The Men and Women of Hilton Head held our winter meeting at Sea Pines Country this week. Osprey Village directors joined our meeting to receive their big check representing last quarters award to help with their vision.
Osprey Village shared with the group the plans and provided the project update.. Three members shared new opportunities for the group to help local charities accomplish their goal.
Votes are being tabulated and results will be published this week to award this quarter’s distribution.
Thanks to the staff of Sea Pines Country Club providing space, setting up and serving. The club is the enabler to get the funds to the nonprofits doing the heavy lifting in the community.
The Men and Women Who Care of Hilton Head conducted our quarterly social and one-hour meeting to decide which local charity we should support. We discussed three groups which are performing the heavy lifting for services in our community. With 135 active members participating from 5 different states, we raised over $18,000 for three groups.
We started our meeting with cocktails overlooking the marsh and announced that the group has raised over $235,000 in 12 meetings for local needs involving people just trying to go through life. Since our start, the group has made major donations to one local charity each quarter as well as contributions to several other charities represented in our meetings.
For this meeting, we selected three of the nominated charities to discuss how we could give back to the community. Three members made brief presentations for the following groups.
– Osprey Village
– Becky Francis Dignity Project
– Bluffton Soup Kitchen
All are well deserving opportunities and we are grateful for the members stepping forward to share their interest, passion and willingness to explain how the different groups are helping others in our area.
The votes are in. The members have selected The Osprey Village with the majority of the votes. We will work with Osprey Village to schedule a day for a photo. Representatives from Osprey Village will return to our next meeting to share how we helped with their vision.
As part of our process we heard from the Pregnancy Center and Clinic how our funds would be applied from our last meeting. Also, the Christ Lutheran Church attended to share how they are developing a shelter for those in need during the winter months in our area.
Now is the time to identify which of the local nonprofits on our island we should support in our January meeting. If you have one in mind, just reply with the name of the organization that you would like to have considered. Also, you can find the other nominations listed via the website on the menu as “Charities under Consideration”.
Our next meeting is planned for January and as soon as we lock-in in the conference room, we will let everyone know. We appreciate the guest and if you have someone that you would like to add to the mailing list just let me know. If you are not a member, sign up.
The Becky Francis Dignity Project is an effort to help our homeless neighbors and those without access to running water in their homes access a shower and laundry facility. This is a 24 ft self-contained trailer that has 2 shower stalls (1 ADA compliant), laundry machines, a 400-gallon water tank, a water heater, and a generator.
The trailer can be located almost anywhere. It can even be employed for all residents in the event of a natural disaster. The mission is to reach out to those in need, allowing them to regain and retain their dignity, and helping them reintegrate into society. The project is being operated by the United Way of the Low Country, working with partner agencies to reach as many of our neighbors in need as we are able. We are asking for a donation to help with the cost of perishables. Items like towels, underwear, soap, toothbrushes, razors, and the like.
Bluffton Community Soup Kitchen will feed and provide shelter for the hungry, seniors, sick and shut-in, homeless and underserved members of our community.
When Osprey Village Inc. formed in 2008, the founders aimed to create safe neighborhoods for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Initially focused on their own adult children, they soon realized the immense need in the Lowcountry. As word spread, inquiries poured in from across the country, transforming their vision from a few homes to full neighborhoods.
In 2016, Kathy Cramer, a dedicated special education teacher, saw a need for recreational opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities in the Lowcountry. Starting with 53 athletes, Soar has grown into a vibrant community serving over 450 athletes across Beaufort and Jasper Counties. The recognition of Special Olympics as a school sport by Beaufort County and Jasper County marked a significant milestone in our journey. This designation not only facilitated transportation during the school day but also opened doors for after-school participation, mirroring the opportunities presented in traditional sports.
OPFOB‘s Mission is to help save lives of our local veterans. Sadly, we lose 22 veterans every day to suicide. We have lost 4X the number of post 9/11 veterans to suicide (30,000) than on the battlefields (7,000). We have lost between 50,000-100,000 Vietnam veterans to suicide. OPFOB is the only facility in The Lowcountry offering recreational therapy for veterans and their families to deal with PTSD, the scars of battle, nightmares, etc.. Within a 90 minute drive of our 268 acre facility, there are 114,000 veterans. We are all volunteers; zero payroll; our facilities and services are totally free of charge to our veterans and their families. Since our inception in July 2020, thankfully we have not had one of our veterans who has been to OPFOB commit suicide.
The Men and Women Who Care conducted our summer meeting to decide which local charity we should support. We discussed three groups which are performing the heavy lifting for services in our community. With 130+ active members participating from 5 different states, we raised over $23,000 for these groups.
We kicked off our meeting with cocktails overlooking the marsh and a guest speaker updating us on the upcoming events with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. We announced that the group has raised over $220,000 in 13 previous meetings for local needs involving people just trying to go through life. Since our start, the group has made major donations to one local charity each quarter as well as contributions to several other charities represented in our meetings.
For the summer meeting, we selected three charities to learn how we could give back to the community. Three members made brief presentations for the following groups.
– Lowcountry Legal Volunteers
– Pregnancy Center and Clinic
– Hilton Head Hospital Auxiliary
In addition to the collective donation, the Heritage Classic Foundation provided matching funds of $2,600 providing a total distribution of $23,000 this meeting. The members awarded The Pregnancy Center and Clinic with the majority of the funds raised as well as additional donations were made for each of the organizations represented. The Pregnancy Center will return to our next meeting to share how we helped with their goal for our community.
As a result of our spring award to Meals on Wheels, Lili Coleman attended to share the organization’s appreciation. Everyone attending were interested in the community needs, surprised at the accomplishments and impressed with the help needed in our area.
Now is the time to identify which of the hundreds of nonprofits in our area we should support next. Just reply with the name of the organization that you would like to represent. Also, you can find the other nominations listed on the menu as “Charities under Consideration”.
Our next meeting is planned for October 25th at the Sea Pines Country Club. We are glad to include guest and if you have someone that you would like to add to the mailing list just let me know. If you are not a member, sign up.
Our mission is to provide pregnancy related healthcare to women in a welcoming, safe and confidential setting.
Medical care provided by advanced practice registered nurse/midwife; nursing staff, professional counselor, interpreters. Services provided include pregnancy/STI testing, ultrasound, vitamins, 16 weeks of prenatal care, and counseling. EIN#57-0923523
As the island’s golf event pushed our meeting a bit more toward summer, sixty members and guest met to hear how we helped Memory Matters start off the year and listen to members share the needs for three charities.
We learned how The Children’s Center, The Boys and Girls Club, and Meals on Wheels are helping the different age groups in our community.
The group raised over $28,000 with a few more pledges scheduled to be received. The majority of the funds will be awarded to Meals on Wheels and we will be looking forward to hearing during our next meeting how we helped MOW accomplish their mission.
