Valley / Mountain Park

Valley/Mountain Park CRO focus Is Kids Come First. Working with local schools and organizations benefiting children and their families, CRO provides both financial support and volunteer services. Since its inception in 2007, Valley/Mountain Park CRO has raised over $2 million from our residents and investors and volunteered over 130,000 hours of resident time. In 2020, the pandemic limited the ability of CRO to both volunteer and raise funds. Despite these obstacles, CRO raised $215,000 to aid the local community in this time of extraordinary need.

Our Programs

Public School Education

Local School Support

CRO works with neighborhood public schools to enrich their educational programs and improve the lives of their students. Our current target schools are located in the Travelers Rest – Marietta area of the Upstate.

We currently have programs in two elementary schools (Gateway and Slater-Elementary), one middle school (Northwest), and one high school (Travelers Rest). Students in the two elementary schools will attend the latter two schools as their education progresses. In addition, we work with public high school students enrolled in Furman University’s Bridges to a Brighter Future Program.

Gateway Elementary School

CRO has provided family nutritional support since 2013; we purchased Fountas and Pinnell reading kits for 4 grades and completed the purchase of Chromebooks for every child in the school. We have purchased dry erase desks for 4 grades and provided computer charging carts for every classroom.

Slater-Marietta Elementary School

Cliffs residents have been volunteering in a tutoring program at Slater-Marietta since 2007.

CRO provided classroom and playground equipment. CRO also funded a new Second Step/Emotional Curriculum for students and teachers aimed at student personal growth.

Supplemental food support started at Slater-Marietta in 2006.

Northwest Middle School

CRO support founded a robotics program at Northwest in 2018. In the two years of the program, over 50 students constructed, programmed, and competed with their robots at tournaments throughout the state. Six of the teams performed well enough to compete at the state championships in 2019 and 2020.

CRO supported physical health and athletics by equipping a weight room used by all students.

Supplemental food support began at Northwest in 2013.

Travelers Rest High School

CRO supported a unique nutrition and training program for athletes and students interested in careers in law enforcement and the military. The program has been recently expanded to provide equipment that monitors exercise physiology and weight room equipment for their newly expanded gymnasium. The new weight room will benefit all students at the school.

Nutritional support began at the high school in 2018.

Bridges to a Brighter Future

Bridges to a Brighter Future is a Furman University Program for public high school students throughout Greenville County with exceptional academic promise but limited financial means. Students are recommended to the program by their high schools.

Since 2007, CRO has supported the purchase of laptop computers for students graduating from the program to help them in their college careers, visits to potential college campuses, and annual men and women of distinction dinners that acquaint students with successful career professionals.

Cliffs residents volunteer time to the program as mentors and tutors. In addition, Cliffs residents have taught courses in the Bridges Summer Program in which students spend a month on the Furman campus.

Nutritional Support

A hungry child cannot learn. Nutritional insufficiency is an ongoing problem in the Upstate and especially acute in the current year because of the pandemic.

CRO has operated a backpack program since 2006 to supplement food needs for students and their families over week-ends when school meals are not available. Participating students are nominated by their schools.

Support For Non-Profit Organizations

Project Hope Academy

Project Hope works with children and adults with autism.

CRO provided A/V equipment, smart white boards, and Samsung tablets used in their educational program.

North Greenville Head Start

CRO has been collaborating with Greenville Head Start since 2017. We work with the North Greenville program located in Travelers Rest.

CRO purchased tablets for all grades, a playground with popular sandbox, and a playhouse.

In 2020, holiday food boxes were delivered by CRO volunteers in Santa’s sleigh.

Foothills Family Resources

Foothills Family Resources, located in Marietta, offers resources to Upstate families in need including a food pantry, job counseling and training, links to government assistance programs, and GED training.

CRO funding has assisted their GED program.

A Child's Haven

A Child’s Haven works with children who have developmental delays due to lack of resources or neglect.

CRO provided funds for equipment including a security system, a washer/dryer, laptop computers, A/V equipment, and a kitchen steamer used to prepare breakfast and lunch for the children.

YMCA Judson Community Center

YMCA Judson Community Center serves elementary school students in the Hollis area located south of Berea.

