Riley Plenge
Mission Chair

As a school social worker at Lucy Beckham High School, Riley knows firsthand how challenging it can be to find resources for families in need. That's exactly what drew her to Friends of Santa just one year ago, where she wanted to make a deeper impact in the lives of East Cooper families. In her role as Mission Chair, Riley champions what makes this organization special: they're truly family-first, never assuming what families want or need, but instead having families fill out comprehensive surveys so their efforts directly make a positive impact.

Riley is a relative newcomer to the area, having lived in Charleston for three years after making the great escape from New Jersey winters. As she puts it, her amazing mom, dad, and brother still love the cold back in Jersey, and her sister embraces it in Seattle, "while I moved as far as I could from freezing temperatures!" Smart move, Riley.

When she's not helping families or students, you'll find Riley indulging in her favorite holiday tradition: watching Hallmark movies with her family. If she could be any Christmas movie character, she'd choose Mrs. Claus because "how cool would it be to bake cookies all day, take care of reindeer, and run the gift giving operation that brings smiles to kids' faces." Given her passion for helping children through Friends of Santa, it's clear she's already living out that dream right here in East Cooper.