Reports
Letters from 2009 Grant Recipients
Letter from the Center for Developmental Services - May 28, 2009
It was a great honor to attend the luncheon at Furman last week and to be among the other distinguished Greenville Women Giving grant recipients. You are all making a great impact on our community!
We are extremely grateful to Greenville Women Giving, the Community Foundation of Greenville, and the individual members of Greenville Women Giving for your generous support of the Center for Developmental Services (CDS) with a grant of $25,000. This gift will help us purchase a new telephone system that will be shared by employees from our six partner organizations, improving our combined ability to serve children with special developmental needs and their families.
Again, thank you for your passion and your generosity.
Sincerely,
Jamie Moon - Executive Director
Letter from Foothills Family Resources - May 26, 2009
I can't tell you how honored we are to be the recipient of a 2009 grant. All of us at Foothills Family Resources know how hard we work at eliminating poverty in Northern Greenville County. When such a wonderful organization as Greenville Women Giving considers us worthy, it is a confirmation of our dedication to our mission and to the families we serve.
We promise that we will be good stewards of the funds you have given us. We will use the money to reach our program goals and objectives. We will never discriminate. We will always treat everyone that comes into our office with the utmost dignity and respect. We will meet the needs of the members of our community as best we can.
This is the perfect opportunity for publicly showing our collaboration, your financial support and the services we offer.
This grant will go towards supporting our Co-located Services. This is a program that provides support staff and the facility for other Greenville County Agencies to have a presence here in Northern Greenville County.
Thank you so much for helping us provide this critical program to families that reside in this rural area of Greenville County. Please feel free to come by and visit us anytime.
With best regards,
Michele Merrigan - Executive Director
www.foothillsfamilyresources.org
Letters from Graduate Greenville - May 21, 2009 and June 9, 2009
Graduate Greenville would like to thank Greenville Women Giving for the very generous grant to support our graduation coaches, summer programs and Opening Doors to Success Event.
This summer, Graduate Greenville will offer 125 at-risk students a four week head-start on high school thanks to your support. We will also provide students at five high schools the benefit of a Graduation Coach to give them and their families the supoort to help them be successful in high school and get that much needed high school diploma.
We believe that increasing the number of graduates prepared for the work force or higher education will benefit the Greenville community in numerous ways. Each dropout prevented helps us break the cycle for future generations.
Thank you so much for your incredibly generous support of our efforts.
Sincerely,
Judy Snyder - Executive Director
I am writing to thank Greenville Women Giving for your extraordinary gift of $50,000 to Graduate Greenville. Your commitment to this innovative initiative will help struggling students be successful in high school and life.
The United Way of Greenville County, along with the Alliance for Quality Education and Greenville County Schools, are committed to the long term success of Graduate Greenville. We are closer to achieving our goal - to significantly increase the graduation rate in Greenville County - because of your commitment to our purpose and your generous gift.
Graduate Greenville looks forward to keeping you informed of its success and reporting on the difference you have made in the lives of high school students.
With appreciation,
Ted Henry - President
Letter from Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN) - May 22, 2009
The guests, volunteers and board of directors of the Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network extend our deepest appreciation for your recent gift to GAIHN. Your generous donation of $30,000 will be invested in a transitional housing unit in which families will live and thrive for years to come.
As you faithfully support our congregation's hospitality efforts, lives are being changed for the better. Ultimately, your gift will prove vital to the enterprise of ending family homelessness in Greenville - family by family, child by child, every day of the year.
Thanks to you, friends, families are benefiting from a safe, nurturing environment as they journey towards self-fulfillment and self-sufficiency. Thanks to innovative organizations like Greenville Women Giving, precious children of all ages know the joy of having some place to call "home". That's genuine hospitality!
You join - and inspire ! - many other Greenville area individuals and organizations whose support is vital as our ministry endeavors to share the experience of welcome with everyone (Matthew 25:35c). Thank you for making a difference that really lasts.
In peace,
Rev, Tony McDade - Executive Director
Letter from the Greenville Literacy Association - June 5, 2009
As the Executive Director of the Greenville Literacy Association, I would like to thank Greenville Women Giving for funding our 2009 Grant request. We were pleased to receive the check for $29,000.
The funds from this grant will be used to support the program Promoting Academic Success and Job Readiness for 17-21 Year-old Literacy Students. The program addresses the needs of an increasing number of young adults who are coming to GLA. This is a low-income, out-of-school population whose educational levels fall between 0 and 8.9.
Greenville Literacy's mission is to help these individuals improve basic literacy skills and to begin preparing for the GED. Although these are areas of established expertise for the agency, the youth population poses special challenges. In contrast to older learners, few in this group have any clear sense of why education is important to them. Most lack work experience and the discipline and maturity fostered by regular employment. These factors pose significant obstacles to student retention and academic achievement.
The program addresses these obstacles by establishing meaningful connections between education and future employment and by providing participants with the skills and adult guidance they need to transition from school to work. Greenville Literacy will carefully track the expenditures from this Greenville Women Giving Grant and adhere to the budget submitted with the grant application.
