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Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina honors three kinship caregivers with 2018 Unsung Hero Awards

Tags: Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina , Foundations
Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina honors three kinship caregivers with 2018 Unsung Hero Awards

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina has awarded three 2018 Unsung Hero Awards across the State of South Carolina to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary care to enhance the well-being of children in South Carolina’s kinship families as part of the foundation’s Kinship Care Initiative. Formal (licensed) and informal (non-licensed) kinship caregivers in South Carolina who provided care for a relative’s child throughout the preceding year or longer were eligible for nomination, including fictive kin. 

The foundation received multiple nominations from across the state and selected three outstanding individuals to be recognized at the Kinship Care Summits held in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville. Each Unsung Hero had different stories representing the spectrum of kinship families. The 2018 Unsung Heroes are:

  • Charleston: Reggie Monroe – presented by foundation President Tom Keith
  • Columbia: Abigail J. Strudwick – presented by Lisa Bernardin, foundation board member
  • Greenville: Denise Craddock Hannon – presented by Gerald Smalls, foundation board chair 

Reggie Monroe
Reggie cares for three children, twins Dontavious and Montavious (8) and Kw’eili (9). He was nominated by Elizabeth McGuan, program manager, HALOS. Reggie stepped in to care for his nephews after learning of his younger brother’s substance abuse. He humbly says that the institutional process of securing guardianship has helped him understand what type of parent he needs to be for the boys, and helped him learn how to parent for the very first time. 

Abigail J. Strudwick
Abigail J. Strudwick was nominated by Melissa Strompolis, volunteer guardian with Richland County CASA. Abigail was a 20-year-old college student at the University of South Carolina-Upstate when her nephew and her younger sister were placed into foster care after testing positive for an illegal substance. Abigail applied and received guardianship of her nephew and sister. She is currently back in college and her nephew and sister are in the care of her mother, who is in recovery. 

Denise Craddock Hannon
Denise Craddock Hannon was nominated by Rhonda Goodman, case manager, DSS. Denise and her husband stepped in at a moment’s notice to care for their grandson. They have navigated the system with compassion and commitment to their grandson’s safety, happiness and stability, and they are working with his mother to do what is necessary to rebuild the relationship between mother and child.

About the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, established in 1996, is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System. The foundation is committed to addressing the needs of the poor and underserved in all 46 South Carolina counties, and strategically uses resources to reduce poverty through action, advocacy and leadership.

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