2008 Grant Recipients
$287,000 Awarded at Second Annual Meeting Luncheon - May 20, 2008
GWG had the distinct honor of awarding grants to the following ten organizations:
Camp Spearhead - $26,000
Camp Spearhead enriches the lives of those with special needs through therapeutic recreational opportunities, including a traditional summer residential camp, and school-year weekend programs.
GWG funds will purchase state-of-the-art medical equipment to be eventually located at the Camp's new facility, currently under construction. Having this equipment on site will allow the camp to meet many of the campers' needs there, reducing the number of non-emergent trips to local doctors' offices and emergency rooms.
Furman University: Bridges to a Brighter Future - $26,100
"Bridges" provides a 4 week summer residential experience, and year-round sessions and support for at-risk high school students. The GWG award will fund mental and emotional counseling for the students, a part-time art teacher, and participation in a national environmental program called "Climate Quest".
http://www.furman.edu/bridges/aboutus.cfm
Greenville County Schools Lifelong Learning - $35,325
Lifelong Learning is a program of the Greenville County School District providing education and training for adults. GWG funds will be used to expand its "English for Parents" program at 6 additional schools with large Hispanic populations and high percentages of students on free and reduced lunch.
http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/lifelong/index.asp
Greenville Free Medical Clinic - $25,800
At 4 different locations, the Greenville Free Medical Clinic provides medical and dental services, and prescription medications without charge to low-income uninsured Greenville County residents.
GWG funds will be used to purchase 14 pieces of specialty equipment, allowing its volunteer specialty physicians to treat patients at sites other than the main downtown clinic.
http://www.scha.org/scfmca_location.asp?document_name=greenville
Homes of Hope - $25,000
Homes of Hope builds or develops housing for homeless and low-income families and individuals, while providing job training and mentoring men overcoming addictions.
GWG funds will help sponsor the building of 2 homes int he Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood, to be designated for families transitioning out of Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN) temporary housing, a project funded by GWG in 2007.
GWG funds will be matched nearly 6:1 by governmental and banking sources.
Mental Health America of Greenville County - $48,313
Mental Health America strives to serve Greenville County through a myriad of programs, including, especially, its Crisis Intervention Services, part of which is a 24/7 telephone hotline service dedicated to crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and guidance to appropriate resources for anyone. Last year, CIS handled nearly 20,000 calls. GWG funds will be used to purchase computer hardware and software that will allow the organization's staff and volunteers to engage in online interaction with those seeking help, a mode favored especially by teenagers in search of assistance.
Metropolitan Arts Council: SmartARTS - $25,000
GWG funds will enable the MAC to expand its very successful arts integration program, primarily in Title I classrooms. Twenty additional teachers will be trained, and those teachers will partner with local artists to develop and implement arts-integrated units of study. The expanded program will serve nearly 5,000 people, including students, teachers, and local artists.
http://www.greenvillearts.com/education/smartarts.aspx
Naturaland Trust - $13,962
Naturaland Trust preserves a few special natural places in trust for the future, working with landowners, other land trusts, government agencies, and foundations to secure protected status in perpetuity for these lands and resources. GWG funds will assist in Naturaland Trust's effort to protect a 136 acre portion of the Blue Wall Connection, the valley at the base of Caesar's Head Mountain that contains Scenic Highway 11, and the South Saluda River.
http://www.ltanet.org/findlandtrust/one.tcl?pc_id=105
Pleasant Valley Connection - $36,500
Pleasant Valley Connection is a multi-activity community center serving youth and seniors in its neighborhood and beyond. GWG funds will be used to purchase a 14-passenger bus, significantly increasing the organization's capacity in existing programs for both young people and senior citizens.
YMCA Teen Services Branch - $25,000
The YMCA Teen Center, a joint project with Furman University that opened in April 2008, seeks to provide teenagers with a safe, supervised, "cool" place to gather downtown. GWG funds will assist with first year programming for the center.
http://www.ymcagreenville.org/teens.php
Reports - 2007 Grants
Update: Keys to Home and Hope - by Rev. Tony McDade, Executive Director of GAIHN
The Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN) is grateful to the members of Greenville Women Giving for investing your grant funds in our guest families.
Thanks to your generosity, paired with the dedication of the members of St. Michael Lutheran Church, homeless families are finding their way to home and hope through the Kay Melloms Hospitality House.
The Melloms family envisioned a home that would illustrate the compassion and hospitality that characterized their dear late Kay's life.
For over thirty years, St. Michael Lutheran Church has offered emergency shelter and support to homeless families, and this shared initiative doubles their capacity to welcome such families with excellence.
