AIKEN, S.C. () — In Aiken, three women are putting their own money where the need is — stepping up for seniors and the unhoused.
“We just do what needs to be done,” Co-Director of Eyes On Aiken Theresa Callahan said.
They are next-door neighbors, united in purpose, and the driving force behind Eyes on Aiken. “I was managing one side of the street while she looked after the other,” explained Lashaun Hamilton-Ryans, the group’s Executive Director. “I suggested to Theresa that since we were doing similar work, we should join forces.”
Eyes on Aiken is a community-based organization dedicated to helping often-overlooked neighborhoods. They provide essential services like food, clothing, and street cleaning. Theresa highlighted a significant gap they aim to fill: “We needed someone to communicate the community’s needs effectively to others.”
They’ve even gone as far as aiding elderly residents. In one notable instance, they assisted a 93-year-old woman living in a severe bedbug situation, a task that others avoided. But they approached her in casual attire, ready to help.
“Got her out, put her in a hotel, cleaned her up really good before we took her out, of course. Real good. And, had her house dumped,” Theresa recalled. ” We was in bags, but we put on bags, everything because we didn’t bring that home. It wasn’t personal,” Lashaun recalled. “But, you know, but she was so happy once it was over.”
They also stock blessing boxes around town. One morning, kids heading to school told them they hadn’t had breakfast. But Susan had something to give. “And the baby chugged the milk. He said, ‘That’s milk. All you gotta do is you open it. Watch’. And he opened it. I was like, well, thank you Lord. I was like, ‘you schooled me this morning,” Administrator of Eyes on Aiken Susan Harrison said.
Not everyone accepts help. Some turn them away. When that happens, they step back—even if it hurts. “He said ‘don’t leave me’. But his mother said she had him. He did not want to go back into the woods. That’s the part that yanks your heart,” Theresa said.
What they do goes beyond supplies. They’re working to rebuild community—to get people to care again.
They also partner with a number of Businesses, groups, and organizations:
American Legion Post #212
Augusta Junk Removal
Back 2 Basics Auto Detailing
Blue Salamander Solutions
Chandler Law Firm
CSRA Chapter of the US Naval Academy Alumni Association
Darrell Shealy Landscaping
Gentiva Hospice
Hankinson Boxing Gym
Keep Aiken County Beautiful
Kennedy Colony Neighborhood
Mental Health America Nurture Home
Odom Lawn Service & More
Pinelawn Cemetery
Prosper Consulting
Salvation Army
Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association
The Senior Village at Dupont Landing
Toole Hill Neighborhood
True Testament Church of Jesus Christ
Washington Circle Neighborhood
You can find more information on Eyes on Aiken, here:
