Humans are highly complicated organisms. The things that happen at work affect life at home. Home life affects school performance. Things that happened years ago contribute to the way we act today. Compass focuses on individual and marriage counseling for a variety of issues including depression, grief, and issues related to violence prevention and intervention including school, domestic and workplace.

Our Leadership Greenville Class 41 Project Team chose to help Compass improve the environments of three teaching and therapy rooms, and modernize their teaching mediums with cutting edge technology. Here’s how we teamed up with Compass to make it all happen:

• We raised funds by hosting an event with the The Warehouse Theatre – and broke a Leadership Greenville project fundraising record doing it! Special thanks go out to our most generous sponsors Greenville County First Steps, Independence National Bank, Michelin North American, Verizon and Wyche, P.A.
• We helped Compass declutter tens of years of out of date technology, furniture and materials that were taking up room that could be put to better use
• We drew up plans for creating productive and positive environments
• We purchased and hung flat screen TVs for more modern teaching methods
• We purchased new, modular furniture for better use of space and elevated sense of place
• We purchased new toys for the Children’s Therapy Room
• We had rooms painted, adding chalk and white erase boards where they could be of use, and cork stripping for hanging art and education materials

We got to see the fruits of our collective labors at a celebration lunch in December. Our final walk-through showed HUGE improvements in the spaces that are already having a positive effect on the lives of the people who use them.

We heard a lot about how much happier the children and teens are and how excited they are to get to the new rooms. We understand that grown men and women sit up straighter in new chairs and pay better attention to powerpoints and flat screens in place of old flip charts and rolling TV/VCR combos.

What moved me the most is what one Compass representative noted - what couldn’t be measured - and that is what might NOT happen now that these spaces have been elevated. Maybe someone will be motivated to NOT go home and choose to take their anger out on others, maybe children will NOT hold on to negative experiences and NOT carry them down to future generations.

I am SO proud of our Team and how well we worked together for this common goal. And I am especially proud to know the folks at Compass of Carolina that work every day to create understanding and prove that hope and kindness can point us all in a better direction.

Leadership Greenville Class 41 Compass of Carolina Project Team

Luis Ackerman

Keith Brown

Kelly Byers

Kenneth Cosgrove

Cheryl Fairley

Allen Hellenga

Michael Ivey

Wade Kolb

Katie Leckenbusch

Skip Limbaker

Marion Mann

Fred Moore

Leesa Owens

TJ Way

Will Ragland

Jason Rampey

Matthew Santilli

Rick Schroder

Jim Shew