SOS Care is Answering the Call: How this Local Nonprofit is Helping Children and Adults with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities

By: Ashley Daniels

Sarah Pope, CEO of Murrells Inlet-based SOS Care, knew early on in her 35-plus-year career that she was right where she wanted to be in the world of working with children and adults with disabilities.

“I’m originally from England, and that’s where I went to college with a background in social work,” she says. “I didn’t really know I was going to end up in this field, but I knew I wanted to work with children. One of my professors signed me up to work at the National Autistic Society in London, and that was my first experience in the field. I honestly had no idea what I was getting into at the time. I’ve never really been around anybody that had a disability. I worked in a children’s school there, and it became my instant love. I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life.”

Here in South Carolina, Dr. Bill Davis founded then SOS Healthcare in 1989 as a nonprofit organization that focused on providing medical services to those who couldn’t afford them. Pope sat on the board for a few years, and in 2010, Dr. Davis decided to transition out of the nonprofit into working in the field to help people with disabilities and autism in particular. He retired, asked Pope to take the lead because of her experience, and she became executive director.

Today, SOS Care has expanded to provide programs for children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities so they can live as independently as possible through camps, activities, and classes that teach vital life and social skills throughout Horry, Georgetown, and Charleston counties.

“We really expanded several years ago when we recognized, especially for adults, that there were no services when they were leaving school, and we wanted to be able to help with that,” says Pope. “I’m such a huge advocate for people with disabilities because they’ve been pushed aside for so long and sometimes don’t have their own voice, and people didn’t always see value in their work or being around them in general. So, I wanted to really work hard on being in front of people, being part of the community, and showing the value of this population. They have so much to offer the world.”

She says SOS Care has made immense progress for this underserved population, but they still have a lot of work to do.

“The loneliness factor that happens is a huge deficit for people in our population,” says Pope. “They don’t always have access to friends, group activities, or being with people who are similar to them. Being able to connect them and see them have friends, make friends, and have these lasting relationships is such a game changer … They become happier, and experience good health benefits, mental health benefits, and confidence. We’re seeing some great outcomes for people that are life-changing for them as adults.”

In addition to the successful programs, SOS Care also offers affordable housing communities for those with autism and intellectual disabilities. Oak Tree Farm in Conway, one of the only communities like this in South Carolina, currently has 78 residents, with 50 more expected to live here after phase four is built within the next year. And, after a housing market study was conducted, a community in Charleston is in the works.

Pope, a mother of two young men with autism, says that SOS Care’s continued growth and bright future desperately depend on community involvement and support. This can come from employers and businesses willing to work with the nonprofit’s employment specialists, event volunteers, and donors. You can also host their Bean Dreaming coffee truck, which is part of their employment program, at a special event or wedding.

“We have a team of people on the truck that are learning employment skills, and so we love being able to bring that service to the community,” she says. “That’s really been taking off lately, and we’d love to have more contracts to be able to do that. … We’re helping locals have full lives and are integrated into the community as much as possible.”

For more information, visit Soscaresc.org.