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Annual Meeting and Awards 

United Way Annual Meeting: A Family Affair

    This year’s Annual Meeting of United Way of Beaufort County, held March 30 at Sun City, was a family affair from the start. A color guard from the Beaufort Marine Institute, a United Way agency, posted the colors.  Phoebe Capps, 5, daughter of Hope Haven’s Shauw Chin Capps and Paul Capps, sang the national anthem.  The Rev. Dr. Clarence Edmondson, husband of Board member Deborah Edmondson, gave the invocation.

   And Mayor Billy Skellie told the 300 United Way contributors in the audience how much their “family” in Long Beach, Mississippi, appreciates their help with rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.  The Long Beach mayor ended by saying, “From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your commitment to our city.” 

   United Way and the City of Beaufort partnered to adopt Long Beach shortly after the hurricane struck, and many groups of volunteers have made the 650-mile trip to help.

 United Way annual meeting honors agencies, Long Beach effort

    United Way of Beaufort County had its best year ever in 2005, hitting a record  community campaign goal and helping to launch a Community Indicators Project for Beaufort County, according to reports at the organization’s annual meeting Thursday at Sun City Hilton Head.

    Keynote speaker Billy Skellie, mayor of Beaufort’s adopted city of Long Beach, Mississippi, thanked all the Beaufort volunteers for their help with the massive rebuilding project going on in his community, which was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29, 2005.

    Dick Stewart, chairman of the local United Way’s Board of Directors, said United Way will invest more than $3.4 million in the Beaufort County community in 2006. 

    Stewart paid special tribute to the agencies United Way funds with contributor dollars.  “We work with these agencies day in and day out – we know the quality of work they do,” he said.  “They accomplish so much with the dollars we invest in them.

    “Face to face and day to day, these agencies put United Way resources to work meeting needs in our community.”

    To keep current on the most pressing needs in Beaufort County, United Way joined the Beaufort County Alliance for Human Services in 2005 to launch a review of critical quality-of-life indicators.  When the final report is released this summer, it will include goals and benchmarks based on data from focus group discussions all across Beaufort County

    Stewart said United Way values this project because it will set up a system that will keep quality-of-life issues up to date, prioritized and in the public eye.  “We want to be sure we always invest your dollars in ways that produce results in the most critical areas of need in our community,” he explained.

    Hundreds of businesses and individuals received awards on Thursday for their support in 2005 in the form of corporate and individual contributions, employee campaigns and in-kind donations of resources for United Way events.

    Leaders of the 2005 campaign – Eric Deaton in Bluffton, Ed Duryea in Beaufort and Missy Santorum in Hilton Head – thanked the hundreds of volunteers who helped them run a record-breaking $2.5 million fund-raising effort.

    “Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast just a week before our campaign kickoff,” Santorum said. “Our community rushed to support the victims, but they didn’t forget the needs here at home.

Mayor Bill and Sarah Rauch of Beaufort,

Clarece Walker, and Pat and Mayor Billy

Skellie of Long Beach get together before

 the meeting for a chat.

     United Way formed a partnership with the City of Beaufort a few days after the storm.  The partners adopted Long Beach because it was much like Beaufort, and Mayor Skellie gave them a short list of what they needed first:  Fuel. Chainsaws. People to operate the chainsaws.  The Beaufort Chainsaw Brigade headed for Long Beach on Sept. 16 (delayed for a week by the threat of Hurricane Ophelia), and many more groups have gone since then. 

    The latest effort, “Raise the Roof for Long Beach,” will focus on repairing roofs in the community, many of which are still patched with blue tarps seven months after the storm.  Raise the Roof Chairman Liz Rigg was introduced at Thursday’s meeting.  She can be reached at 597-3033 or phillizrigg@earthlink.net.

    The audience of 300 was made up of contributors to the local United Way, including businesses and individuals, staff members and agency staff and volunteers.  Stewart thanked Sun City for hosting the event again this year.

