Charleston Evacuees find shelter at Children's Attention Home

In the wake of mandatory evacuations for Hurricane Florence, the Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC) sought shelter from the storm for their nearly 30 children last Wednesday.

"We got the call, and within 3 hours we were set up for them to arrive," said Residential Services Director, Alicia Scott. "We've arranged our space to rotate the kids so that no one gets cabin fever. I was able to speak with some of the CYDC kids, and it's working out well. Times like this show how great our team really is."

With over 70 children in total on site, both teams of staff worked diligently to ensure every child had a place to sleep, stayed entertained, and were well fed. Preparations were made in the administrative building for CYDC to spend their nights on mattresses and air mattresses, and food was prepared to serve children with the Home in their cottages. The Children's Attention Home team worked with CYDC to help coordinate off-site activities and meals for the kids.

"We all have loud, crazy, sleep-deprived teenagers, but it's been a great process under difficult conditions," said Beverly Hardin, CEO of CYDC. "The Children's Attention Home really rolled out the red carpet and made our kids feel welcome. As difficult as it is to be out of our daily norm, it's great to have sisters that are in this process with us."

With the mandatory evacuations lifted on Saturday, CYDC was able to return safely to their homes in Charleston. Our thanks to the community for helping us stock up on supplies ahead of the storm, and thanks for Christ Our King Church in Charlotte and Grace Lutheran Church in Rock Hill for allowing the use of their mattresses for our guests.

Check out CN2's story on CYDC's stay

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