“We are so pleased to be chosen again for this contribution,” said Meg Benko, Executive Director of Pickens County Meals on Wheels (“PCMOW”). “These funds will enable us to continue to grow and to decrease the time a new person with need stays on the waiting list before beginning to receive meals each day.” PCMOW has a waiting list time of approximately five months, which has significantly decreased from fifteen months over a period of a couple of years, thanks to better funding. Thirty-four members of The Reserve at Lake Keowee serve as regular volunteers for PCMOW.
Ashley Cummings, Executive Director of Mary’s House – a shelter for victims of domestic violence – noted that these additional resources will funnel directly to meeting the needs and, for some, saving the lives of the women and their children who seek safety there: “We are fortunately debt-free, so every penny of this will go straight into services.”
“With the economic recession, local groups have had to serve substantially more people and resources have been stretched thin. We recognized that and chose this year’s recipients based not only on need but also focused on organizations that directly touch and improve the lives of Pickens County residents,” stated Kathryn Coleman-Gravely, executive director of The Reserve at Lake Keowee’s Charitable Foundation.
The Reserve at Lake Keowee Charitable Foundation is a non-profit organization created to enhance the quality of life at The Reserve and in the local area while fulfilling a sense of community and philanthropy for The Reserve’s members. The Foundation has four major functions, one of which is to provide outreach for neighboring communities in Pickens County.
The Charitable Foundation operates as a supporting organization for the philanthropic goals and intentions of The Reserve at Lake Keowee Community Foundation. Charities which receive donations are suggested by property owners. Reserve property owners voted by emailed ballot on the slate of area charities under consideration via email in February. The Trustees give priority to the charities suggested by the results of the property owners’ ballots. A minimum of 10% of The Reserve at Lake Keowee Community Foundation’s 2009 income as well as the proceeds from 2009 Reserve at Lake Keowee’s Charitable Golf Classic were allocated for this outreach distribution. In addition, the 4 charitable organizations receiving money today will also receive and split the proceeds from the October 18, 2010, Charitable Golf Classic.
“Our members take great interest in the needs within the community,” Coleman-Gravely adds. “Any organization can approach us for consideration as a beneficiary. Historically, many beneficiaries have resulted from Reserve residents’ service as volunteers.”
Upon joining The Reserve, new members are paired with a Foundation board or Outreach Committee member, to match up their interests with local community organizations and specific needs.
About The Reserve at Lake Keowee
With a membership of more than 550 families from 30 different states, The Reserve at Lake Keowee is a lake, mountain and golf community stretching across 3,900 acres including 30 miles of shoreline on Lake Keowee. Created by Greenwood Communities and Resorts, The Reserve offers more than $100 million in completed, family-friendly amenities, including a 200-slip Marina, Village Center complete with Guest House and a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and more than 1,400 acres of parks, preserves, trails and green space. Home sites at The Reserve, complete with club membership, begin in the $200,000’s.
