Every child deserves a creative education, no matter where they live.
The CARE Project spent four years showing what the right investments and the right partnerships can do for rural schools.
The Spark: A Vision for
Rural Kids
The story of the CARE Project begins with a simple, powerful belief: every child deserves a creative education, regardless of where they live or the resources available in their schools.
Where It Started
Back in 1987, a group of visionary leaders in South Carolina came together to establish the Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Project, which later grew into the ABC Institute. Their goal was to help schools across the state build strong arts programs. Yet, more than 30 years later, the team realized a persistent gap: small, rural schools—especially those facing generational poverty—were still left out.
Turning the Vision Into Action
In 2021, Dr. Kim Wilson, Director of the ABC Institute, set out to change this. Securing a federal grant, she launched the Community Access to the Arts in Rural Education (CARE) Project.
Dr. Wilson and her team began with an essential mindset: poverty does not equal a lack of talent, imagination, or passion. Instead, the isolation and tight budgets of rural towns simply create structural roadblocks that require a more creative, community-centered approach.
To build enough strength to overcome these hurdles, the CARE Project began working in Allendale County and soon expanded to nearby Hampton County, encouraging the two small school districts to “think like a region” and share their strengths and resources
Small Counties, Real Proof
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Years of community learning and adaptation
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School Districts collaborating across county lines
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Resilient Goal: Lasting access to arts education
The Story Continues
Although the federal grant project known as the CARE Project is coming to an end, the ABC Institute will sustain the lessons learned and carry this work forward.
See How It Worked
None of this happened by accident. Five guiding practices shaped every step of the CARE Project, from Allendale to Hampton County.