On Tuesday, August 23^rd, 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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx8UNoBCWMw

GWC hosted our annual workshop, “Grant Writing 101”, on Tuesday, July 26. The workshop was offered at no charge to 20 registrants from local nonprofit staff and volunteers. West Side Baptist Church generously provided the meeting space.

Christopher Timmons, Associate Pastor of West Side Baptist Church, warmly welcomed all workshop participants and presenters. Mary Woodiwiss, Chair of GWC’s Advisory Board and member of the Grants Review & Awards Committee, extended GWC’s welcome and made introductory announcements.

Workshop sessions were conducted by Jan Puzar, Kathy Emily, and Donna Foster, GWC Members who are professionals in program direction, grant writing, and assessment. These presentations included discussion of a homework assignment to help participants focus on their organization’s funding priorities, writing an effective grant proposal, and outcome measures for assessment of a program or project.

Following the three workshop sessions, we enjoyed a break for coffee and bagels.

The workshop also featured a Funders Forum comprised of representatives of local granting organizations. Each spoke about the granting process, funding priorities, and other aspects of their grantmaking as well as responding to workshop participants’’ questions. Presenters were: Selynto Anderson, Self Regional Community Health; Mamie Nicholson, Self Family Foundation; Sally Kauffmann, Greenwood Women Care; and Mary Woodiwiss, Greenwood County Community Foundation.

This training provided attendees with fundamentals for improving their grant application practices, whether for GWC Grants or requests made of other local or external funders. GWC’s Grants Review & Awards Committee believes that Grant Writing 101 is a valuable way to be of service to our local nonprofits as they carry out their missions for the benefit of our whole community.

On Monday evening, May 16th, members, and guests of Greenwood Women Care met at the Self Regional Cancer Center for the second Quarterly Meeting of 2022. Self Regional Hospital provided refreshments both in the lobby and outside in the Cancer Center’s Healing Garden. There was a delicious spread of cheese, fruit, petite chicken salad and pimento cheese croissant sandwiches, as well as a variety of petit fours, various wines, and a delicious punch.

Laura Bachinski, Vice-Chair of the GWC Advisory Board, called the meeting to order and, after welcoming all members and guests, thanked Self Regional and the Cancer Center’s staff for hosting the meeting. She then gave a brief summary of the various GWC committees, reminding everyone of the focus of GWC:  to encourage and support our community of Greenwood. She reviewed the benefits of membership, committee involvement, and spoke of opportunities to give additional gifts to the GWC Granting Fund in honor of, or in memory of, loved ones.

Summer Booker, Treasurer of GWC’s Advisory Board, introduced the member testimonial segment of the evening’s program. Debbie Coesens spoke about her reasons for joining Greenwood Women Care. Having moved from Spartanburg to Greenwood following retirement, Debbie was introduced to GWC by a friend. She spoke of how the mission of “Learn, Give, and Grow” truly resonates with her. Next, Tara Smith talked about why she joined GWC. Tara, a native of Long Island, New York, moved to Greenwood in 2013 and her initial membership in 2019 was a gift from her husband. Tara stated that “we are all women, and we are all philanthropists, and we become like those who we are surrounded by!” She has continued to renew her membership as she enjoys the welcoming spirit of GWC and the philanthropic aspect of the organization.

Mamie Nicholson, Vice Chair of the Board of Self Regional Healthcare Foundation and GWC member, introduced the program portion. Mamie welcomed everyone and then spent a moment recognizing other individuals and doctors affiliated with Self Regional that were present, including the CEO of Self Regional, Dr. Matt Logan, and Dr. Priya Kumar, CMO of Self Regional and GWC member. She then introduced Julie McDade, Director of Cancer Services at the Cancer Center. Ms. McDade’s presentation for the Cancer Center was titled “World Class Care at Home” and it elaborated how our very own Cancer Center has become an oasis in our community, providing cancer care here at home which rivals cancer treatment offered at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX and Sloan Memorial Kettering in New York City, two of the most renowned cancer hospitals in the United States.  The physicians and staff at Self Regional see each patient, along with their families, as neighbors. The team at the Cancer Center walks alongside them in their journey through illness: “We are taking care of our neighbors, family, and friends.” State of the art medical treatments are provided by this dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and staff. Medical and radiation oncologists work with innovative protocols and the newest technologies in cancer treatment to individualize each patient’s care. Currently, the Center has over 300 patients, receiving three hundred individualized treatment protocols!

Ms. McDade described a new screening program the center has for low dose CT lung cancer. Showing national cancer statistics, she attributed the high cancer survival rate to early detection. She also noted the various partnerships and collaborations that helped to make the Cancer Center successful. The Center’s staff and equipment are accredited by the Commission on Cancer, a program of the American College of Surgeons, including a newly acquired machine called the “Edge” that can pinpoint the exact location of cancer in a patient’s body. Ms. McDade concluded by encouraging everyone to engage in a healthy lifestyle and to take advantage of cancer screenings. Risk mitigation is critical: weight loss, exercise (“sitting is the new smoking”), alcohol in moderation, smoking cessation, and sunscreen (“when in doubt, sunscreen it out”). Questions were addressed by Ms. McDade and Dr. Ruiling Yuan.

Lisa Smith presented Ms. McDade with the book, Seeds and Trees: A Children’s Book about the Power of Words, by Brandon Walden, which will be contributed by GWC to the Children’s Collection of the Greenwood County Public Library in her honor.

Jan Puzar made an announcement from the Grants Review and Awards Committee regarding the workshop, Grant Writing 101, designed by this committee to help staff and volunteers of local nonprofits apply for grants. The course is free to registered participants and will be held on Tuesday, July 26th from 10 AM-12:30 PM at Westside Baptist Church.

Edris Louise Robinson, Chair of the Program and Education Committee, made closing remarks. She thanked the Cancer Center for their program and remembered how much their team meant to her and her family as they cared for her brother in his own cancer journey. She announced our next meeting will be August 21, 2022, at the Greenwood Genetics Center where the 2021 grant recipients will be celebrated. She then concluded the meeting by reminding us, “Women, together, can rock the world”!

Edris Louise Robinson and Mary Woodiwiss, GWC Advisory Board Members, presented a workshop session on Greenwood Women Care at the Women’s Leadership Upstate Conference on Friday, March 25^th, planned by the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. Edris Louise serves as Chair of our Programs & Education Committee, and Mary serves as Chair of our Advisory Board and is also an active member of the Grants Review & Awards and Membership Committees. Their session was entitled “Learn · Give · Grow: Connecting with Your Community through Women’s Collective Giving”.

Debra Coleman, active member of the GWC Communications Committee and WLC Conference Committee member, introduced Mary and Edris Louise. A GWC PowerPoint and video enhanced  their presentation. About 35 women attended the workshop, including Debra, Rachel Strayer, Andrea White, and Alison Fletcher, GWC members.

We are grateful for every opportunity to spread the word about how GWC enriches our community and each of our members!