GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission, Inc.

GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission, Inc.

Empowering People to Help Themselves...

 In response to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty”, GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission, Incorporated was chartered as a private, nonprofit organization in 1966, under the authority of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.

Changing our infrastructure to expand our comprehensive services and programs to different communities, GLEAMNS has evolved over these 50 years:

 1966 - Serving Greenwood, McCormick, and Abbeville Counties as GMA Community Actions, Inc.

1970 - Expanded services to Saluda County as GMAS Community Actions, Inc.

1974 - Expanded services through a merger with agencies in Laurens and Edgefield Counties. Adopted as a public organization under South Carolina law, and changed legal name to GLEAMS Human Resources Commission, Inc.

1982 - Expanded services to Anderson County through a merger creating GLEAMS Human Resources Commission, Inc. 

1993 - Discontinued providing services in Anderson County and expanded services to Newberry County. Established the Agency, as known today, as GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission, Inc. serving Greenwood, Laurens, Edgefield, Abbeville, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda Counties.

The first Executive Director was Mr. William A. Pruitt and the first Board Chairman was Dr. James A. Bowers. The entire staff consisted of four people. The first program application was a Program Development Grant. Later in its inaugural year, the Agency received a Summer Head Start Program, and a full year Head Start Program in Abbeville County in 1967. In 1968, the first audit was performed, and in 1969 the Agency moved the administration offices to the Old Brewer Hospital, where it rests today, in Greenwood.

Today, GLEAMNS provides a variety of comprehensive services designed to help low-income families develop self-sufficiency. These programs include Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), Head Start and Early Head Start, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Weatherization, and a Workforce Development Program. We also operate a Magic Johnson Community Empowerment Center that houses a Teen After School Center (TASC) and a Summer Enrichment Camp. The GLEAMNS Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historic Preservation Site also rests upon the campus of our headquarters to share with all who visit the extraordinary life of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays.

We remain committed to our mission of delivering quality services, assistance, and opportunities, to eligible customers with emphasis placed on education, employment, and developing self-sufficiency. Our motto is simple: People