Community Connection

WIP AWARDS CAROLINA HERITAGE

WIP AWARDS $111,000 IN GRANTS

Women in Philanthropy awarded $91,327 from the Women in Philanthropy Endowment Fund to four Beaufort County nonprofit organizations. An additional grant of $19,725 was awarded from the Dr. Julianne Bluitt Foster Memorial Fund, established from a bequest entrusted to support Women in Philanthropy. The $25,000 grants were awarded to Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic; Low Country Legal Volunteers and The Children’s Center. Bluffton Self Help was awarded $16,325. The $19,725 grant from the Dr. Juliann Bluitt Foster Memorial Fund was awarded to Hopeful Horizons.

USCB NURSING HONORS STUDENTS RAISE $1,345 FOR HOPEFUL HORIZONS

Nursing Honors students at the University of South Carolina Beaufort raised $1,345 for Hopeful Horizons by holding a kickball tournament, partnering with Evolve Nutrition of Beaufort to create special drinks for the fundraiser, and conducting a GoFundMe.com campaign.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE LOWCOUNTRY AWARDS $724,625 IN GRANTS

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry awarded $724,625 in grants to eight local nonprofit organizations. The recipients of the spring grants are Arts Center of Coastal Carolina ($37,450); Coastal Discovery Museum (up to $100,000); Friends of Caroline Hospice ($200,000); Hospice Care of the Lowcountry ($217,175); Meals-onWheels Bluffton-Hilton Head ($20,000); Multiplying Good ($15,000); University of South Carolina Beaufort ($75,000); and The Waddell Mariculture Center Fund ($60,000).

LOW COUNTRY KAPPA DELTA ALUMNAE CHAPTER AND HILTON HEAD SIGMA CHI ALUMNI CHAPTER DONATE $2,194 TO CAPA OF BEAUFORT COUNTY

The Second Annual Beach Walk to benefit CAPA of Beaufort County at Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island was hosted by Low Country Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter and Hilton Head Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter. A check was presented to Charmian Hedrick, Director of Operations for CAPA, for $2,194.73. Proceeds from the walk totaling $768.68 also benefited Kappa Delta Foundation for Children.

SECOND HELPINGS RECOGNIZES VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR

Second Helpings, a nonprofit food rescue organization serving Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties, recognized five volunteers. Bluffton Volunteer of the Year, Bob Schmidt, a truck volunteer; Hilton Head Volunteer of the Year, Dave Eppinger, the Monday Day Captain; Beaufort Volunteer of the Year, Dave Graybeal, a truck volunteer and team leader; Non-Truck Volunteer of the Year, Nancy Calhoun-Sullivan; Food Rescue Hero of the Year, Bob Zucker, who logged 434 trips to date, rescuing and delivering food to its agency partners.

THE HOSPITAL AUXILIARY DONATES $41,000 TO SUPPORT AREA NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS AND NURSE RETENTION

The 35th Annual Hospital Auxiliary Invitation Golf Tournament held at Harbour Town and Wexford raised $65,000 for local area nursing and health care students. The Technical College of the Lowcountry Nursing program was presented a check for $15,000, and the Nursing Program at USC Beaufort was presented a check for $20,000. The Hospital Auxiliary also donated $6,000 to the

Community Foundation of the Lowcountry for the South Carolina Nurse Retention Scholarship (SCNRS) program.

CAROLINA HERITAGE AWARDS $5,000 SCHOLARSHIP

Mackenzie Rice, a graduate of May River High School, was awarded a $5,000 Carolina Heritage Insurance Education Foundation Scholarship. Rice plans to attend Charleston Southern University and major in elementary education.

BERKELEY HALL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION AWARDS $50,000 GRANT TO BLUFFTON SELF HELP

Bluffton Self Help was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation. The grant is for acquisition of computer software to be used in Bluffton Self Help’s new Path Forward case-management initiative. The Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation also approved 23 grants to 19 local non-profits in grant funding for 2022 projects.

VITA TAX PROGRAM GIVES $2.6 MILLION TO LOWCOUNTRY RESIDENTS

The VITA Program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) – a collaboration between the IRS, Beaufort County Human Services Alliance and United Way of the Lowcountry – supports individuals and families with limited means, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English speakers by helping accurately complete their tax returns for free. The program helped 1,797 Lowcountry residents receive more than $2.6 million in refunds this year. From February through April, a team of 49 volunteers worked more than 2,700 hours, saving eligible tax filers almost $450,000 in tax preparation fees.

MEMORIAL HEALTH CONTRIBUTES $1 MILLION TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

Savannah-based Memorial Health has contributed $1 million from its Community Benefit Fund, benefiting 36 worthwhile organizations (as of Dec. 31, 2021). More than $200,000 has been given to local children’s charities.

100,000 MRES HEAD TO UKRAINE

100,000 Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) was expected to head to Ukraine recently, thanks to Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray and Councilman Mitch Mitchell. Their partnership with Marsh Hen Mill, SOPAKO, Total Quality Logistics, and World of Connections planned to bring the meals. A ship was scheduled to leave the Port of Charleston and was set to be in Ukraine by the end of June, Murray said.

“Mitch and I are so grateful to SOPACKO, World of Connections, Marsh Hen Mill, and TQL,” Murray said.