Blending together funds from the church, the Melloms family, the Hollingsworth Funds, the Graham Foundation, and the SC Housing Trust Fund, the dream house has become a reality. On a glorious Sunday last April, Pastor Robert Miles blessed this exquisite house that stands now as a living testament to the power of effective partnerships to change the world!
The two GAIHN families who have sojourned in the "Kay Melloms Hospitality House" so far are both comprised of single mothers with young sons. Both moms are working full-time. With diligence and determination they are striving to overcome the challenges of homelessness.
Before long, someone will hand each of these mothers another set of keys - keys that fit the front doors to their own houses and also to their futures.
Thank you, Greenville Women Giving friends, for sharing this opportunity for families to succeed and thrive here in Greater Greenville.
Letter from Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN) - January 7, 2008
Greetings,
Thanks to the generosity of the fine folk at Greenville Women Giving, soon another GAIHN transitional housing unit will be available for homeless families.
The good folk at St. Michael Lutheran Church have successfully navigated their way through the application process for SC Housing Trust Fund moneys (to match the GWG $25,ooo investment 3 to 1), and have secured the house located at 2613 Augusta Road. It is adjacent to their current facilities, and will double their capacity to welcome GAIHN families into their hearts and facilities. SMLC is itself investing several thousand dollars in the purchase and eventual renovation of this house, thus further leveraging the GWG contribution.
Some renovation and refurbishment will begin as early as next week. We hope to locate a GAIHN family in this house by early March. A dedicatory service will be planned at that time, and we'll be certain to include y'all among the invitees and acknowledge GWG's beneficence publicly.
One member of St. Michael, Ralph Mellom, has also provided a sizable gift to assist with this project, and the house will be named in memory of his wife.
It is partnerships like this one that bring out the best of all concerned, and exemplify the spirit of giving that distinguishes the Greenville community. Greenville Women Giving is tapping into that wellspring beautifully, and your work, foresight and inspiration are much appreciated.
Rev. Tony McDade
Executive Director, Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN)
Greenville, SC
864/271.3424
"The question is not to describe the world but to transform it."
- Paulo Freire, Brazilian Educator and theologian
GWG Grant Helps Abused Children - by Lisa Finley, Development Director for GRCCAC
Excerpt from the January 2008 newsletter
Entering the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at the Greenville Rape Crisis and Child Abuse Center (GRCCAC) is like entering another world - a child's world. Brightly colored tiled floor. Toys of all shapes and sizes, fun murals on the walls. Disney videos on the TV. At first glance, this appears to be a daycare center.
A short trip down the hall reveals a room possibly transplanted from the jungles of Africa. Palm leaves offer a cool, refreshing feel as the occupants, exotic jungle creatures, await tiny visitors - visitors facing experiences many of us can't begin to fathom.
Camouflaged against one wall are alien objects - a child-sized medical exam table and an oddly shaped piece of medical equipment called a colposcope. This eqipment is designed to discover physical evidence of abuse in the private areas of a child's body. It was used more than 200 times last year. And, if statistics are any indication, the demand for this equipment and the highly trained professionals operating it will continue to grow. In 2005, Greenville County reported 1,019 substantiated child maltreatment cases, the highest number in the state. In 2006, that number rose to 1,350 cases, an increase of nearly 25%.
The CAC exists to facilitate the investigation of child abuse allegations. Our mission? Reduce the trauma faced by the child during this process. And, as one might expect, the evidence discovered by the colposcope is often integral to the outcome of the investigation.
In 2007, due to a generous grant from Greenville Women Giving, the CAC replaced the existing colposcope, which was outdated and difficult to use. The new colposcope makes performing this non-invasive procedure better, photographically documenting and preserving what can't be seen with the naked eye. It takes the services offered at the CAC to a new level of professionalism.
There is nothing easy about what these children are facing when they enter the jungle at the CAC. But, thanks to community partners like Greenville Women Giving, we can offer them a safe place to begin their recovery and a chance to return to childhood.
"Our goal as medical providers is to provide excellent medical care to children requiring evaluations for child abuse in a manner that is child friendly and not traumatic. The new colposcope provided by GWG has improved the quality of the exam that we are able to provide these children. This piece of equipment will benefit the work we do at the CAC and the children of upstate SC for years to come."
Dr. Mary-Fran Croswell, Pediatrician and GWG Member
"This equipment enables the CAC to provide complete, accurate information in child abuse investigations, without asking the child to submit to multiple medical exams. Therefore, the end result of this investment by GWG is that we effectively decrease the trauma a child may experience when there are allegations of child abuse."
Donna Roy, Executive Director
Status of Conestee Foundation Bridge Across Reedy River at Nature Park - January 18, 2008
"Since we are now making some good headway toward construction of the pedestrian bridge at Lake Conestee Nature Park, for which Greenville Women Giving has so generously given the Conestee Foundation a GWG grant, I thought it was time to give you all a brief update.