We truly appreciate the support of our adult literacy work across Greenville County. With partnerships such as this, we are better able to serve the adults who come to Greenville Literacy to improve their literacy levels.
Sincerely,
Jane W. Thomas - Executive Director
Letter from Greenville Rape Crisis and Child Abuse Center (GRCCAC) - May 21, 2009
Thank you! We can't do it without you.
On behalf of the clients, staff and volunteers of Greenville Rape Crisis and Child Abuse Center (GRCCAC), thank you for your generous investment of $25,305 to Prevent Child Abuse Greenville's education program.
As you may know, Greenville County consistently ranks first statewide in child maltreatment. Recent reports indicate that admissions at children's hospitals across the county are increasing as more families struggle to maintain a healthy family environment.
It is for these reasons, and so many more, that GRCCAC works to provide the resources, education, prevention and intervention measures necessary to end child abuse in Greenville County. However, we recognize it takes a community working together to make a difference. It is an honor to be selected as one of your community partners in that endeavor.
We are grateful for the commitment of Greenville Women Giving and each member for her investment in building a healthy community. Whether it is child abuse, hunger, literacy or healthcare, we each have an integral role in creating a better future for all our neighbors. Thank you! We appreciate your support.
Best regards,
Lisa R. Finley - Development Director
Letter from Loaves & Fishes - June 9, 2009
Thank you, all of the women of Greenville Women Giving for selecting Loaves & Fishes as a recipient of your philanthropic initiative in our community once again in 2009.
We are extremely proud that Greenville Women Giving has seen fit to fund our request in both of the years we have been eligible to apply. We believe that women understand very clearly the problem of hunger and straightforward solution that Loaves & Fishes mission represents.
Thank you for giving the women leaders of our community such a powerful voice in how we tackle the problems that keep all of our neighbors from reaching their full potential.
We are delighted to be associated with Greenville Women Giving and we thank you so much for your support.
Sincerely,
Susan S. Douglas - Executive Director
www.loavesandfishesgreenville.com
Letter from Safe Harbor - May 26, 2009
On behalf of Safe Harbor, I sincerely thank each of you for your involvement with Greenville Women Giving, and for choosing to fund Safe Harbor this year.
We really appreciate that you not only give to local organizations, but also learn about their needs and collectively decide which are more pressing. Through this process, you're creating such meaningful, lasting change in Greenville.
Your support of Safe Harbor this year will allow us to purchase additional security equipment for our new administrative, community counseling and legal advocacy offices. In doing so, you're creating an environment at Safe Harbor in which staff, volunteers and clients feel safe and protected. It is only because of groups like GWG that Safe Harbor can provide its services to women and children in our local community.
Thank you again on behalf of our clients, staff, and Board of Directors. We are grateful!
Sincerely,
Samantha Tucker - Director of Development
Letter from Clarity - The Speech, Hearing, and Learning Center - May 26, 2009
On behalf of the board, staff and especially the clients of Clarity - The Speech, Hearing, and Learning Center, I would like to thank Greenville Women Giving for the $25,000 grant to expand the Preschool Developmental Readiness Program and purchase the psychology and speech equipment needed for the Autism Spectrum Evaluation Team (ASET). The "seed money" for the hearing testing equipment (ABR) is much appreciated and we hope to have that fully funded very soon.
This donation makes it possible for us to accomplish our mission, to help individuals with speech, hearing, learning and developmental challenges realize their potential and improve their quality of life.
With this donation, the children that we see will benefit the most. With the purchase of these testing supplies, we will be able to assess a broader range of clientele, particularly younger children and those with more significant developmental delays. Early detection and diagnosis of autism is so important because the earlier intensive and consistent intervention takes place, the better long-term prognosis is for that child.
We are very grateful to the women of Greenville Women Giving for recognizing the value to our community of the ASET evaluation a Clarity.
Sincerely yours,
Stephen T. Guryan - Executive Director and Audiologist
Letter from Welvista - May 21, 2009
On behalf of Welvista (formerly Communicare), thank you for approving our grant request in the amount of $30,000. With your support, Welvista will continue to provide prescription assistance to Greenville's uninsured.
In 2008, Welvista served over 12,000 patients, thanks to our network of free clinics, other health care providers and 12 national pharmaceutical companies. With support from Greenville Women Giving, we look forward to serving many more deserving uninsured patients in 2009.
Welvista is a single source for making referrals and providing donated prescription medications at no charge to South Carolina's uninsured. Welvista has become a significant resource for the uninsured in South Carolina by providing donated medications and pediatric dental services through our extensive network.
As a leader in the effort to create access to affordable healthcare, I want to thank you again for your support in helping sustain our program.
Sincerely,
Ken Trogdon - Chief Executive Officer
Letter from Women Build - Habitat for Humanity - May 21, 2009
On behalf of Habitat for Humanity's Women Build Project, I want to thank you for choosing us to be the recipient of a grant for 2009. For me, this is an answer to prayer and a dream come true - 2 women's groups - Greenville Women Giving partnering with Women Build to build a house! What an honor it was for me today, to attend the luncheon and to receive a check in the amount of $26,895. Wow, that's half a house!
Again, thank you for your generous gift!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lazarian - President
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