Oct. 17—AIKEN — In November 2024, Children’s Place Inc. cut the ribbon on its new, 16,000-square-foot facility, which would become their new home after being housed in a former church building in Aiken for 55 years.
A prominent feature of the new location is its expansive playground which was made possible by a $500,000 contribution from the Kevin and Brittany Kisner Foundation.
This year, the organization has added the final piece to the large play area: a small, 9-hole putting green.
Professional golfer Kevin Kisner, whose foundation has been supporting Children’s Place Inc. for nearly a decade, came out to the grounds on Oct. 16 to test out the latest and final addition to the outdoor space.
“I think it’s great for learning motor skills, interaction, playtime. It’s just something for the kids to do, and they have so much learning they can do outside,” Kisner said.
“I’d urge people to come by and look at it and see how great this facility’s turned out, and just something to be proud of for Aiken.”
Kisner said the foundation donated golf clubs for the children to use and hopes that the space will teach kids about a sport they otherwise might not have been exposed to.
Children’s Place is a hub for therapeutic childcare, individual and family counseling, support services for families referred by the S.C. Department of Social Services and parenting skills training. As such, it often provides support for children with behavioral problems, and Executive Director Peggy Ford said that she believes getting familiar with the game of golf can help kids learn to regulate their emotions.
“I knew I wanted golf. I knew I wanted it because it requires a lot of concentration and effort and regulation,” she said. “And when you’re working with kids, you know, you want them to be rewarded for regulation.”
According to staff members, the greens only took two weeks to complete. It was installed by Celebrity Greens, a South Carolina turf company.
Ford said the children ages 5-12 will be welcomed onto this portion of the playground around January. She also said that eventually the play area will be open to the public when it’s not in use by Children’s Place.
“We really want this to be something that the entire community can have a part of,” she said.
