Congaree grant to fund youth career program Jasper County Sun Times Jasper County youth will soon have the chance to get hands-on work experience thanks to a grant awarded to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry by the Congaree Foundation. The three-year, $167,000 grant will be used to establish a job readiness and development program called Congaree Career Launch. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry executive director Chris Protz said the goal for the first year of the program is to identify six to 10 teens to enroll. By the third year he hopes 60 young people will have participated. “The program will provide young adults job readiness and career development training, providing them skills that can prepare them for their first jobs,” Protz said. “In addition, the program will actually provide the participants their first job experience and their first paychecks along with providing them learning experiences on financial literacy.”