On November 5, children at NOC’s Island Lutheran Learning Center were treated to a very special visitor – Zoara the Comfort Dog. Zoara is an AKC Golden Retriever that visits local hospitals, schools, senior centers/nursing/care centers, hospice, charities, and community organizations.

Zoara wears a vest that says “please pet me. ”  And the NOC children definitely did that! A service dog helps people feel safe, plus it is nonjudgmental and demonstrates unconditional love.

If everyone could start their day petting a dog that loves them, the world would be a far better place.

Several members of the Bluffton Police Department recently visited NOC’s Onyx Learning Center in Bluffton to build positive relationships with children and families living in the ONYX Apartment complex. Members of the Police Department helped children complete their homework and also reinforce reading skills. The children were happy to meet members of the Police Department in their neighborhood.

NOC appreciates these busy first responders spending time with the children. This was an important initiative for building a partnership between the community and law enforcement.

NOC’s learning centers provide children an enabling environment for academic achievement through improved skills in math, reading, and language arts. Additionally, NOC’s centers provide children a platform for positive social and emotional integration and sense of community. While they are at the centers, children can leave behind the stress and anxiety resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. NOC’s after school learning program has become an important option for children in the absence of face-to-face learning.

NOC would like to open its six learning centers for additional hours of learning for high-risk children while local schools have adopted a hybrid learning program. With help from the Beaufort County School District, these children could receive support at NOC’s learning centers to facilitate their learning needs and requirements. But without such support, including help from other non-profit education service providers, many high-risk children will fall further behind academically.

NOC welcomes Madeline Helser-Howard as its new Executive Director.

Madeline comes to NOC from the Beaufort County Library System where she spent the last five years serving the community as a Senior Librarian and Youth Services Coordinator. During her tenure with the Library she created the collaborative “Summer @ Your Library,” a joint program between the Beaufort County School District and Beaufort County Library System. She also re-imagined and expanded library services to the YMCA Migrant Education Program and taught many free parent reading workshops through Born to Read, Inc. She holds a MSLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has over fifteen years’ experience serving youth and their families in programs that promote self-empowerment through education.

Madeline lives in Beaufort with her husband Josh, surrounded by pets, books, and musical instruments.

Madeline will help NOC expand its mission and outreach programs locally and nationally, so that more people can realize economic and social progress and a better quality of life.