Four years ago, community members and educators met in the White Knoll area to talk and initiate positive change. Action stemmed from conversations and S.E.A. Place was born as a nonprofit with the acronym standing for support, education and advisement, which is what they strive for.

All of the services, including GED classes, financial literacy classes and various outreach programs, are provided for free to the White Knoll and Red Bank communities thanks to the partnerships and relationships the organization has built with local churches and businesses.

“I have spent most of my time building relationships. Everything is local and we rely on donations,” Kaylie D’Eredita, CEO of S.E.A. Place said.     D’Eredita came onboard as the CEO in 2023 and has established and grown relationships with community members and businesses. She’s also gone out into the woods - quite literally - looking to help and serve those who are unhoused.

“I go through the woods and look for camps that haven’t been exposed,” D’Eredita said of homeless camps in the Red Bank area. The Red Bank area has plenty of forestry, but according to D’Eredita, as trees are being cut down for homes and businesses, the homeless become more exposed.

D’Eredita is passionate about helping the unhoused especially since she personally overcame homelessness.

“I grew up with parents who were addicts and went through all types of homelessness myself,” she said, going on to describe the moment when she knew it was time to make this her fulltime passion, “I did a mission trip a while ago and I came back and knew I wanted to do street ministry. So I left my full time job and just trusted the Lord.”

Homelessness is an often unnoticed problem in the area, she said, especially because there are a lot of rural areas.

“We lack public transportation,” D’Eredita said, “It’s a setback. Transportation and education are the biggest setbacks.”

While D’Eredita is passionate about helping the unhoused in the area, it’s not all that her nonprofit envelopes. It’s just a piece of the puzzle the nonprofit works on in the community.

The food pantry runs out of Lifesprings Church on Platt Springs Road and has been a recent addition that runs solely on donations from the community and community partnerships. It’s open once a week on Thursday mornings serving about 30 families a week. That number is growing.

The organization has also implemented a peanut butter and jelly project where volunteers give a bag of bread, peanut butter and jelly to families unable to come to the food pantry.

“There’s a vast need in that area. People were so appreciative of it,” D’eredita said.

Friday night is when volunteers head into the community for outreach and seek connection and trust as they go from home to home.

“Every Friday night, we do community outreach and serve those in the community dealing with home insecurity or addiction … homes that aren’t stable,” she said. “We’re building trust and relationships with them so when making the move, they have someone they can trust and call.”

Another program they provide is youth mentoring in which they work with the Nancy K. Perry children’s shelter. She mentions that there are a number of students at risk of dropping out of school, so her organizations decided to combat this issue and provide students with positive relationships with adult mentors. This looks like weekly meetings and field trips for middle and high schoolers.

This summer, they are offering free summer camps where teens can learn lifelong skills and also go to games at the Lexington Blowfish stadium.

“They’ll get dinner, transportation offered and learning experiences,” she said. “We’ll also have a White Knoll math teacher to help with tutoring.”

There have been a variety of stories D’eredita has encountered and remembered. In the past year, she says they have helped assist, rehabilitate and house eight people.

“There was one struggling with drug addiction and so [that person] went through rehab then we assisted with housing,” D’eredita said. “Then we helped [them] navigate getting a license and a car.”

After they help someone, they don’t just say, "bye." She mentions they like to offer “wraparound” services in which they check up on the person to ensure they don’t go back to their past.

D’Eredita recalled a lady who was homeless with her mother and sister a couple of years ago.

“There was a developmental delay, so she needed to learn independence skills,” D’eredita said.

They helped the lady find somewhere to live where she could live on her own while a family is able to check on her and ensure she is safe. The mom and sister also secured their own place.

“We see people as who they are and meet people where they are. Driving around, we have blinders on,” D’eredita said about how it’s easy to miss seeing the homeless or disadvantaged. She says there are plenty of people in the Red Bank and White Knoll area with untreated mental health and untreated drug addictions.

For anyone looking to get involved, volunteers are always welcome as the organization has grown mainly from word-of-mouth and community support.

Bilingual support is also welcome and needed.

Visit seaplacelearning.org for information.

If anyone needs support, they can call the nonprofit at 803-317-0152.