Scott Wierman
There are gifts – and then there are gifts that keep on giving.
When Hilton Head Regional Hospital was sold, community leaders used proceeds in 1994 to establish a charitable organization – the Hilton Head Island Foundation.
A decade later, the foundation was expanded to include all of Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton and Hampton counties under a new name: the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.
The result has been a powerhouse organization dedicated to improving life throughout the four counties in an array of approaches.
The foundation last year eclipsed a milestone in surpassing the $100 million mark in total grants and scholarships awarded since its work began.
The foundation’s financial support is evident wherever you look in the Lowcountry. Grant recipients in the past year, for example, included support for adult day care, mental health, the Port Royal Sound ecosystem and transportation for participants in a program for adults with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities.
As Hilton Head and the Lowcountry have expanded, so has the charitable giving of the Community Foundation.
“Community foundations evolve as community needs and opportunities evolve,” said Scott Wierman, foundation chief executive and president.
“By having endowments which are flexible, the Foundation’s board has the ability to address the most pressing needs of the time. The Foundation has always been responsive to the needs of our nonprofit partners.”
Among the diverse, current examples are projects for public art, affordable housing and access to link households to the public sewer system.
“Community Foundation has the pleasure of connecting charitable individuals with causes that matter,” Wierman said. “Our partnerships with donors and nonprofits allow us to connect community resources with solutions to issues facing our region. We are fortunate to live in a community with so many charitable individuals and strong nonprofits that address these issues.”
