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A Greer-based nonprofit is working to make life a little better for South Carolina鈥檚 foster children,聽one Department of Social Services office at a time.

The Horry County office at 1951 Industrial Park Road in Conway is the latest to benefit, as the nonprofit and state officials recently unveiled a new 鈥淟ily Pad鈥� 鈥� a space designed to serve as a soft place to land for children in foster care.

A Lily Pad, which is also the name of the organization founded by long-time foster parents Jennifer and Benjamin Tice, provides children with a comfortable place to rest and play while they wait for placement with foster parents after being removed from their homes. The rooms are named after Lily, a child the Tice family fostered for several years before she was able to return to her biological family.

That waiting time can stretch into hours and days, and it comes after what is perhaps the worst day of a child鈥檚 life, after they鈥檙e taken from their homes and separated from their family and their belongings through no fault of their own.

They鈥檙e paired with a case manager who cares, but is a stranger. They have to sit in a cubicle or conference room, sometimes sleeping on air mattresses, while pondering an uncertain future.

The Lily Pads help lighten that burden and make the future seem a little brighter, the Tices said.

The concept was inspired by another girl, Ashlyn, that the couple fostered.

鈥淪he told us about her experience 鈥� she was exhausted sad and scared, she fell asleep in an office chair 鈥� and we did something about it,鈥� Jennifer Tice said.

Ashlyn was 15 when she came to live with the Tice family. She was the oldest of four children thrust into foster care.

She recalled spending time while awaiting placement in a DSS conference room 鈥� 鈥渇our walls, some tables and chairs鈥� 鈥� and being 鈥渞eally scared and nervous.鈥�

鈥淚 wish I had had a Lily Pad space where I could have comforted my younger siblings,鈥� she said.

Her story has a happy ending. Ashlyn and her sister were adopted by Jennifer Tice鈥檚 sister, and her brothers were adopted by another family nearby, which enables them to visit and maintain family ties.

Ashlyn, now age 18, had fallen a year behind in school due to the turmoil in her old family, but she finished four years of high school in just three years and will attend USC Beaufort beginning this fall.

鈥淣ow that I have a safe family, I am working with Lily Pad to make positive changes for kids in foster care,鈥� Ashlyn said.

So far, the nonprofit has designed and installed Lily Pads at 31 DSS offices, serving 2,602 South Carolina children.

The goal, Benjamin Tice said, is to create a Lily Pad living space in all 46 county foster care offices as well as six regional adoption offices, by the end of 2027.

At the Horry County SCDSS office, a pair of family visitation rooms and the hall space outside the rooms were turned into a Lily Pad. They鈥檙e freshly painted with new lighting and tasteful decor. They鈥檙e furnished with comfortable couches, chairs and desks, and stocked with big-screen televisions, computers, toys, games, books, bedding and roll-away beds.

The local Lily Pad was installed with the assistance of volunteers from the Lovely Law Firm of Myrtle Beach.

鈥淲e had spaces here already (for children awaiting placement), but not this nice,鈥� said Richard Culbertson, director of the Horry County DSS office.

Benjamin Tice said the concept is unique to South Carolina, and noted that they鈥檝e heard from officials in 22 other states and two foreign countries who would like to see the program expanded to their locales.

But the nonprofit plans to finish its work in South Carolina before considering expansion.

鈥淲e want South Carolina to be the tip of the spear,鈥� Benjamin Tice said.

Tony Catone, state director of the SCDSS, attended the Lily Pad ribbon-cutting ceremony, and urged residents to step up and serve as foster parents.

鈥淲e need more foster parents in Horry County so children can be placed where they live,鈥� Catone said.

SCDSS seeks people with 鈥渢he commitment to love and serve, sacrificially, another family,鈥� he added.