    Also at the annual meeting, new or re-elected members and officers for the United Way Board of Directors were approved unanimously.  Sara Borton of Lowcountry Newspapers is the new board chairman; Kendall Erickson of Robinson Grant & Company PA is chairman-elect; Amy Cross is treasurer.  Board members elected or re-elected on Thursday include Cross, Edna Crews, Greg Dyson, Constance Gardner, Gary Kubic, Elizabeth Lamkin, Steve Palmer, Mark Simpson, Dick Stewart and Richard Sturm.

    Stewart thanked the six Board members who completed their terms March 31:  Bob Craig, Will Dukes, Ed Duryea, Nora Kresch, Andy Twisdale and Stuart Wilbourne.

    Taking leadership positions on the new board will be Tom Henz, Community Investment Chairman; Dean Moss, heading up Strategic Planning; Missy Santorum, Marketing/Communications Chairman; and Stewart, as immediate past chairman, Policy and Personnel.

   Campaign chairmen were announced for the 2006 fund-raising effort, which kicks off Pacesetter campaigns in July:  Phil Wright  in Hilton Head, Greg Dyson in northern Beaufort County and Steve Palmer for the Bluffton campaign,

    Gifts to the 2005 campaign are being invested in 33 agencies and services.  Forty Community Investment volunteers have started visiting this year’s agency applicants’ places of business. They will evaluate programs and scrutinize outcomes before recommending next year’s community investment plan to the Board of Directors in June.  Their recommendation is the basis for the 2006 campaign goal, which will be set in June.

  The goal was $2.5 million for the 2005 campaign, which closed on Jan. 3 with $2,511,732  in gifts and pledges.

United Way President and CEO Clarece Walker

poses with members of the Beaufort Marine

Institute Color Guard, who presented the colors

at the meeting.

Outgoing Board Chairman Dick

Stewart with anthem singer Phoebe

Capps after the meeting.

New Board Chairman Sara Borton concludes the meeting.

• Beaufort County School District

• Belk #200 - Beaufort

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry

• City of Beaufort

• Coastal States Bank

• Del Webb

• Demosthenes Company

• Disney’s Hilton Head Resort

• Forsythe Jewelers

• Lowcountry Medical Group

• Lowe’s of Beaufort

• MARS The Real Estate Store

• Marriott Vacation Club International

• Palmetto Bluff

• RegionsBank - Beaufort

• RegionsBank - Bluffton

• RegionsBank - Hilton Head

• ResortQuest

• SC Bank & Trust - Beaufort

• SC Bank & Trust - Bluffton

• SC Bank & Trust - Hilton Head

• Sprint

• Target

• United Way of Beaufort County

• Wal-Mart #1383 – Beaufort

Executive’s Circle Award

($2,500 to $4,999)

• Adventure Radio Group

• Bank of America - Beaufort

• Bank of America - Hilton Head

• Barbara Jean’s

• BB&T - Beaufort       

• Beach First National Bank

• Beaufort High School

• Beaufort/Jasper/Hampton Comprehensive Health Services        

• Bedor & Associates

• Bi-Lo #525 - Beaufort                      

• Bi-Lo #158 - Beaufort

• Bi-Lo #164 - Hilton Head    

• Bluffton Elementary School

• Carecore National

• Carolina First

• Centex Homes

• Charter I Realty & Marketing

• Cherry Bekaert & Holland CPA

• Child Abuse Prevention Association

• Coastal Plains Insurance    

• Curry Printing

• Dataw Island Club    

• Dunes Marketing                  

• Enterprise Rent-a-Car

• Grayco Stores – Beaufort

• Grayco Stores – Bluffton

• Grayco Stores – Hilton Head 

• Greenwood Development Corp.

