Midlands Gives Day Raises $704,932.23 for Area Nonprofit Organizations
May 7, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – May 7, 2014 – The first Midlands Gives Day, held on Tuesday, May 6, raised $704,932.23 for 150 nonprofits in nine counties across the Midlands of South Carolina. Presented by Central Carolina Community Foundation, Midlands Gives was the community’s first regional, 24-hour online giving challenge.
Midlands Gives is part of a national day of giving called Give Local America that encourages people to make gifts that support vital causes in their local communities. This effort, a celebration of the centennial anniversary of the first community foundation in the United States, promotes and encourages local philanthropy.
With a minimum donation of $20, donors could choose any number of organizations to which to contribute funds. All combined, 5,186 gifts were received during Midlands Gives Day with all 150 participating nonprofit organizations receiving donations.
Aflac sponsored “Golden Ticket” drawings every hour throughout the day. The twenty-four nonprofits that received a $500 golden ticket bonus included:
- Senior Resources, Inc.
- Healing Families Foundation
- Palmetto Conservation Foundation
- Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Foundation
- Harvest Hope Food Bank
- Safe Life Senior
- Salvation Army of the Midlands
- Transitions
- Sistercare, Inc.
- Columbia College
- The Nickelodeon Theatre
- South Carolina Philharmonic
- Special Olympics of South Carolina
- The Cooperative Ministry
- Acts Metro
- Richland County First Steps to School Readiness
- Southern Interscholastic Press Association
- 701 Center for Contemporary Art
- Sustainable Midlands
- Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation Fund
- Home Works of America
- United Way of the Midlands
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia
- Dream Riders
Aflac also sponsored six “Power Hours,” during which the nonprofit with the highest number of unique donors in that hour received an additional $1,000. Power Hour winners included:
- Historic Columbia
- Columbia College
- St. Lawrence Place
- Innersole
- PETS, Inc. (won two Power Hours)
The nonprofits with the most donations in their counties are:
- Calhoun County: Calhoun County First Steps
- Clarendon County: Jordan Crossroads Ministry Center – Haven of Rest
- Kershaw County: Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County
- Lee County: Lee County Adult Education
- Lexington County: PETS, Inc. The Carolinas Humane Society
- Newberry County: Newberry County Literacy Council
- Orangeburg County: Healing Species
- Richland County: Columbia College
- Sumter County: Sumter County Museum
In honor of Central Carolina Community Foundation’s founding thirty years ago in 1984, the 1,984th donor’s $20 gift was magnified with a $3,000 gift to Elloree Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in Orangeburg.
All contributions during Midlands Gives day were magnified through a bonus pool sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Lipscomb Family Foundation.
Sandhills School raised the most money during Midlands Gives Day with contributions totaling $43,472. PETS, Inc. had the highest total number of donors, with 351 eligible gifts made to the organization during the 24-hour period.
“We are thrilled with the results of our first ever Midlands Gives Day,” said JoAnn Turnquist, President and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation. “We asked our community to embrace this campaign and they responded beyond our wildest dreams. Most importantly, we proved that when our community comes together as one, we can make great things happen. The true beneficiaries will be the 150 nonprofit organizations who serve thousands of folks across the Midlands every day.”
Midlands Gives Day sponsors included the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Lipscomb Family Foundation, Colonial Life and Aflac. Media sponsors included WIS-TV, WACH-TV, WLTX-TV, WOLO-TV, The State Media Company, Free Times, Millennium Magazine, WXRY-FM, Clear Channel (WLTY-FM, WCOS-FM, WVOC-FM, WNOK-FM, WXBT-AM and WCOS-AM), L&L Broadcasting (WWDM-FM, WXHT-FM, WMFX-FM, WARQ-FM and WOIC-AM), Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Grace Outdoor, Columbia Regional Business Report and MidlandsBiz.
About Central Carolina Community Foundation
Central Carolina Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving 11 counties in the Midlands by helping charitable individuals and businesses meet the needs of our community. The Foundation serves Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda and Sumter counties. For more information, visit www.yourfoundation.org or their Facebook page.
