We are one of the fastest growing, most diverse colleges in the nation. Benedict College offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The highly regarded HBCU has been recognized nationally for its programs, including being ranked by Washington Monthly as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the U.S. for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research.

The B Strong Group is a nonprofit founded to spread awareness of sickle cell disease through education, advocacy and empowerment. One of our main initiatives is to encourage people within our community to become regular blood donors. Until there’s a cure that’s safe for everyone with sickle cell, blood transfusions and exchanges are important means of treatment.

Black girls run? Of course, we do. In 2009, Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks created Black Girls RUN! in an effort to tackle the growing obesity epidemic in the African-American community and provide encouragement and resources to both new and veteran runners. The mission of Black Girls RUN! is to encourage African-American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 80 percent of African-American women are overweight. BGR! wants to create a movement to lower that percentage and subsequently, lower the number of women with chronic diseases associated with an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle.

Merrell Johnson is a Loan Officer for Assurance Financial at the Columbia, South Carolina branch. Born a military brat, he has traveled the world and chosen the Heart of South Carolina as his home, where he has been selected by Experience Columbia as an Ambassador for the City. An Alum of the University of South Carolina and LSU-Shreveport, he looks forward to helping you secure your home loan.

City Year is a nonprofit organization that specializes in educational equity. The City Year AmeriCorps Members that we employ exact changes through tutoring and mentorship at the elementary and middle school level all day, every day, preparing students with the social, emotional and academic skills and mindsets to succeed in school and in life. City Year AmeriCorps members not only make a difference in the lives of students they serve, but also acquire valuable skills that help them and prepare them to be leaders in their communities and their careers.

In its third year, the Cola Rosé Shower celebrates women and promotes awareness to feminine care issues that plague women in the Greater Columbia community. By supporting initiatives like feminine healthcare and period poverty. Held at Williams-Brice Stadium, the event transforms Columbia’s most masculine symbol pink for a day to promote unity around the cause of feminine care.

The Columbia Fireflies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Columbia, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. Their home stadium is Segra Park. They are the only professional baseball team in Columbia. Mason the Firefly is the mascot of the Columbia Fireflies. Brad Shank is The President of the team.

COR | Columbia Opportunity Resource helps professionals get plugged in to the community, connecting them to opportunities, experiences and diverse networks. Through programs like Table for Six and Crash Course Columbia, COR fosters local pride and boosts talent retention in the greater Columbia, S.C. region. COR is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

CULYPSC is a volunteer multi-service, non-profit that promotes financial stability and racial inclusion in our community. CULYPSC offers programs designed to provide economic empowerment and educational opportunities for those in need. The mission of the Columbia Urban League Young Professionals (CULYPSC) is to support the Columbia Urban League movement through volunteerism, philanthropy, programming, and membership development. Membership in CULYPSC is one of the best decisions you can make to get a tri-fold experience to serve the community, socialize, and progress personally and professionally.

CVSC is a statewide organization that has been holding elected leaders directly accountable for a safe, clean, and healthy South Carolina since 2003. We use all the tools at our disposal to advance conservation policy in the South Carolina General Assembly, including grassroots advocacy, direct lobbying, and electoral engagement.

Whether you're looking to buy, sell or rent-to-own property in South Carolina, Khali Gallman can assist you. Real estate doesn't have to be a complicated process. From search to sale, she will provide expert advice and unwavering support to help make your experience stress-free. Khali takes pride in walking clients through every step to ensure all needs (and most wants) are met. A Columbia native, she has insight to most neighborhoods for every walk of life.

Since 1896, Epworth Children's Home has been a place for children to grow, learn and be loved. Children ages 12 and up come to us from severely stressed family systems and our goal is to nurture and love them by providing education, counseling, medical care and spiritual enrichment. Our aim is to break the destructive cycle of abuse, neglect and shame and replace it with an opportunity for each child to live a life of self-respect, responsibility and productivity. Epworth serves children, youth and families through providing services for the greatest number of individuals through competent, caring adults who are trained in the most effective, research-based methods of child and family care.

Central South Carolina Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1985 as an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Since 1985, Central SC Habitat for Humanity has provided more than 280 homes in partnership with individuals and organizations across Richland and Lexington Counties. But Habitat provides more than just housing.

Habitat homeowners receive financial education, and learn about building and maintaining their own homes, all while paying an affordable mortgage. Habitat believes that a decent place to live, and an affordable mortgage, creates a situation where homeowners can save more, invest in education, pursue opportunity and have more financial stability. With our help, homeowners achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better future for themselves and for their families.

We preserve places and share complex stories from the past ​that connect us in the present ​and inspire our future. We share the complex history of Columbia and Richland County through historic preservation advocacy, innovative educational programs, and strategic partnerships. There are many ways in which you can get involved.

The Luminal Theater is a nomadic cinema that brings Black films directly to Black & predominantly Black neighborhoods. We provide fully-curated exhibitions of diverse cinema and media of the Black/African diaspora (African-American, African, Caribbean, Afro-European, etc.), allowing these artists to present their work within our unique brand of shared audience experiences, presented in majority-Black communities across the United States & virtually. We also specialize in focusing on presenting the work of local filmmakers in the places in which we exhibit.

Alleviating hardships of poverty and housing and food insecurities by meeting immediate needs of residents in our community

- Midlands Community Fridge Program

- Operation Bookbag

- Care Packages for Homeless

We are Premier Legacy Final Expense Solutions (PLFES). PLFES has been on a crusade for the last 10 years helping people all across the nation with benefits for Final Expense costs. Partnered with the number one company in America and the number one training and marketing program on the East Coast, PLFES is poised to succeed. We have a track record with a phenomenal system that any one looking for a new career can learn and grow with immediately.

Soda City Certified® is Columbia’s only app that promotes local events, restaurants, historical sites, and attractions, encouraging residents and visitors to explore the city. Columbia, South Carolina is famously known for great food, warm weather, smiling faces, and burgeoning downtown districts. But there is so much more to explore! We have partnered with some of Columbia’s most intriguing attractions, arts and historical sites, local businesses, and restaurants. Coupled with a few notable events, being Soda City Certified has its perks.

Together SC serves the thousands of South Carolinians dedicated to community service, leadership, and caring through nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. Together SC is comprised of 800+ member organizations that consist of thought leaders, agents of change, and trusted, vital community advocates. It is the only statewide membership organization focused on bringing together South Carolina's leaders and partners to strengthen the state's entire nonprofit community.

Women united to create positive, measurable, long-term change in the lives of women and their families through leadership, networking, philanthropy and volunteering. United Way of the Midlands | Women in Philanthropy strives to stimulate positive change in community leadership by increasing women’s involvement in the community, women’s community networks and personal development of all women involved. We promote the idea that every woman can and must be a philanthropist if the challenges facing women and families are going to be addressed.