Involved in Building a Better World
Are you a Dirt Worshipper? Our Grow Getters team meets each Tuesday (weather permitting) to remove/control invasive species of plants and continue transforming the campus with native plants to support our local ecosystem. Come get your hands dirty with us!
At UUTC, engaging in social action and lending our time, energy, and skills to help others is an essential component of what it means to live our faith and our principles. The Social Action Team, as part of its work, provides leadership within the congregation for impactful engagement in social justice endeavors that are aligned with UUTC goals and Unitarian Universalist values.
the dignity project
Our signature project, the Dignity Project, provides items that cannot be purchased using SNAP funds or are otherwise of great need to our most vulnerable--especially women and children. Every month, UUTC's Social Action Team contributes diapers, menstrual hygiene products, toothpaste, razors, condoms and more to our community partners who distribute these goods on our behalf.
A history of Involvement
From very early in UUTC's existence, we have devoted our energies to addressing needs and challenges in Transylvania County.
To aid those in need of low- or no-cost health care services, for example, one member brought to the congregation her experience with the free medical clinic in Hilton Head, and her dream of starting one here in Transylvania County. By inviting retired doctors, nurses, and others to a UUTC-sponsored presentation, we were able to recruit enough participants to achieve critical mass. The hard-fought efforts of that coalition led to the establishment of the Free Clinic. Until it was subsumed by Blue Ridge Health, it was supported with time and treasure by many in our congregation.
“These two efforts demonstrate, I believe, two characteristics that are encouraged by our faith: the willingness to lead in addressing social concerns, and the willingness to build a coalition to accomplish a goal.”
The story of The Haven is somewhat similar. Another congregant's awareness of homelessness in Transylvania County inspired her to seek help from like-minded community members to create a safe place to sleep for those who wanted support on the journey out of homelessness. From board recruitment to a feasibility study to fundraising, together many hands and hearts succeeded in creating the new shelter. The success of The Haven depends on the work and support of many, but without UUTC's involvement, it would not have gotten off the ground when it did.
“For me, being a member of UUTC and the Social Action Team is about keeping our doors open and welcoming to all. Our Welcoming Congregation is just one example. We would not be who we are without the richness our LGBTQ brothers and sisters have brought to our UUTC community in so many ways. And I like that we never stop looking for ways to reach out to others who might need to hear our message of openness to feel it is safe to enter our doors.”