - is a lovely dress, a wonderful suit, or entire costume which will make an enchanting new creature of her. ~Wilhela Cushman


The Upstate Family Resource Center is partnering with The Middle Tyger Community Center and The Palmetto Bank to collect and distribute gently worn or new prom dresses and accessories. Dresses, shoes, purses, jewelry can be dropped off at The Palmetto Bank offices in Duncan, Inman, and Boiling Springs through March 22nd. Then UFRC and The Middle Tyger Community Center will distribute these dresses to girls from the District 5, Boiling Springs, Chesnee and Chapman High Schools.

Items needed: Dresses, shoes, purses, and jewelry. Remember, all items need to be new or gently worn!




"Oh, well. What's a royal ball? After all, I suppose it would be frightfully dull, and-and-and boring, and-and completely... Completely wonderful. " ~Cinderella

(Think! You can be a fairy god-mother to a young woman and give her a chance to go to the ball!)

Big Bargain Book Sale

The "Big Bargain Book Sale" is Saturday, March 20th from 8am-12pm at the UFRC in the library building. There are tons of selections and different prices. Don't worry, there is something for everyone!

**Remember that we can only accept cash or check. And 100% of the proceeds support the Upstate Family Resource Center!


Also, if you are interested in getting donating any books, audiobooks, and DVDs for us to sell, drop them off anytime between 8:30-5:00 Monday through Friday. If you do, we can give you a tax receipt.

BSFBC Choir

On February 4th, the BSFBC Choir donated food for their project, Operation Feed a Family. They donated bags full of food- each bag could feed one family.


We want to thank them for their help to the community and for their continued support!

The pictures are the members of the BSFBC Choir with their donations!

Cow Patty Bingo!

In January, UFRC hosted the Cow Patty Bingo. This special bingo begins with people "buying" square sections of a specific field. Then a cow is let loose on the field and the bingo winner is determined by what square the cow does his "business" on. Practically anything goes, including the attempt of herding the cow into your square...

This was a huge success! We raised $4000 for the Center and Terry McDowell was the lucky winner who took home $400. Way to go Terry!

Special thanks to the Chick-Fil-A Cow and Mildred the real cow!

CARE Family Forum

A CARE Family Forum occurred on January 12th, 2010. It was a great chance for adolescent moms and families to get together for amazing food and fellowship.

Check out some of the pictures below:

The Christmas Parade

The Christmas Parade took place on December 12th, 2009. It was a great chance for us to have a lot fun and embrace the Christmas spirit. Also, the parade was a great opportunity to get the word out about the Center to the community.

Thanks so much to Chuck Marshall who provided and drove the trailer during the parade!