WAVES 4 K.I.D.S. (Kids in Difficult Situations) assists the Brunswick County Department of Social Services (DSS) and Guardian ad Litem program by providing a range of otherwise unavailable services that directly help children in difficult situations. We asked board member Karen Holbrook to tell us exactly how and what they do.

“We were founded about 15 years ago by three social workers who wanted to do more to meet the needs of the children they worked with. The extent of what we do now is wide ranging. WAVES funds provide pest control and other services that help young families stay together. We keep our ‘Kids Kloset’ stocked with infant supplies, diapers, car seats, food and gift cards, and other items Brunswick County social workers may need for emergency placements.

WAVES also helps foster parents pay for summer camp, and participation in extra-curricular activities like sports, dance or music lessons. Several funds have been set aside to provide college scholarships and post-secondary technical training to youth with financial needs.

Social workers and Guardians ad Litem volunteers let us know what their needs are, and we help to the extent that our resources allow. On any given month there are about 200 children under the care of DSS, and I was shocked when I learned that so many of them are infants and toddlers.

We provide the things that the government can’t. It might be therapy sessions for a child living with a grandparent, or a fence that makes a relative’s home safe enough for a placement. But it’s especially gratifying when we can pay for art lessons, or sports equipment, or anything that helps bring joy into a child’s life. We want these kids to have pride and self-confidence, and to be successful. Every year we get a list of children from social workers, and we provide backpacks full of age-appropriate school supplies for the social workers to distribute. We get the backpacks from Lands’ End, so they don’t wear out, and the kids can be proud, they feel just like everybody else. The grants we’ve received from Brunswick Electric help pay for this program, and the kids love it.

For reasons of anonymity, we never get to see the children we help, but we know their stories, and it’s so nice when we get to celebrate successes. Social workers tell us when a child is blossoming and doing well, and we provide a gift card for the judge to give the child in congratulations. Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of groups like Ocean Ridge Plantation, St. James Service Club, Brunswick Forest and Winding River Plantation, Sea Trail, the army of small businesses that support our fundraisers, and individual donors.

Our next fundraiser is our Darling Daughter dance, where fathers, grandfathers and special friends can bring their girls for an evening of dancing and fun. It will be held on Feb. 2, 2025, at the Southport Community Center. For tickets, sponsorships, and to donate visit waves4kids.org.