A program of Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families
Issue 5, February 2022
L.Y.G.H.T. Reports Show Program Impact   
We are excited to report our most recent impact findings for the L.Y.G.H.T. program delivery in South Carolina. Thanks to our SC LYGHT community sites, we have served more than 20 teens and young adults and held 23 L.Y.G.H.T. groups since fall of last year. We are so grateful to the L.Y.G.H.T. facilitators and community partnerships who recognize the importance of supporting youth who are grieving during this time in their lives.

The L.Y.G.H.T. team will continue to distribute a Quarterly Impact report to help community sites with their efforts to demonstrate the organizational impact they have created through the L.Y.G.H.T. program. We are so proud to be in this network of grief support with dedicated and devoted community sites in South Carolina! We look forward to expanding the program to more youth and young adults throughout the state.
L.Y.G.H.T. Facilitator Training Coming Summer 2022  
Stay tuned for our annual SC L.Y.G.H.T. Facilitator Training coming this Summer 2022! The three-day training will provide in-person learning to the staff and community volunteers from selected community sites throughout South Carolina. From the upstate in Greenville to the low country in Charleston, there are a total of 21 trained L.Y.G.H.T. Facilitators who are offering the L.Y.G.H.T. program to South Carolina teens (12-16) and young adults (17-23) in foster care.

We look forward to supporting more youth in foster care with our current and future community partners. If you would like to learn more about how to become a SC L.Y.G.H.T. community site, please contact Juliette Martinez at [email protected].

Duke Endowment Awards Grant for Second Randomized Control Trial (RCT) 
The Duke Endowment has awarded the L.Y.G.H.T. program with a grant that will help expand and sustain the L.Y.G.H.T. program in South Carolina. This exciting opportunity will allow the L.Y.G.H.T. team to further examine the effectiveness of this evidence-based program, as well as train more people and community sites across the state. We want to express our deepest gratitude to The Duke Endowment, our community sites, and our community partners. There is more L.Y.G.H.T. in the world because of you!
"We’re thrilled about this grant and our ability to bring the L.Y.G.H.T. program to additional teens and young adults in foster care. We are extremely grateful to Thornwell, Carolina Youth Development Center, and Epworth Children’s Home for their continued support of the program. We also welcome our newest partners, Children’s Attention Home and Pendleton Place, as we expand the reach of L.Y.G.H.T."

~ Dr. Monique B. Mitchell, National Director of the L.Y.G.H.T. Program
Announcing our SC L.Y.G.H.T. State Coordinator!
"It's an honor to provide a space where youth feel safe enough to speak on their life experiences of being in foster care. The most rewarding part of being a facilitator is watching the youth connect with each other and identifying topics they want to share. My goal is to get the word out about this program to the South Carolina community, and to invite teens and young adults ages 12 to 23 to attend the program at our community sites.” 

~ Juliette Martinez, MSW,
SC L.Y.G.H.T. State Coordinator
With the support of The Duke Endowment and in partnership with Carolina Youth Development Center, we created a new position to help expand L.Y.G.H.T. to teens and young adults in South Carolina and provide support to SC L.Y.G.H.T. community sites throughout the state.

We are excited to welcome Juliette Martinez, MSW in her new role as the SC L.Y.G.H.T. State Coordinator. Ms. Martinez brings five years of experience with the L.Y.G.H.T. program and is referred to by many youth in foster care as “The LYGHT lady.” Over the next two years, Ms. Martinez plans to expand L.Y.G.H.T. by building a supportive network for all South Carolina L.Y.G.H.T. facilitators and community sites.
For more information about L.Y.G.H.T., send us an email or visit our website.