HISTORY

Lowcountry Youth Services, formerly Connections and You, Inc., was founded in October 2008 by Ricardo Perry in Hanahan. The initial idea of the organization was to establish the Bennie Warren home for boys in the Charleston area. This home would house young men considered runaways or part of the DSS or DJJ system. These young men would be surrounded by positive and influential adults who would consistently impact their lives daily. Due to the many challenges in bringing them home to reality and the immediate need for a positive impact on the community’s young men, the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Club (DGC) was born. DGC would share the concept as the Bennie Warren Home for boys, except this would be done in communities. 

On April 10, 2010, the DGC met with only 12 young men from the Tri-County area at the Danny Jones gym in North Charleston, SC. In April of 2013, the DGC branched off into two chapters, DGC Hanahan and DGC North Charleston, because of the extreme amount of growth the program had gone through in just a few years. Over the next few years, the DGC continued to experience massive growth as the need for young men to be mentored grew. In May 2016, DGC Summerville began as another program chapter. In July 2017, the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Club became its non-profit, tax-exempt organization. All three branches merged into one program in May of 2017. DGC has served over 350 boys since its inception.