Put your heart where your home is: Support Palmetto Giving Day’s 10th anniversary

By Karen Owens, Publisher

“It’s time to put your money where your mouth is,” as the old saying goes. For 36 hours, local nonprofits across our county are hoping you will do just that and support them as part of the Bunnelle Foundation’s 10^th annual Palmetto Giving Day, which begins Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00 am and runs through Wednesday, May 6 until 6:00 pm.

This is an opportunity to show our community what matters to you and support vital organizations that are working hard every day to make Georgetown County a better place to live, work and play.

They have made it easy and convenient – there is a dedicated website where you can search for the cause you wish to support, whether that’s caring for our children or the elderly, to protecting the environment, rehoming abandoned animals or supporting the arts. There are nearly 90 different organizations hoping you can make an online donation in support of their efforts to enhance the quality of life in our communities.

Some are using funds raised to support their basic operations while others are trying to match grant funds or take on major capital projects. With recent cuts in federal funding support for many nonprofits, these types of events are a real lifeline for groups who are doing meaningful work in our county. From boosting literacy rates among third graders to helping families facing the care of a loved one with a terminal diagnosis, there is a variety of worthy causes participating in Palmetto Giving Day, which is entering its 10^th year.

I know many of us have been affected by inflation and rising gas prices. We’re all feeling the pinch. But I remember what my 10^th grade geometry teacher Mrs. Fellers once said when a fellow student was complaining about being charitable one day. She reminded us how blessed we were to live in this country, with homes, food and education readily available to us. Not everyone is so fortunate, and she challenged us to be generous with our time, talents and treasures. “Give until it hurts,” she said. That’s stuck with me for 45 years. It also aligns with that other message I cherish – “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

While I haven’t been here long enough to know every organization that is participating in Palmetto Giving Day, I have enjoyed meeting with several who are. And I have been privileged to share some of their stories in the weeks leading up to this campaign. I am humbled by the amazing work they do and by the dedicated servant leaders who are leading the charge to make our community better and stronger.

When I decided to take the challenge of publishing the Georgetown SC Gazette, my primary motivation was to lift up the unsung heroes doing great things in our community. I have worked in the nonprofit world many times during my career and know the countless hours and struggles these organizations can face. In fact, my first job out of college was for a performing arts organization that was struggling financially and had to stop paying salaries to its employees for a brief time. At the age of 23, I didn’t have the financial means to wait out that funding dry spell, but I was fortunate to get another job with an arts organization that was more stable. So I know firsthand how important fundraising is for these organizations.

I hope you will heed the call to help one or more of these deserving organizations, whether that’s donating $10 or $10,000. Every donation matters.

Thank you for putting your heart where your home is!