Upstate Education & Opportunity Foundation

Investing in Students Across Pickens County Schools

How We Serve All Children

Make an Impact

Your donation builds bridges to a healthier, brighter future for families.

If you prefer to make your gift by check, please make it payable to: Upstate Education & Opportunity Foundation
Mail to: Upstate Education & Opportunity Foundation,
1348 Griffin Mill Road Easley, SC 29640

Note: The purpose of your gift (e.g., a specific school, program, or area of greatest need)

Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email so we can confirm your donation and send a receipt

Mission Statement

We invest in innovative education and community development to uplift children and families in Pickens County South Carolina.

Vision Statement

To build a future where families thrive in a safe, vibrant community that values virtuous character, wellness, and education, and where robust careers and economic development create lasting prosperity for generations to come.

Our Mission in Action

We exist to bridge the gap between what schools need and what public funding provides. Our mission is to ensure that every child—regardless of background—has the opportunity to learn, thrive, and achieve their fullest potential.

We are an authentically American school district—rooted in local values, built by hard-working families, and guided by a deep respect for our neighbors’ desire for low taxes. This commitment means that public funding alone cannot meet every need of our students and teachers.

That’s where we step in. We invite our neighbors, business owners, and community members to journey alongside us—investing their time, talent, and treasure to help educate the next generation of Pickens County residents.

How You Can Make an Impact

At the Upstate Education & Opportunity Foundation, every gift—of time, talent, or treasure—creates real change for children and families across Pickens County.

1. Discern Your Calling

Begin by reflecting on how you feel called to give back to the world. Every person has a unique gift to offer—some through their time and service, others through their expertise, and many through their financial generosity. However you are moved to give, your contribution helps shape a stronger future for our community’s children.

2. Choose How You Give

3. See Your Impact in Action

Each month, schools receive direct funding from the gifts designated for them. Benefactors see their generosity at work through updates, photos, and stories that highlight the lives changed because of their investment.

4. Join the Movement

Give your time by volunteering in schools, share your talent by mentoring or providing expertise, or offer your treasure by making a one-time or recurring gift. Together, we are transforming education in Pickens County—one child at a time.

time

Give your time by mentoring, volunteering, or tutoring and make a lasting impact on students and teachers.

talent

Share your talents by offering your skills, expertise, or leadership to enrich education and support student success.

treasure

Invest in education by donating resources, funding programs, or providing supplies to support students and teachers.

Impact stories

Experiential Learning

Special Education

All Means All

Volunteering time

major district-wide initiatives

Equip Every Child to Thrive

When you give to special education, you’re helping create a world where every child—regardless of ability—can learn, grow, and thrive.

Your gift helps fund:

Every donation helps ensure students with disabilities are not left behind—but fully included, supported, and empowered.

Together, we can create learning environments where all children are seen, valued, and given the tools they need to succeed.

Fuel Hands-On Learning

When you support experiential, project-based learning, you’re helping students go beyond textbooks to build, create, and discover through real-world experiences.

Your gift helps fund:

Outdoor classrooms, field-based science, and nature-based learning
Career-connected projects like building gardens, launching businesses, or solving local problems
Field Trips locally, nationally, and internationally
Hands-on materials and mentorships that bring lessons to life

These experiences ignite curiosity, boost academic achievement, and teach critical life skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance.

With your support, learning becomes meaningful—and every student sees how their education connects to the world around them.

Invest in the Earliest Years—Where Learning Begins

A strong start can change a child’s entire future. When you support early childhood education, you’re laying the foundation for lifelong learning, confidence, and success.

Your gift helps provide:

Every dollar helps close the gap before it widens—ensuring all children enter school ready to learn, thrive, and reach their full potential.

Give early. Change everything.

Support Arts & Music Education: Let Every Child Find Their Voice

Arts and music education spark creativity, build confidence, and open doors for students to express themselves in powerful ways. From paintbrushes to banjos, these experiences help children discover who they are—and what they’re capable of.

Your gift helps provide:

Instruments, supplies, and performance materials for school programs
Access to transformative programs like YAMS (Young Appalachian Musicians), which preserve regional culture while teaching discipline and joy through music
Creative spaces where students can paint, dance, act, and sing their way to deeper learning

When we invest in the arts, we invest in the whole child—mind, heart, and spirit.

Help us keep the arts alive in every school. Because every child deserves a chance to be heard.

Power the Future with STEM Education

STEM education sparks curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking—preparing students not just for tests, but for life in a fast-changing world.

Your gift helps provide:

From coding and circuitry to design thinking and digital art, students learn to dream big and think boldly.

By supporting STEM education, you’re helping the next generation become not just learners—but inventors, creators, and leaders.

Transform Classrooms into Spaces that Inspire

The right environment can spark creativity, focus, and collaboration. Innovative classroom furniture goes beyond desks and chairs—it invites movement, interaction, and flexible thinking.

Your gift helps provide:

These tools are more than comfort—they’re catalysts for engagement, equity, and empowerment.

Help us design learning spaces where students don’t just sit—they think, explore, and thrive.

Support Student Wellness: Healthy Minds, Healthy Futures

Children can’t learn if they’re overwhelmed, anxious, or unwell. That’s why investing in mental health and physical wellness is essential to ensuring every child has the foundation they need to succeed—inside and outside the classroom.