Because of problems with the original site related to the foundation of the west bridge tower, we have moved the bridge location slightly to the north. This relocation will give us firm foundations on both sides of the river, but the span of the bridge will be much longer - nearly 200 feet. To accomodate the longer span, the bridge will now be a wood suspension bridge, similar to that designed and constructed for Naturaland Trust at Raven Cliff Falls. With the change to a suspension bridge, we do not expect the longer span to increase the cost of the bridge. Also, the rustic nature of a suspension bridge will be more in character with the nature of the Park.
We now have Enwright and Associates under contract to design the bridge. The design engineer of the Raven Cliff Falls bridge will oversee the design at Enwright and Associates. Two structural engineers from Fluor will design the bridge foundations pro-bono, thus reducing the overall design cost. Later today we will meet with the engineers and the geotechnical engineering firm who will make the geothechnical recommendations for the foundation design. Next Monday, we will do the field work for the geotechnical investigation. Also, survey field work for the bridge site should be completed in the next month.
The east side of the bridge is currently on City of Greenville property (the old G-Braves stadium site). Before we construct the bridge, we need to complete acquisition of the 15 acre strip of the stadium property along the Reedy River. This strip is comprised of the wooded slope down to the river from the old stadium parking lot. We are concluding negotiations with the City, and should have ownership of the needed 15 acres in plenty of time to construct the bridge this summer.
We will keep GWG posted as we complete design and property acquisition and put the bridge out to bid."
Jim Gossett
Letter from the YWCA - February 12, 2008
Dear Mrs. Ellison,
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight for you and the members of Greenville Women Giving what great strides the YWCA has accomplished in the past year. What a year it has been!
Thanks in part to the generous grant we received from GWG, the YWCA of Greenville was able to launch the Empowerment Center. The YW Empowerment Center became fully operational as a center in March 2007. Since its inception, the Empowerment Center has connected women leaders in our community with those women aspiring to achieve. In 2007 we served over 200 women through 18 seminars. Through our Dream Catchers program, we helped five women open or sustain successful businesses. Elle Bowman expanded her web-based business, Noeslla Jewelry; Elaine Mangrum went from working for a medical equipment supplier to opening her own; Lisa Butler grew her home-based hand-crafted jewelry business; Tamiko Lewis developed a thriving gift basket business; and Valerie Tucker kicked manufacturing of her toddler products into high gear. We hope to increase the number of women served in 2008 by offering over 70 seminars as well as continuing our Dream Catchers/Dream Achievers mentoring program. In addition, we are pleased to be offering our first economic summit for women, PowerUP: Women Who Lead: Leadership Empowerment. Advancement. Development, to be held in April 2008.
This is an exciting time at the YWCA of Greenville. We hope that you and other members of the Grants Review Committee will visit to see first-hand the powerful momentum being created by the women of our community. Please contact me so that we may schedule a tour and an informal meeting. I look forward to meeting with you.
Best regards,
Phyllis Martin
Executive Director
Past Grant Recipients
2007 Grant Recipients
At its first annual meeting, Greenville Women Giving celebrated its inaugural year by awarding grants totaling $185,000 to seven community organizations. The event was the culmination of a year of education about community needs for GWG members, and a competitive grants process that ended with members voting on which organizations should receive funds pooled from members' contributions.
The Annual Meeting was held on May 24th at the Younts Conference Center at Furman University. June Bradham, President of Charleston-based Corporate DevelopMint and current President of the SC Association of Non-Profit Organizations, was guest speaker.
The following are the organizations funded this year by Greenville Women Giving, along with brief descriptions of the projects for which GWG funds were designated, and a direct link to each organization's website:
Clement's Kindness Fund for the Children
$25,585
Clement's Kindness seeks to address the medical, psychological, social, emotional, and financial needs of Upstate families impacted by pediatric cancer and other serious blood disorders. GWG funds will provide such financial assistance to families, and will purchase psychological testing materials so that counseling can be a part of the children’s treatment plans.
" Clement's Kindness is honored to be one of the inaugural recipients of a grant from Greenville Women Giving. This grant helps to ensure that no Upstate family facing the diagnosis of a child with cancer or other serious blood disorders has to compromise that child's care or their family's well-being, just to afford treatment. In addition to vital financial assistance provided directly to patients and their families, the grant from Greenville Women Giving allows the purchase of neuropsychological testing materials used for individual and group therapy, which is integrated into the patient's treatment plan. The grant meets needs which are currently unmet by other area agencies."
$29,453
The Conestee Foundation spearheads the revitalization of Lake Conestee and surrounding property in southern Greenville County by the development of a public nature park and environmental education center. GWG funds will support a one-mile portion of the trail system and a bridge across the Reedy River.
