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THE WEXFORD FOUNDATION DONATED FUNDS TO THE CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION.
WEXFORD FOUNDATION CONTINUES TO HELP NEIGHBORS
powerhouse PHILANTHROPIC EFFORT BY TIM WOOD
Pay a well-earned good life forward. That is the simple yet powerful philosophy behind the philanthropy of the Wexford Foundation. In 2012, board chairman Jim Hicks organized a collective effort to represent so many of the selfless, caring and compassionate acts he had witnessed through the years from Wexford residents. “I was one of those who supported Jim when we got a Founders Society formed. We started with a $50,000 donation and it’s just amazing to see how the efforts have grown,” said current Foundation trustee John Cunningham. “So many of us had been involved in charities where we lived before coming here or were involved in efforts here. It just made so much sense to pool our efforts and make meaningful impacts for charities here by us all joining forces.” The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer organization run by a group of nine trustees and more than 40 volunteers that help gather donations and organize fundraising events. The group provides financial and volunteer resources to fellow nonprofits focused on health, housing, hunger and education efforts to serve the underprivileged families of the Lowcountry. The collective giving history of the trustees alone makes for a
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powerhouse philanthropic effort. Chairman Stephen Carter has been on the International Board of the Special Olympics — representing well over 200 years of charitable involvement among the trustees, both nationally with organizations like the American Lung Association and in local efforts such as The Bargain Box, the Heritage Foundation and the Van Landingham Rotary Club. “I’m so proud to be part of this special group of generous contributors. To see how we’ve increased our efforts each year, it is exciting to live in a community so focused on giving back to our neighbors,” Cunningham said. Those efforts were challenged with the onset of the pandemic, and Cunningham said he and his fellow trustees wondered how much it would impact the Foundation’s community outreach. His neighbors’ reaction was stunning: the group raised $258,000 in 2020 and another $100,000 in a specific emergency donation drive in April 2020 to help charities struggling to maintain services during the COVID lockdown. The Foundation was unable to hold its annual gala during the pandemic, a signature fundraising event that typically brings in close to a third of the group’s annual donation goal. However, a generous Wexford member put up challenges to double and
