Meeting Street Schools benefits from COCO partnership

The Credit One Charleston Open has selected Meeting Street Schools, a network of South Carolina schools that offers underserved students life-changing educational opportunities, as its official nonprofit partner.

 

Meeting Street Schools began in 2008 with just 33 young learners in a downtown Charleston church and now serves 1,700 students across four campuses: three in Charleston County and one in Spartanburg. The schools were founded on the principle that all children can excel in the classroom and provide an environment where students are nurtured, challenged, and inspired to reach their full potential.

 

“We’re just so honored for the opportunity to showcase the incredible work happening in our schools,” said Josh Bell, president of Beemok Education, a portfolio of education initiatives that includes Meeting Street Schools.

 

“Education is one of the most powerful ways we can transform our communities, and Meeting Street Schools is one of the ways we’re changing the landscape of education in South Carolina.”

 

Bell said students and teachers will take field trips to the tournament and are excited to watch live professional tennis and to appear on court alongside players to participate in coin flips and receive recognition for their academic achievements.

 

“The tournament selected this nonprofit organization because of the transformative opportunities it provides hard-working students,” said Bob Moran, president of Beemok Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the Credit One Charleston Open.

 

“Our award-winning tournament attracts players from across the globe, and this partnership will expand students’ worldview through interactions with these athletes,” Moran said. “Not only will we welcome students to Daniel Island to experience world-class tennis, but we also will bring some of these top players to their neighborhoods and classrooms, creating meaningful connections and inspiring the next generation.”

 

The tennis connection is not new to Meeting Street Schools, where students from LTP Academy on Daniel Island can be found volunteering in classrooms and serving as student mentors. “It’s been a great partnership that we’re excited to expand upon this year,” said Bell.

 

The funds raised by the alliance will help pay for enrichment programs and classroom libraries that Bell said will “spark a love of reading and learning” in all Meeting Street Schools. The partnership will also increase community awareness of the schools’ volunteer offerings and the new Teaching Fellows program for recent college graduates who want to make a difference through education.

 

The Credit One Charleston Open and Meeting Street Schools are both part of the Beemok portfolio, a collection of businesses and organizations spearheaded by Ben and Kelly Navarro that strive to make the Lowcountry a better place to live, work, and play. This new collaboration celebrates both organizations’ shared commitment to excellence and to enhancing the Charleston community.

 

“We work really hard to create life-changing outcomes for students in our schools and help them achieve at high levels,” Bell said. “So this recognition is really special, and we’re thrilled about it.”