"Thanks to the generosity of Greenville Women Giving, the Conestee Foundation's vision of creating a large recreation park, environmental education center, and wildlife sanctuary in the center of greater Greenville will achieve a major step toward completion in 2008. Lake Conestee Nature Park has nearly three miles of trails and boardwalks open to the public, and we plan to construct an additional two miles of trails and boardwalks this year. All of these trails are located on the west side of the Reedy River, the side opposite where we plan to construct our main park entrance and welcome center on Mauldin Road. In order to connect the proposed new entrance with the trail system, which will make access to the park much more convenient to the public, we will build a pedestrian suspension bridge across the river. Imagine the dramatic vistas for park visitors as they look upstream and downstream along this beautiful stretch of the Reedy River!
Last year we received a $100,000 grant from the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism for construction of the bridge. That grant alone was insufficient to complete construction of the 216 foot long bridge. Also, a condition of the grant required the Conestee Foundation to provide 25 percent matching funds.
The GWG grant of nearly $30,000 provides the required matching funds, and it also provides the balance of funds required for design and construction. Without the GWG grant, the bridge could not become a reality, and the main entrance to the park could not be moved to the east side of the river in accordance with our Master Plan."
Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network 
$25,000
GAIHN assists local congregations share hospitality, in the form of emergency shelter and meals, with homeless families and helps those families achieve self-sufficiency. GWG funds will match $75,000 from the SC Housing Trust Fund to purchase one transitional house or duplex where up to 3 homeless families will be housed each year.
"GHAIN is delighted and honored to work in partnership with Greenville Women Giving to provide exceptional transitional housing opportunities for local homeless families. Thanks to the inspiring generosity and foresight of the Greenville Women Giving group, parents (particularly single mothers) will be empowered to provide for their families' essential need for food, shelter, health, and education, as they are guided along the path from homelessness to having their own home. In essence, within the span of a single year, Greenville Women Giving and the GHAIN community will collaborate to help several single mothers with young children literally go from living in their cars to living in homes of their own!"
Greenville Literacy Association 
$27,000
Greenville Literacy Association empowers adults to participate more fully in the community by providing quality instruction in reading, writing, math, and speaking English. GWG funds will allow the first comprehensive revision of the ESL (English as a Second Language) Curriculum Guide since 2001.
"The mission of the Greenville Literacy Association is to empower adults to participate more effectively in the community. The funds that Greenville Literacy received from the 2007 Greenville Women Giving Grant will directly address that goal in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. The $27,000 grant will provide for the first comprehensive revision of the ESl curriculum guides since 2001. The "Syllabus Stategies Project" will develop relevant, current resources for the volunteer tutors who teach our international students. With the support of Greenville Women Giving, Greenville Literacy will continue to make a positive impact in the community as these ESL participants improve their English communication skills."
Greenville Rape Crisis and Child Abuse Center 
$25,000
GRCCAB’s mission is to stop sexual assault and child abuse and the impact of these crimes through prevention, investigation, collaboration, treatment, and advocacy. GWG funds will help purchase a colposcope, a state-of-the-art piece of medical equipment that will help abuse and assault victims medically and legally.
"The Greenville Women Giving grant of $25,000 was allocated toward the purchase of a colposcope for the Children's Advocacy Center (CAC), a program of Greenville Rape Crisis and Child Abuse Center (GRCCAC). Receipt of this funding has been pivotal in that it allows the CAC to conduct a non-invasive medical procedure to evaluate if physical evidence of abuse exists. This equipment enables the CAC to provide complete, accurate information in child abuse investigations, without asking the child to submit to multiple medical exams. Therefore, the end result of this investment by GWG is that we effectively decrease the trauma a child may experience when there are allegations of child abuse."
Loaves & Fishes
$27,962
Loaves & Fishes picks up and delivers perishable food donations to local human service agencies that feed the hungry. GWG funds will be used to update and re-structure the organization’s wireless communication system, allowing greater operational efficiency.
"Greenville Women Giving's grant will allow Loaves and Fishes to greatly improve the efficiency of our routing system. This system is essential to our ability to place food donations with the most suitable recipient agencies, thereby feeding the larges number of those suffering from hunger in our community."
www.loavesandfishesgreenville.org
YWCA 
$25,000
The YWCA is a women’s membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women’s growth, leadership, and power. GWG funds will be used to help start the YW Empowerment Center, where women will have access to ongoing education and mentoring so that they can achieve economic independence and become leaders in business and in philanthropy.
"Funding and support from Greenville Women Giving has made it possible for literally hundreds of women and girls to have access to education, support, and mentors placing them on the path to success and economic autonomy. The partenership with Greenville Women Giving has allowed for the YWCA to build its organizational capacity and to obtain additional foundation and individual support."