Bunnelle awards $405,000 to 26 Georgetown County nonprofits

Twenty-six Georgetown County nonprofits have in their Thanksgiving week blessings “Grants for the Common Good” totaling $405,000 from the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation. The competitive grants range from $6,700 to $20,000 in the three areas of the foundation’s mission: “meeting basic human needs,” “promoting economic vitality” and “preserving the environment.”

The recipients “all share our goal of improving the quality of life for our county’s residents,” Bunnelle executive director Geales Sands says in an announcement. “We are pleased and proud to support them. We hope that everyone will consider giving their time, talent and treasure to these fine organizations.”

Human needs grants include $15,000 to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charleston for its flood recovery case management program. Grants of $20,000 are to St. Cyprian Church Outreach Center for rent and utilities assistance; Children’s Recovery Center, operating support; Family Justice Center of Georgetown County, shelter operations and its Andrews Project.

Other $15,000 grants were to Martha’s House for operating its transitional housing for formerly incarcerated women; Birthright of Georgetown, assisting new moms and their babies; Georgetown County Diabetes CORE Group, $18,000, diabetic wellness programs; Lowcountry Food Bank, $17,500; American Red Cross, $13,800, home fire assistance; Caring and Sharing food pantry, $14,000; Impact America-South Carolina, $12,092, vision care initiative for toddlers; Georgetown County Water & Sewer District, $10,000, Good Neighbor Projects; St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, $10,000, Backpack Buddies; Low Country Veterans Group, $6,700, transitional housing for homeless veterans.

Economic vitality grants of $20,000 were to The Mitney Project, entrepreneurship training; Helping Hands of Georgetown, job training program; Georgetown County Library, MoneyWorks: Financial Fitness for Everyone; $19,908 to A Father’s Place, employment program; $15,000 to Friendship Place, job training program; $10,000 to Alliance for Economic Development for Georgetown County; and $8,000 to Amazing Journey, expansion of vocation training in Sheriff’s Reentry Services.

Preserving the environment grants of $20,000 were to American Rivers, preserving a healthy Waccamaw River; S.C. Environmental Law Project, operating support; $18,000 to The Nature Conservancy, Sewee-Winyah land steward position; $15,000 to Winyah Rivers Foundation, water quality stewardship; $12,000 to Murrells Inlet 2020, operating support.

Teen Angels now official S.C. `angel’

Teen Angels, the nonprofit organized to assist students at North Myrtle Beach High School, is the only area organization cited by the S.C. Office of the Secretary of State on its 21st annual list of angels – charities that use 80 percent or more of total expenditures for charitable programs. Teen Angels uses 91.2 percent, fourth highest of the ten angels cited for 2016. “Angel” charities are named only once. The secretary of state also names “Scrooges.” No area nonprofits are on that list for 2016.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 12:25 AM with the headline "Bunnelle awards $405,000 to 26 Georgetown County nonprofits."