“I am the true vine ... . Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” – St. John 15:1.

A local physician is hoping that Christ will help him prune his dream of serving the health, socioeconomic and educational needs of children so the fruits of his labor will not be vain.

A 9-year-old patient touched the heart of Dr. Monnie Singleton of Singleton Health Center years ago. The boy was abandoned by his mother at just 2 months old, struggling in school with Ds and Fs and had never been exposed to anything in life other than watching television in his home. He had never even been to Columbia, much less the zoo and other retreats usually taken by children his age.

Singleton arranged for the boy and his father to take that fateful trip to the zoo, one that the boy’s father said transformed his son into an avid animal book reader at the library. He even began to pull his grades up in school and earned a place on the honor roll.

“That got me to thinking, ‘You know what? If we can do it for one, we can do it for a bus load,’” said Singleton, who has offices in North, Orangeburg and Santee.

He started True Vine last fall, a nonprofit organization initially started to implement health-focused interventions in the lives of child patients but has since grown into a motivational program designed to foster children’s educational and socioeconomic development.

“My earlier experience helped me to realize that there was a whole lot more we could do in the communities that we serve other than offer health care,” Singleton said. “This organization is a way that we can maybe reach some of our children and inspire them to be all that they can be, keep them motivated.”

The Gibbes Museum of Art and the South Carolina Aquarium are among the sites children ages 10 to 15 are taken to as part of the program.

“We are focusing on the middle school ages, but we do have some younger than the middle school,” Singleton said, adding that True Vine is designed for 42 kids a year. “We have an outing arranged for them every quarter. We’re planning on taking them to the zoo in September. In December, we’ll have a culminating event for the year.”

He said True Vine will target another group of kids in January. There are no out-of-pocket costs associated with the program.

True Vine, however, is not just about taking trips. The students were required to either draw or paint a picture following their trip to the museum. They also had to draw pictures or journal their experiences following their excursion to the state aquarium.

“We’ll have something similar for the zoo,” Singleton said. “We haven’t decided exactly what we’re going to do, but we as a board decide what kind of educational activity we’ll have. I think one of the ideas ... is adding photography as we go along. That would be a very good one for the zoo.

“We also hope, in time, that we will be able to add some tutoring services to what we’re doing.”

The program is run by a five-member board, including Orangeburg residents Dr. Lewis Roache, a retired dean emeritus of South Carolina State University, and Dr. Terry Hunter, a retired art professor.

Most of the children in the program are Singleton’s patients.

“They don’t have to be, but I think that that’s part of the target group that we’re working on,” he said. “We don’t turn children away. I would say that the majority of them are on Medicaid, but that’s a reflection of the majority of kids in the community and, certainly, the majority of the kids we see. I think it’s very healthy for the children who may be socioeconomically disadvantaged as well as the children who may not be to be part of the same organization.”

Singleton said the key to escaping poverty is education, and the more they can inspire those participating in True Vine to do their best academically, the better their chances of eventually taking that next step – earning a college degree.

“We’re giving them exposure to different professions and allowing them to interact with professionals who have chosen these disciplines as careers,” he said. “Many of the children have never been to a museum or aquarium,” he added, noting that Charleston County Rep. J. Seth Whipper actually spoke with the kids during their museum trip.

Board member Isaiah Lineberry said he enjoys the children’s responses to the opportunities presented through the program.

“We’ve had some of the children write thank you letters to us in their own hand, saying that they’re appreciative of the trip,” Lineberry said. “I think it’s making a difference in a number of ways. The children are just really excited about the possibilities.”

The program’s partners include Select Health of South Carolina, Reyland Medical, Singleton Health Center and Fine Arts Cultural Enrichment Teaching Studios, an organization directed by Hunter.

A Web site is currently being developed to explain more about the program and handle requests for more information or participation in the program.

“We have lots of interest from people, or people who represent organizations, that are wanting to find out more about True Vine and how they might become involved in what we’re doing,” Singleton said. “All that kind of information is going to be available at the Web site.”

For more information on True Vine, visit www.truevinehealth.com.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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