Upcountry Fiber Foundation gives $20,000 to local Upstate non-profits

Upcountry Fiber Foundation, the philanthropic arm and permanent endowment of internet service provider Upcountry Fiber, announced that it has donated $20,000 to four Upstate non-profit organizations to help them honor those who served, support people with disabilities and preserve the history of our community. Created in September 2022, the Upcountry Fiber Foundation supports non-profit organizations in Anderson, Northern Greenville, Oconee and Pickens that serve the community with education, youth, culture, arts, and health and human services.

The four non-profits that received grants are:

Honor Flight Upstate SC – $5,000

• Serving Anderson, Northern Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Northern Spartanburg Counties, Honor Flight Upstate SC gives veterans an all-expense-paid, one-day trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials built in their honor, with a hero’s welcome home at GSP. Founded in Simpsonville in 2007, the organization is preparing for its fall 2026 flight, which will carry its first official group of Vietnam-era veterans along with two World War II veterans. Honor Flight Upstate SC will use Upcountry Fiber Foundation’s grant to help send veterans on the flight at no cost to them.

InspireAbilities of Anderson County – $5,000

• Serving Anderson County, InspireAbilities of Anderson County (formerly the Anderson County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs) has supported adults with intellectual and related disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and head and spinal cord injuries for more than 40 years. Its Adult Day Program serves more than 130 individuals and provides respite for many of their caregivers. InspireAbilities will use Upcountry Fiber Foundation’s grant to support its new Music Therapy for Adults with Disabilities program, bringing small-group sessions led by board-certified music therapists and large-group drumming sessions to the Day Program.

Soapstone Preservation Endowment – $5,000

• Serving Northern Greenville, Oconee and Pickens Counties, Soapstone Preservation Endowment protects and promotes the history and legacy of the Liberia Community, founded by freed slaves in 1865, and the buildings and grounds of Soapstone Baptist Church in northern Pickens County. Built and paid for by Liberia Community residents in the early 1920s, the one-room Soapstone School was the only educational outlet for Black children in the area until school consolidation in the late 1950s. Soapstone Preservation Endowment will use Upcountry Fiber Foundation’s grant to furnish the renovated schoolhouse with period pieces and create educational materials so the site can welcome students and visitors.

The Tribble Center – $5,000

• Serving Oconee County, the Tribble Center grew out of a 1960s effort by local families to open school doors for children with disabilities and today supports more than 200 adults and more than 80 young children. Its Sky’s The Limit Early Intervention Program provides family-centered developmental services for children from birth to six in their homes, daycares and other everyday settings. The Tribble Center will use Upcountry Fiber Foundation’s grant to update and restock program materials, including iPads with communication software, sensory tools and play-based learning resources.

“Each of these organizations meets people right where they are,” said Jim Lovinggood, president and CEO of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and co-chair of Upcountry Fiber Foundation. “Whether it’s a veteran getting the welcome home he’s long deserved, a young child finding a way to communicate, or a schoolhouse that tells a story too few people know, these grants go to work right here in the communities our members call home.”

“Strong communities are built by people who show up for each other, and that’s what these four organizations do every day,” said Chris Townson, CEO of West Carolina and co-chair of Upcountry Fiber Foundation. “Honor Flight Upstate SC, InspireAbilities, the Soapstone Preservation Endowment and the Tribble Center are each making the Upstate a better place to live, and we’re proud to invest in their work.”

For more information about Upcountry Fiber Foundation, visit: https://www.upcountryfiber.com/foundation

About Upcountry Fiber Foundation

The Upcountry Fiber Foundation (UFF) is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the philanthropic arm of Upcountry Fiber. Founded in Spring 2022 by Upcountry Fiber’s two governing organizations: Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and West Carolina, UFF established a permanent endowment that will enrich the lives of residents in the Upcountry Fiber and Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative service territories. UFF will proudly offer financial support to philanthropic organizations that serve the community in the interests of education, youth, culture, arts, health, and human services.

About Upcountry Fiber
Upcountry Fiber is a high-speed fiber internet provider to Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens counties. Established in Fall 2020, Upcountry Fiber is the product of a partnership between Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and West Carolina. Founded by organizations created to electrify and connect rural areas of South Carolina; decades later, Upcountry Fiber’s mission is to bridge the digital divide. Offering symmetrical internet speeds up to 1 Gbps over a fiber network, Upcountry Fiber has the fastest and most reliable high-speed internet in the area. To learn more about Upcountry Fiber, visit us at www.UpcountryFiber.com.