They provide after school and holiday daycare for children of working families.

Mental Health America of Greenville County

Mental Health of America Greenville County works to positively impact mental health through advocacy, awareness, and service.

CRO funding has supported this initiative for several years including their program in suicide prevention for pre-teens in Greenville County.

Upstate Warrior Solution

Upstate Warrior Solution provides supportive services to all active, retired, and former members of the US Armed Forces and their families living in the Upstate.

In addition to partnering with Upstate Warrier Solutions in an annual fund-raising golf tournament, CRO funds various activities supported by the organization.

Holiday Programs

Cliffs Kringle

Cliffs Kringle provides Holiday presents to children at Gateway Elementary, Slater-Marietta Elementary, and Northwest Middle Schools.

In December 2020, CRO provided presents to 127 children. Each bag of presents included clothing, shoes, toys, and educational items.

Holiday Food Gifts

In December 2020, CRO distributed 260 holiday food boxes or vouchers to students and their families from the schools we sponsor including:

75 Harvest Hope Food Boxes
60 Holiday Food Vouchers

Two new food programs began this year:

In partnership with Alair Homes, 100 Holiday Food Boxes were distributed to students from Northwest Middle School and Travelers Rest High School
28 Holiday Food Vouchers were provided to families chosen by North Greenville Head Start.

Advisory Council

For questions about current initiatives, please contact any of our Advisory Council Members.

Dianne Sontag, Chair
Bob Love, Treasurer
Carol Miller, Secretary
Sue Berget
Sheri Katzplotkin
Ken Martin
Robin Coseo
Terry Eihl
Barry Miller
Peg Moreland
Julie Taylor, Past President
Barb Watkins
Mike Weitzel

News

CRO responded to the 2020 – 2021 COVID pandemic by special programs and funding for community need:

CRO purchased microphone headsets for 35 teachers to aid in communication when wearing masks and shields.
The robotics program at Northwest Middle School was replaced by a remote computer design program in which students designed magic tricks which were subsequently 3D printed.
The nutritional support backpack program was replaced by a voucher system. Ongoing nutritional support was provided to 135 students and their families.
Foothills Family Resources received food collected as part of the Valley/Mountain Park Food Drive which collected over 2,000 pounds of food in December, 2020. The collected food was donated to Foothills Family Resources which hosts a food back for needy local families.
CRO distributed holiday food packages or vouchers to 260 students and their families. Our partner in a portion of this effort was Allair Homes.

Making A Difference

With the support of these valued Corporate Partners, the CRO is making a difference in the lives of children in the Upstate through literacy, nutrition and mentoring programs. Donations payable to: CRO, Inc., Box 311, Travelers Rest, SC 29690

Presenting Corporate Partner

CRO is grateful for the ongoing generous support of our Corporate Partners which plays an important part in reaching our goals. Please support them if you are in need of their goods or services, and join us in thanking them for their commitment to our mission!

Our Corporate Partners Make a Difference.

TITANIUM LEVEL

PLATINUM LEVEL

GOLD LEVEL

SILVER LEVEL

BRONZE LEVEL

Title Sponsor

For information about becoming a Corporate Partner, please contact Scott Wallace

Valley / Mountain Park CRO Event Sponsors

enabling Upstate children to succeed

Lead Benefactors

Alair Homes
Bank of Travelers Rest
Compass Construction
Novus Advisors
Prisma Health
Trehel Corporation

Benefactors

Atwood Fine Architectural Cabinets
Augustine Literacy Project
Ezelle/Hines Properties
Fusion AV
George Coleman Ford
Highsmith & Highsmith
Innovative Manufacturing
Red Elm
Travelers Rest Animal Hospital

Patrons

Autumn Financial Group
Bergeron Custom Homes
Blossman Gas
Blue Ridge Electric Coop
Bradshaw
Gordon & Clinkscales LLC
Core 450
Greenspace Outdoor Construction
Joel Wolk/Christie's International Real Estate
Morgan Keefe Homes
NHE Property Management
The Orchard Inn
Russell Fyzical Therapy
The Heirloom Companies
TR Jewelers