GWC Quarterly Meeting, “Celebrating Collective Giving”, at Church of the Resurrection, August 23, 2022
On Tuesday, August 23rd, GWC members and many guests met to celebrate collective giving and recognize the incredible work of our 2021 GWC Grants recipients in Greenwood County. It was a joyous meeting as GWC members and guests reunited with old and new friends at the Church of the Resurrection.
The Social Committee arranged yet another lovely repast and beautiful floral arrangements were provided by Carolyn Fish from her garden. Delicious vegetarian croissants, mini meat sandwiches, cheese, fruit, and crackers along with a delicious array of desserts were enjoyed along with wine and citrus punch.
Representatives of the twelve organizations that received 2021 GWC Grants shared conversations and print materials with attendees during the reception.
In the program portion, Mary Woodiwiss, Chair of GWC’s Advisory Board, welcomed GWC members, guests, and our honored grantees. She noted that Greenwood nonprofits are addressing critical needs and enhancing the lives of many in our community. Mary remarked, “funding doesn’t cover everything, but it can keep doors open, retain staff, improve facilities, give ‘lift’ to an existing program, or help to establish a new one.” She offered a lovely preview of our grants video by briefly recounting the impact of the varied projects and programs funded by our 2021 Grants. Mary closed with thoughts about collective giving, reminding us that our individual contributions are transformed to become grants of $1,000, or $5,000 or $10,000, “collective granting which enables local organizations not only to work more effectively, but also to envision an even more healthy and whole community for all of us.” Mary then introduced the Rev. Mary Balfour Dunlap, who graciously welcomed us to the Church of the Resurrection.
Debbie Coesens, of the Grants Review & Awards Committee, introduced Stephanie Turner, member of the Communications Committee. Stephanie shared her love of GWC and reasons for joining with a moving testimony. She noted several rewarding returns of being a member, including learning more about our local nonprofits, meeting women from throughout our community who share a common goal to make Greenwood a better place for all our residents, and becoming a stakeholder in numerous nonprofits through GWC granting.
Trentsie Williams, Grants Review & Awards Committee member, introduced the GWC 2021 Grants video which highlights the twelve grant recipient organizations and their funded projects and programs. Trentsie thanked our Tech Team, headed by Lesley Lane, for the creativity and hard work they invested in producing the video. Collective funds received through annual memberships and other designated contributions enabled GWC to disburse $78,449 total in our 2021 Grants. In three years of granting, GWC is proud to have awarded more than $200,000 in 30 grants.
Kathy Emily presented our grantees with sugar cookies designed especially for GWC by Charity Martin of Sweet Indulgence. Margaret Conrad displayed The Honeybee, the book to be donated by GWC to the Greenwood County Library Children’s Collection in honor of our grantees.
Catherine DiBenedetto, Co-Chair of the Communications Committee, announced that our Advisory Board is accepting nominations of active GWC members to be considered to join the Advisory Board and invited all current members to submit names to her after the meeting or by email to gwc@greenwoodcf.org. Catherine also highlighted our upcoming events.
Jan Puzar, Co-Chair of the Grants Review & Awards Committee, closed the meeting by thanking the GWC 2021 Grant recipient organizations for their excellent work in our community. Jan also thanked the following:
- Grants Review & Awards Committee for our program tonight.
- Social Committee, headed by Laura Bachinski and Holley Coyle, for providing us with a delightful reception.
- GWC Tech Team, headed by Lesley Lane, for preparing this fabulous video celebrating our 2021 grantees.
- Church of the Resurrection for hosting us in this beautiful facility.
To view our 2021 GWC Grants video please click on this link:
