Foundation Funds Futures

Foundation

Fuels Futures

The EIL staff was thrilled to learn that the newly established Christ Church Frederica ECW Scholarship Fund for Women has awarded its first scholarship to University of Georgia sophomore Maggie Holt. We remember Maggie because she and her parents Steve and Catherine were kind enough to model for us in a Tour of Homes themed fashion feature we did in March 2015. This initiative of the Christ Church Frederica Episcopal Church Women and the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation provides a $2,500 scholarship to a local female high school graduate of the Episcopal faith who is pursuing a degree through an academic or technical college or university.

“We could not be more pleased to have Maggie Holt selected as our first recipient. Few young women have demonstrated a greater commitment to their church and broader community while maintaining an impeccable academic record,” stated Jane Watson, President, Episcopal Church Women. “Maggie embodies precisely what we were hoping to accomplish through this effort.

Maggie says, “Perhaps the most impactful lesson I have taken away from my (continues)

ABOVE: Maggie Holt (front row, second from left) and her family with representatives of Christ Church Frederica and Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation President & CEO, Paul White (third row, left) LEFT: Maggie Holt models some of St. Simons Island’s finery in EIL’s Tour de Force fashion feature, March 2015. Photo by Joe Loehle.

time in the Episcopal Church is how to serve and love one another.” She certainly represents a community who embodies those ideals.

The Christ Church Frederica ECW Scholarship Fund for Women was established and funded by many Christ Church women who, over the last fifteen years, have donated to this effort to establish a scholarship program for their young ladies. The fruit of these gifts will now benefit

many young women with their future educational goals. In establishing this scholarship, the Episcopal Church Women honor those who came before and saw this as just a dream, but now it is a reality.

The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation was instrumental in working with the ECW to make the scholarship a reality. Foundation President & CEO Paul White, says “This effort is a great example of how the Coastal Georgia Foundation can work with other organizations and individuals in our community to accomplish meaningful, impactful and, often, complicated objectives. I am so proud that we could be a part of the team that made this scholarship a reality, not just for this year, but in perpetuity.”

The Foundation is making a difference in the futures of additional young people in our community through other organizations as well. They recently awarded grants to a recordsetting number of organizations who work directly with our community’s most vulnerable populations. These charitable groups will receive a total of $98,800, also a record high amount. The Foundation’s Community Impact grant initiative will distribute these grants to organizations that provide a variety of critical, innovative, and effective services to at-risk youth and their families in Glynn, Camden, and McIntosh counties. Each year, $50,000 is budgeted by the Foundation for the competitive grant program. Through the generosity of fund holders and friends who contributed an additional $48,800 this year, grantmaking was able to significantly increase to meet the needs of twenty-two recipient organizations.

“Once again, our Community Impact Committee identified far more worthy grant recipients providing critical services than our budget could support. And once again, we turned to our fund holders to help us make up the difference,” explained White. “What an amazing group of Coastal Georgians!” This is the largest number and highest total of grants awarded in the history of the Foundation’s grant program. White continued, “This is just one of many ways the Coastal Georgia Foundation works with the community to solve problems. Not only were we able to support these critical services, but we helped our fund holders to maximize the impact of their philanthropy.”

The grant recipients included: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia (Brunswick), Camden Community Crisis Center (St. Marys), Camden County Board of Health (St. Marys), CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Glynn, Inc. (Brunswick and St. Marys), Children in Action (CIA) Sports Club (Brunswick), Coastal Coalition for Children, Inc., (Brunswick), Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority, Inc. (Brunswick and Darien), Coastal Outreach Soccer Academics/ Coastal Outreach Soccer (Brunswick), Communities in Schools of Glynn County (Brunswick), The Gathering Place (Brunswick), Glynn County Board of Health DBA Coastal Health District (St. Marys), Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association (Brunswick), Marshes of Glynn Libraries (Brunswick), McIntosh County Board of Health (Darien), Methodist Home for Children and Youth (St. Marys), Morningstar Children and Family Services, Inc. (Brunswick) Safe Harbor Children’s Center, Inc. (Brunswick), Social Opportunities & Active Recreation (SOAR), Inc. (Brunswick, Darien and St. Marys), and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Darien). Three first-time competitive grant recipients were Golden Isles Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Brunswick), Hog Hammock Public Library (Sapelo Island), and St. Marys Children’s Theatre, Inc. (St. Marys).

The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation was incorporated in 2005 as a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Glynn, McIntosh and Camden counties. The Foundation currently holds assets of more than $20 million and hosts 72 distinct funds. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $12.5 million in grants to community organizations in the three-county region and beyond. Last year’s total grants exceeded $2.25 million.

In addition to donor advised and field of interest grant-making throughout the year, the Community Foundation annually conducts a competitive grants cycle which targets specific areas of need and opportunity across the three-county region. Strengthening the services and partnerships of local, not-for-profit service organizations is part of the Community Foundation’s mission to strengthen our communities through engaged philanthropy. The grant process is designed to further this mission. From the ECW scholarship fund that will support the dreams of Maggie Holt and other young women to grants that fund computers, educational programs, and so much more, the Foundation is helping to fuel the dreams of our community far into the future. For more information about the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, including details about the grant application process and scholarship opportunities, visit coastalgeorgiafoundation.org.