Kids in the North Augusta Gardens apartment complex have a new resource operating on their behalf, with the blessing of Fairview Presbyterian Church, Aiken County Adult Education and a few dozen community boosters.

Rose Rivers, the complex's manager, helped pave the way for an apartment to be set aside for use in helping with a tutoring program for kids, a GED program for adults, a Cub Scout pack and a similar program - Garden Girls - for young female neighbors.

Dozens of residents gathered Nov. 4 to dedicate The Gardens Learning Center, with help from the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, which provided manpower and a massive grill to prepare meals for the occasion.

Among the program's boosters is Fairview member Grace Manci, an honor student at North Augusta High School. Recalling the past few months of outreach, she said, "We were in an extra room that they have by the office, but they had an empty apartment, so we got it donated for helping tutor the children, and also they do adult classes in there, for adults to get their GED."

Manci, a senior, added, "I've grown to have a really good relationship with the kids, and so I enjoy being able to see them once a week, and also there's a girls' Bible study that's held in that room on Fridays."

When asked about the advantage of the new arrangement, she said, "The apartment actually has different rooms, so before, we all had to tutor in one big room, so it's easy to get distracted and stuff. And so with these separated rooms, you get a lot more work done."

One of Manci's classmates, Gregory Edison, a North Augusta High School junior, is on board as well, as a veteran Boy Scout helping with the Cubs program. Edison is hoping to focus his Eagle Scout service project on the apartment complex, with plans to make major improvements to the playground.

The outreach effort's other leaders have included Lyn Fleming, also with Fairview.

"Lyn's the big dog," said Margaret Shearouse, who has helped lead the Cub Scout activities in harmony with her husband, John.

"She loves these children. For years, she's worked as an advocate between the children and their teachers. She's gotten involved in sports, brought them to activities at church and just been a general encourager. When Lyn sees a family that has a need, she finds a way to take care of it."

The Shearouses, at Fleming's invitation, got on board with after-school tutoring, which evolved into the Cubs program. The Cubs, in turn, led to the Garden Girls, as girls saw the Cubs program and expressed interest in having something similar for themselves. The programs, Margaret Shearouse noted, are growing, benefiting hugely by word of mouth.

Hopes are to help the kids "change their focus," through exposure to positive role models and more parental involvement, she said.

"I kind of like to say that God's at work in the gardens," she added, "because there's a lot of support coming from people that are just finding a way to touch children. You work with them, and they just kind of touch you back ... It's really a blessing, with a lot of people coming forward to do things to tutor, to support programs."