Another record-breaking year of giving for DI Community Fund
The beneficiaries of more than 30 local charitable organizations and causes in the Daniel Island, Cainhoy and Wando area are undoubtedly counting their blessings this holiday season - thanks in part to the generosity of the Daniel Island Community Fund (DICF).
The DICF will close out 2015 with another record-breaking year of giving after donating more than $750,000 to non-profits. The fund also supported another 25 island events this past year with an additional $33,000.
Jane Baker, vice president of community services for the Daniel Island Property Owners Association, and manager of the DICF, called 2015 the fund’s “greatest year of giving to date” since it took on a charitable focus in 2000. This year’s total, a whopping $783,649, is an increase of about 33 percent from 2014.
“I hope that all residents of Daniel Island are proud of how we manage the Daniel Island Community Fund and recognize that the contributions we make not only to our Daniel Island non-profits, but to our neighbors on the Cainhoy Peninsula, actually do change lives in many cases…The fund has evolved over the last 15 years into something that is part of the giving fabric of Daniel Island.”
The bulk of the DICF’s dollars come from a quarter-point transfer fee associated with resale real estate transactions on Daniel Island. Beneficiaries this past year included East Cooper Community Outreach, Operation Home, The Humanities Foundation, Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Lowcountry Food Bank, Young Life, the Daniel Island Community Garden, Daniel Island Animal Hospital, Hearts of Huger, Junior Achievement, and the Daniel Island Historical Society (for complete list see sidebar).
“On behalf of ECCO’s Board and Staff, we extend our deepest appreciation to the Daniel Island Community Fund for a remarkable year of giving,” said Giff Daughtridge, ECCO Board President and Vice President/General Manager of Nucor Steel Berkeley. “Their generosity has allowed ECCO to expand its programs into Huger and better serve all families on the Cainhoy Peninsula. We are fortunate for our collaborative partnership with the DICF and their dedication to advancing ECCO’s mission of helping our neighbors in need.”
One of the largest recipients of DICF support this past year was the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund, which received a $50,000 matching grant from DICF after community members contributed $50,000 in donations for the cause.
“The outpouring of support and generosity for the Mother Emanuel Fund this summer, just days after the tragic event, only confirmed for me that our residents and businesses understand and appreciate the philanthropic spirit that connects Daniel Islanders and highlights that they are a part of this amazing Charleston community, especially in times of crisis,” added Baker, who noted that the significant gift to the fund was unanticipated and not part of the DICF’s projected funding for the year.
Additionally, Cainhoy Elementary Middle School and Daniel Island School received large grants from DICF in 2015. At DIS, the funds were used to purchase Dell Chromebooks for students as part of a comprehensive technology initiative. Funds donated to CEMS were used for after school programs, reading and math tutoring, summer programming, and technology (70 Chromebooks), as well as field trips to the Children’s Museum, the Yorktown and the new Gaillard Center.
“We look forward to reviewing the students’ progress at the end of the 2015-2016 school year in our year-end report from Principal Anthony Dixon,” said Baker.
The sizable impact made by the DICF in our local community doesn’t stop there. Another big project in 2015, added Baker, was the completion of the Baldwin Carson Community Center in Huger, a “one stop shop human services center” for those in need.
“A small working group of funders and resident volunteers worked tirelessly over a year to bring that dream to fruition,” she said. “The facility opened in September and houses several human service non-profit agencies and program providers including ECCO, Meals on Wheels, Operation Home, Habitat for Humanity, and more to come in 2016. This is a game changer for the under-served residents of the Cainhoy Peninsula and brings programs to them that they have historically not had access to, including job training, health and dental screenings, housing assistance, nutritional assistance, and more.”
“The dedication of the ECCO center in Cainhoy was moving,” added DICF Board Member and longtime Daniel Island resident Bill Stevens. “Especially the support and thanks from the Cainhoy community leaders…Our mission is to change lives and build better communities and I believe DICF is doing that. Most of all, I like that a majority of that impact has been achieved by supporting Daniel Island residents and organizations that are doing it.”
The number and quality of community events supported by the DICF have also increased over the past 10 to 15 years, according to Baker. For example, Park Day started out with just about 50 families participating, and today that number has climbed to over 5,000. The DICF has also grown its funding partnerships, particularly with the Daniel Island Rotary Club, Nucor, and the Rev. Dr. Stephen Love from the St. Thomas Charge Methodist Church. As a new year beckons, Baker is hopeful the fund can continue its upward trends.
“I continue to research and identify projects that would make the biggest difference in the lives of our residents and neighbors,” she said. “In the near future, there may be an opportunity for that big project to be something on Daniel Island. An important need in the Cainhoy Peninsula is access to swimming instruction for both adults and children. Exploring opportunities for children and adults to learn to swim from both a critical safety perspective, as well as the health benefits of swimming, would be a valuable community service project.”
DANIEL ISLAND COMMUNITY FUND 2015 BENEFICIARIES
East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO): $72,500
Operation Home: $72,419
Daniel Island Rotary Club: $20,135
The Music Battery: $7500
Humanities Foundation: $6100
Cainhoy Elementary/Middle School Technology: $12,500
Daniel Island Swim Team: $7800
Friends of the Berkeley County Library: $5000
Daniel Island School: $50,000
Susan G. Komen Foundation: $7500
Golfers for Education: $1000
St. Thomas Charge Methodist/Cainhoy Elementary Middle School: $45,500
U.S.S. Yorktown: $10,000
Gaillard Center Kids: $2500
Lowcountry Food Bank: $3000
Young Life: $5000
Daniel Island Fishing Club: $2000
Bishop England Scholarships: $50,000
Reading Partners: $20,000
Daniel Island Community Garden: $5000
Wando/Huger CDC Ebola project: $3500
East Cooper Meals on Wheels: $9500
Daniel Island Historical Society: $4000
Daniel Island Animal Hospital: $5000
American Red Cross: $15,000
Children’s Museum: $6000
Mother Emanuel AME: $50,000
Roper St. Francis Access Health: $5000
Junior Achievement: $10,000
Hearts of Huger: $5000
Charleston Police Fund: $2500
DICF TOTALS
Grants and Community Initiatives/Events in 2015 - $783,649
Grants and Community Initiatives/Events in 2014 - $599, 319