Our Work
For Our Communities
The Arras Foundation seeks to promote a healthier community for all, together with the residents of Lancaster County, Fort Lawn, and Great Falls, South Carolina.
We invite you to get involved and make an impact. The community thrives when we all work alongside each other toward a common goal. Read more below about ways that you can be a part of the work we do.
Arras College Advising Corps
We believe that every student should have the opportunity to receive the support and guidance that is needed to fulfill their professional goals.
Established in 2017 as the first College Advising Corps program in South Carolina, our local AmeriCorps SC program aims to increase opportunities for the students of Lancaster and Chester Counties by breaking down the barriers to college and career planning support.
Our advisers are recent college graduates that are eager to integrate into their new communities as a resource for the students of local public high schools & their families.
A-Team Summer Internship
The Arras Foundation encourages our young adults to seek professional development opportunities right here in our community.
Since 2016, our interns have been exposed to the philanthropic sector, working together with local nonprofit organizations and community members to make important contributions to the communities the Foundation serves.
The internship is a highly competitive experience and we look forward to learning alongside our young people every summer.
Community Engagement
The Arras Foundation is rooted in our commitment to being informed by resident voice and data-supported community need.
Community engagement is an ongoing, intentional approach that may include open dialogue and active listening to connect with and between people to cultivate understanding, empathy, and shared vision to build a healthy community for all.
Tools we use to engage with the community include individual conversations, group conversations, focus groups, surveys, poster sessions, and more.
Community Heart & Soul
The Arras Foundation believes in uplifting resident voice and action to drive community change.
We have supported three local communities - Kershaw, Fort Lawn, and Great Falls - to go through the national Community Heart & Soul process.
Each of these communities was selected through a competitive process to recieve support and guidance to go through the Heart & Soul process and create an action plan individually developed according to their resident voice and community needs.
Give Local
The Arras Foundation elevates individual philanthropy and supports the causes that matter the most to our residents.
Give Local is a community-driven event that enables supporters to get involved by donating funds or giving time to nonprofits doing important work in our community. Launched in 2016 by the Arras Foundation, Give Local has raised over $4.5 million for local causes.
Give Local is a year-round initiative, but focuses primarily on "Give Local Day," on or around November 15th, National Philanthropy Day.