About WakeUp Carolina
A Recovery Community Organization Serving The Greater Charleston, SC Area New Here?Download BrochureOur Story, Our Promise
We invite you to be a part of the awakening.
WakeUp Carolina began with a promise. A promise made to a beautiful boy by his Mother ignited our community’s desire to affect change. We honor that promise and Creighton Shipman’s memory by supporting every youth battling substance use and their family.
Mission & Purpose
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mahatma Gandhi
More than bricks and mortar, WakeUp Carolina gives wings to the belief that there should be a safe place for our community to come together and provide hope, raise awareness, and facilitate recovery for Charleston’s youth, young adults and their families. Community partners throughout the area have united to address the rising substance misuse among our youth head-on.
Who We Are
Our Team & Leadership
We work to demonstrate the power and promise of Recovery from addiction, and the value Recovery provides to individuals, families, and entire communities throughout the Lowcountry.
Founder & Executive Director
Senior Program Director
Young Adult Program Manager
Elizabeth Szala
Program Coordinator
Family Program Manager
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors consists of volunteers committed to raising awareness, education, and support for Recovery. Today, with the support of a professional staff, the Board remains dedicated to advancing our mission and guiding the continued growth of WakeUp Carolina.
Jay Thrower
Chair
Vice Chair
Treasurer
Secretary
Nanci Steadman Shipman
Our Team
Creighton’s Story
Get Involved
Our Beliefs & Strategies
We are a recovery community organization (RCO), an independent, non-profit organization led and governed by representatives of our local recovery community. We organize recovery-focused advocacy activities, carry out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs, and provide peer-based recovery support services.
Building strong, grassroots organizations
that develop leaders, offer opportunities for recovering people to express their collective voice, and provide a forum for community service.
Advocating for meaningful representation
for people in long-term recovery and their family members on issues that affect their lives.
Assessing needs
related to the adequacy and quality of local treatment and recovery support services.
Educating the public & service providers
about the prevalence and multiple pathways of addiction recovery.
Developing human & fiscal resources
by expanding philanthropic and public support for addiction treatment, recovery support services, and recovery advocacy, and cultivating volunteerism within local communities of recovery.
Celebrating recovery from addiction
through public events that offer living testimony of the transformative power of recovery.
