This week, the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation celebrates Community Foundation Week along with 700 similar organizations throughout America who collectively gave an estimated $4 billion to nonprofit activities last year. Dillon shared in a small portion of that.
Three grant awards totaling $15,400 have been directed to the Dillon area since the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation was established in 2006. The Foundation serves seven counties in the Pee Dee led by a volunteer Board of Trustees which includes three Dillon area community leaders. Mike Griffey from Abingdon Manor in Latta and attorney David Watson are currently serving as trustees. Cooper Jordan concluded a three-year appointment in May.
Intended for wide-spread impact, community foundations manage philanthropic resources from individuals, families, and businesses and work with effective nonprofits to address local problems.
In Dillon County, Harvest Hope Food Bank used grant money to purchase and distribute food items through designated local agencies. This year, grant money will make it possible to provide food baskets to needy seniors in our county. “Partnership 4 Kids,” a local agency that works with young people in foster care, previously received grant funding in 2008.
The Eastern Carolina Community Foundation is still young and could not operate without the generosity of its friends and neighbors. Its goal to help people create charitable funds that give back to the Pee Dee region both now and later, plays a crucial role in the long term sustainability of this region.
During this week of acknowledgement for community foundations, it’s important to know that this type of forward-thinking philanthropy has never been more important here in the Pee Dee as well as the entire country. It’s important to know that the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation is passionate about giving back and paying forward for the entire Pee Dee. And it’s equally important to know that Dillon is recognized as a community where philanthropy is valued and needed.
To learn more about the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation, visit their website at www.easterncarolinacf.org, or call their office at 843-667-1131. Even better, ask Mike Griffey, David Watson or Cooper Jordan why philanthropy matters deeply to Dillon, to the Pee Dee, to the entire country. And ask how you can help.