• Hampton Hall

• Hilton Head Automotive LLC

• Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce     

• Hilton Head School for the Creative Arts

• Islands Community Bank     

• Jones, Patterson, Simpson & Newton

• Kinghorn Insurance Agency – Beaufort

• Lowcountry National Bank –  Beaufort

• Lowe’s of Bluffton #1533

• Merrill Lynch – Beaufort

• Mossy Oaks Elementary School          

• National Bank of South Carolina – Bluffton

• National Bank of South Carolina – Hilton Head

• Oldfield

• Palmetto State Bank – Beaufort

• Palmetto State Bank – Bluffton

• Pearlstine Distributors

• Piggly Wiggly #47 – Hilton Head             

• Quinnco Companies

• Sams Club #6582

• Shelco Inc.                            

• Shore Beach Services                    

• South Wind Management

• Technical College of the Lowcountry

• Tupper, Grimsley & Dean PA

• Ward Edwards Inc.              

Chairman’s Circle Award

($1,500 to $2,499)

• Arrmaz Custom Chemicals

• Association Services Inc.

• Athena Corporation

• Beaufort Elementary School

• Beaufort Middle School

• Bi-Lo #275 – Hilton Head

• Bluffton Town Hall

• Broad Creek Public Services

• Broad River Elementary School

• Butler Chrysler Dodge Jeep

• The Children’s Center – Bluffton

• The Children’s Center -– Hilton Head

• Cingular Wireless

• Coca Cola Bottling Company

• Coosa Elementary School              

• Down South Publishers Inc.

• Environments Inc.     

• Espy Lumber Company Inc.

• First Citizens Bank – Beaufort

• First Citizens Bank – Bluffton

• First South Bank

• Fraser Construction Inc.                  

• The Greenery

• Hand & Tanner Financial Group Inc.

• Harris Teeter #152 – Hilton Head

• Hilton Head International Baccalaureate Elementary School

• Hilton Head Middle School

• J.C. Penney Company Inc. –  Beaufort

• Lady’s Island Elementary School

• Lady’s Island Middle School

• Literacy Volunteers of the Lowcountry

• Marshalls

• M.C. Riley Elementary School

• Minster Machine Co.

• Mister Label

• Moss Creek Owners Association

• Net Solutions Technology Center

• Okatie Elementary School  

• Old Oyster Factory

• Parks Automotive

• Port Royal Elementary School

• Robert Smalls Middle School

• Seashore Vacations Inc.

• Shell Point Elementary School       

• Thomas & Hutton Engineering       

• Town of Port Royal

• Truffles Belfair

• Truffles Market & Cafe                    

• University of South Carolina Beaufort

• Wal-Mart #2382 - Sun City

Director’s Circle Award

($1,000 to $1,499)

• ACCESS Network Inc.

• Adelphia Cable Communications

• Alzheimer’s Family Services

• Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career

•  Excellence

• Belk #534 – Hilton Head

• Bluffton High School

• Brays Island

• Charter Communications    

• Community Services Associates

• Cora Bett Thomas Realty Co.

• Creative Interiors Carpet One

• Federal Express – Hilton Head

• Frederick & Frederick Architects   

• Gordon Construction

• Group III Architecture

• Harris Pillow Company

• Harris Teeter #123 – Hilton Head

• Hilton Head High School

• James J. Davis Elementary School

• Johnson-Dulaney Builders

• Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary School

• Kiser & Associates Inc.

• Nexsen Pruet LLC

• Novit & Scarminach PA

• O.C. Welch

• Penn Center Inc.

• Second Nature LLC

• St. Helena Elementary School

• T. D. Peeples Construction

• UBS Paine Webber                         

• Walcam Land Group LLC

• Wal-Mart #728 - Hilton Head

• YMCA of Beaufort County

Employee Campaign Awards

• ACCESS Network Inc.