Your gift helps provide:

Housing support for families experiencing homelessness
Wellness spaces and calming rooms that give students a safe place to reset and refocus
Physical wellness programs, including fitness equipment, hydration stations, movement-based learning tools, and healthy nutrition education
Training for teachers and staff in trauma-informed care and student mental health first aid

From mindfulness moments to movement breaks, we are creating schools where children feel safe, strong, and supported—every single day.

Support whole-child wellness—and help every student grow with confidence, strength, and hope.

Invest in Athletics: Build Character, Teamwork, and Opportunity

School athletics do more than build strong bodies—they build strong leaders. Through sports, students learn discipline, teamwork, resilience, and pride in themselves and their schools.

Your gift helps provide:

Updated equipment and safe uniforms for student-athletes across the district
Facility upgrades and field improvements that benefit both students and the community
Equitable access to sports programs for all students, regardless of income
Character-building coaching and leadership programs that extend far beyond the field

Athletics help students stay engaged in school, build lifelong friendships, and develop the confidence to tackle challenges on and off the field.

When you support school athletics, you’re investing in more than a game—you’re investing in a generation.

Map The Impact

Click on the school below

Dacusville Middle School

Phone:

864-397-3500

Address:

899 Thomas Mill Road, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Nate Roper

Dacusville Elementary School

Phone:

864-397-2800

Address:

200 Cherokee Trail, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Travis Chapman

East End Elementary School

Phone:

864-397-1700

Address:

505 East Second Avenue, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Chris Brewington

Project GO Alternative Program

Phone:

864-397-1300

Address:

1755 Shady Grove Road, Pickens, SC 29671

Principal:

Mr. Tye Morgan

Pickens County Virtual Academy

Phone:

864-397-3310

Address:

899 Thomas Mill Road, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mrs. Lori Gwinn

easley high School

Phone:

864-397-3100

Address:

154 Green Wave Boulevard, Easley, SC 29642

Principal:

Mr. Josh Oxendine

Clemson Elementary Tiger

Phone:

864-397-1500

Address:

581 Berkeley Drive, Clemson, SC 29631

Principal:

Mr. David Thompson

Adult Learning Center School

Phone:

864-397-3800

Address:

201 South 5th Street, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Brad Blackston

mckissick Academy

Phone:

864-397-2204

Address:

201 156 McKissick Road, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mrs. Heather Touchberry

Liberty Primary School

Phone:

864-397-3800

Address:

201 South 5th Street, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Brad Blackston

D.w. Daniel High School

Phone:

864-397-2900

Address:

140 Blue and Gold Boulevard, Central, SC 29630

Principal:

Mr. Adam Russell

liberty primary school

Phone:

864-397-3800

Address:

201 South 5th Street, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Brad Blackston

Liberty High School

Phone:

864-397-2600

Address:

124 Red Devil Drive, Liberty, SC 29657

Principal:

Mr. Johnny Garrett

R.C. Edwards Middle School

Phone:

864-397-4200

Address:

1157 Madden Bridge Road, Central, SC 29630

Principal:

Mr. Thomas Preisig

dacusville elementary School

Phone:

864-397-2800

Address:

200 Cherokee Trail, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Travis Chapman

Hagood Elementary School

Phone:

864-397-1900

Address:

435 Sparks Lane, Pickens, SC 29671

Principal:

Mrs. Jessica Hendricks

Liberty Elementary School

Phone:

864-397-2100

Address:

251 North Hillcrest Street, Liberty, SC 29657

Principal:

Dr. Lowell Haynes

Pickens Elementary

Phone:

864-397-2300

Address:

567 Hampton Avenue, Pickens, SC 29671

Principal:

Mrs. Shannon Lawton

Pickens High School

Phone:

864-397-3600

Address:

150 Blue Flame Dr., Pickens, SC 29671

Principal:

Mrs. Lauren Corn

Wese End Elementary

Phone:

864-397-2500

Address:

314 Pelzer Highway, Easley, SC 29642

Principal:

Mrs. Kimberly Robson

liberty middle logo

Phone:

864-397-3400

Address:

125 Falcon Lane, Liberty, SC 29657

Principal:

Dr. Lisa Cassidy

Six Mile Elementary School

Phone:

864-397-2400

Address:

777 North Main Street, Six Mile, SC 29682

Principal:

Mrs. Melissa Terry

Pickens Middle School

Phone:

864-397-4100

Address:

140 Torch Drive, Pickens, SC 29671

Principal:

Dr. James King

Ambler Elementary Wildcats

Phone:

864-397-1200

Address:

838 Ambler School Road, Pickens, SC 29671

Principal:

Dr. Carlton Lewis

career & Technology center

Phone:

864-397-4500

Address:

990 Chastain Road, Liberty, SC 29657

Principal:

Mr. Ken Hitchcock

Central Academy of the Arts

Phone:

864-397-1400

Address:

608 Johnson Road, Central, SC 29630

Principal:

Brittney Morgan

Forest Acres Elementary School

Phone:

864-397-1800

Address:

401 McAlister Road, Easley, SC 29642

Principal:

Mr. Andy Holliday

Crosswell Elementary School

Phone:

864-397-1600

Address:

161 School Road, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Andrew Shipman

R.H. Gettys Middle School

Phone:

864-397-3900

Address:

510 South Pendleton Street, Easley, SC 29640

Principal:

Mr. Nate Roper

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