About Us

Over 40 years ago Barbara Stone founded Greenville County Disabilities & Special Needs Board, then known as Greenville Association for the Retarded, because she knew of the great need for local services for people with lifelong severe disabilities.

Since 1991, the Barbara Stone Foundation has provided funds to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. A great example of our work is Camp Spearhead started in 1968. This camp has been a top-of-the-list experience for people with special needs since the day it opened. In 2008 the camp became part of the County Parks and Recreation Department. In 2010, a new state-of-the-art camp was opened and the foundation gave over $37,000 to provide need-based scholarships for campers.

In the past, the State provided funds to support core services and the Foundation provided supplemental services not funded by the State or Medicaid. But now we are being asked for funds to support basic services.

Currently hundreds of desperate families in Greenville County need services but have been placed on a waiting list. This list has been frozen for two years, with no thaw in sight.

The Barbara Stone Foundation is focusing on two overwhelming needs. The first is the need for respite care for those hundreds of families who are taking care of a loved one with severe disabilities but are receiving no help from the county or state. This round-the-clock, 24/7 care is physically and mentally exhausting. Unrelenting stress is damaging to the family and the person with disabilities.

The second priority of the Foundation is to help people who sustain severe head and spinal injuries. Currently, a service gap exists between the time a survivor of head and spinal cord injuries leaves the hospital or rehabilitation facility and Medicaid approval. This approval process can take months. Meanwhile the survivor needs medication, therapies, and medical supplies (diapers, pads, adaptive devices). We are seeking funds to provide emergency help until Medicaid or other services can be arranged.

Each year, individuals with severe disabilities and their families live in fear of losing services. Their advocates must fight for services for the disabled during the state budget process. The Barbara Stone Foundation is committed to supporting this community by raising awareness of the needs and helping to secure adequate services,

The state’s decline in revenues is forcing drastic funding cuts.
It is imperative that the community give and give now!