MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Every five minutes a person in the United States dies from a drug overdose, according to the American Medical Association. To help address the alarming rise in substance misuse in the Lowcountry and offer hope in recovery, WakeUp Carolina celebrated the grand opening of its newest location in Moncks Corner on Monday.
“Today is surreal. It’s hard to put words into it, but I’m thankful we are welcome here with open arms as every family and every person should be,” said Nanci Steadman Shipman, WakeUp Carolina’s founder and executive director.
Situated along East Main Street in the heart of downtown, this is the second location for Shipman’s nonprofit. She launched WakeUp Carolina in Mount Pleasant two months after her son, Creighton Shipman, died of a drug overdose in 2016. For the last seven years, she’s made it her mission to offer support to people and families impacted by the opioid epidemic.
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“You’re not alone. We’ll meet you right where you are. Whether it’s in our space in Charleston County, Berkeley County, reach out,” she said. “We have a great team.”
Services offered by WakeUp Carolina include harm reduction training, Narcan and fentanyl testing, rapid HIV testing, peer support, Narcan training, and much more.
“We provide education. We provide family support groups for family members who have been impacted or have lost a loved one to an overdose – and it’s not just opioids. It’s all substances,” she said.
According to Shipman, opening a second office in Moncks Corner made sense since more than half of the people seeking her nonprofit’s services are Berkeley County residents.
“Berkeley County is like everywhere else. Fentanyl is killing people. It is destroying families, and we need as many opportunities to reverse overdoses and have access to treatment and access to life-saving measures with harm reduction,” she said.
Dean Stephens, a familiar face to the Lowcountry who previously served as the main anchor for ABC News 4 for more than 30 years, is WakeUp Carolina’s new director of development for Berkeley County. In that role, he will help drive initiatives aimed at positively impacting the lives of those on their journey to recovery.
“It’s all about wellness and extending hope to people who may feel hopeless. We’ve set up this amazing office. The one really important thing about WakeUp Carolina is that we are here to listen,” Stephens said. “We want to hear what the community has to say, what the community wants, what the community’s needs are. And then we will go forward and help with resources and set up groups right here.”
Since its launch in February, Stephens said the support from Berkeley County leaders and residents has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s been a pleasure. It’s been an honor. There is so much gratitude involved with this team,” he said. “We have made so many partnerships and community advocates here already in the first three or four weeks. I can’t imagine what it’s going to look like in the days, the weeks, and the years to come.”
To learn more about WakeUp Carolina, visit https://www.wakeupcarolina.org. The Berkeley County office, which is at 325 E. Main Street, can be reached at (843) 761-6677 or [email protected].
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