9 AME churches get funded for The HYPE Project

For the second year in a row,  Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC) is partnering with the 7th Episcopal District of the AME Church to teach teens about The Healthy Young People Empowerment (HYPE) Project and to help guide them through a public health project that focuses on healthy eating and/or active living in their churches or communities.

This year, eight churches were selected through a competitive application and review process to receive mini-grants and form HYPE teams. Four of the HYPE teams are new grantees that will identify new projects, while four are returning teams that will build upon their existing grant work.  In addition to the eight teams, the Union County Public Health Taskforce funded an additional AME church that will work alongside the HYPE YPD Teams.

“The faith community has a long history of meeting the needs of their congregations and local communities, and this is especially true for African-American churches,” said Trimease K. Carter, Manager of Youth Engagement at ESMMSC. “This means the AME church will have an even larger impact on health equity and youth development.”

This opportunity is funded through a grant that ESMMSC received from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Division of Division of Injury and Substance Abuse Prevention. Through this partnership, HYPE Teams will address healthy eating and active living while also weaving in safety and injury prevention components into their projects.

2020 New HYPE Teams

Mt Zion AME Church, Greenwood County

Mt Pisgah AME Church, Dorchester County

Bethany AME Church, Union County

Singleton Chapel AME Church, Georgetown County

Thomas Chapel AME Church, Union County

2020 Returning HYPE Teams

Brown Chapel AME Church, Richland County

Oak Grove AME Church, Clarendon County

St. Paul AME Church Shaw, Sumter County

Pine Grove AME Church, Richland County