• Adventure Radio Group

• Alzheimer’s Family Services

• Arrmaz Custom Chemicals

• Athena Corporation

• Bank of America-Beaufort

• Battery Creek High School

• BB&T – Beaufort

• BB&T – Bluffton

• Beach First National Bank

• Beaufort County Employees

• Beaufort County School District Office

• Beaufort County Schools –  Food Service

• Beaufort Elementary School

• The Beaufort Gazette

• Beaufort High School

• Beaufort Marine Institute

• Beaufort Memorial Hospital

• Beaufort Middle School

• Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce

• Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence

• Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority

• Beaufort/Jasper/Hampton Comprehensive Health Services

• Belk #200 - Beaufort

• Bi-Lo #158

• Bi-Lo #525

• Bluffton Elementary School

• Bluffton High School

• Bluffton Town Hall

• Boys and Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry

• Brays Island

• Broad River Elementary School

• Bundy Appraisal & Management

• Butler Chrysler Dodge Jeep

• Carecore National

• Carolina First

• Centex Homes

• Charter Communications

• Child Abuse Prevention Association

• The Children’s Center

• Cingular Wireless

• Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse

• City of Beaufort

• Coastal Carolina Medical Center

• Coastal Plains Insurance

• Coastal States Bank

• Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

• Community Foundation of the Lowcountry

• Coosa Elementary School

• Creative Interiors

• Curry Printing

• Dataw Island Club

• Del Webb

• Demosthenes Co.

• Dunes Marketing

• Enterprise Rent-a-Car

• Environments Inc.

• Faces Boutique Skincare & Spa

• First Citizens Bank – Beaufort

• First Citizens Bank – Bluffton

• First Federal

• First South

• Forsythe Jewelers

• Fraser Construction Inc.

• Fred Kuhn Realty

• Friends of Caroline Hospice

• The Fripp Company

• Furniture Warehouse Design Gallery

• Grayco Stores – Beaufort

• Grayco Stores – Bluffton

• Hampton Hall

• Hand & Tanner Financial Group Inc.

• Harris Pillow Company

• H.E. McCracken Middle School

• HHI/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce

• Hilton Head Automotive

• The Island Packet

• Islands Community Bank

• James J. Davis Elementary School

• J.C. Penney Co. Inc. – Beaufort

• Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary School

• Kinghorn Insurance Agency – Beaufort

• Kinghorn Insurance Agency – Bluffton

• Kinghorn Insurance Agency – Hilton Head

• Kroger

• Lady’s Island Elementary School

• Lady’s Island Middle School

• Lowcountry Medical Care Lowcountry Medical Group

• Lowcountry National Bank – Beaufort

• Lowe’s of Beaufort

• MARS The Real Estate Store

• Marshall’s

• M.C. Riley Elementary School

• Merrill Lynch – Beaufort

• Merrill Lynch – Hilton Head

• Minster Machine Company

• Mister Label

• Mortgage Associates

• Mossy Oaks Elementary School

• Natl Bank of SC – Bluffton

• Natl Bank of SC – Hilton Head

• Nexsen Pruet LLC

• Okatie Elementary School

• Palmetto Electric Cooperative

• Palmetto State Bank – Beaufort

• Parker Hannifin

• Penn Center Inc.

• Piggly Wiggly #59

• Port Royal Elementary School

• Publix #623 – Beaufort

• Publix #845 – Bluffton

• Quinnco Companies

• REA Contracting

• RegionsBank - Beaufort

• Resort Quest

• Resort Services Inc.

• Robert Smalls Middle School

• Robinson Grant & Co. PA – Beaufort

• Robinson Grant & Co. PA – Bluffton

• Robinson Grant & Co. PA – Hilton Head

• S.C. Bank & Trust – Beaufort

• S.C. Electric & Gas Co. – Beaufort

• S.C. Electric & Gas Co. – Bluffton

• S.C. Electric & Gas Co. –  Hardeeville

• S.C. State Employees

• Sears

• Senior Services of Beaufort County

• Shelco

• Shell Point Elementary School

• Sprint

• St. Helena Elementary School

• Suntrust Bank

• Target

• Technical College of the Lowcountry

• Town of Port Royal

• United Parcel Service – Beaufort

• United Parcel Service – Hilton Head

• United Way of Beaufort County

• University of South Carolina Beaufort

• Wachovia – Beaufort

• Wal-Mart #1383 – Beaufort

• Wal-Mart #2382 – Sun City

• Ward Edwards Inc.

• Whale Branch Elementary School

• Whale Branch Middle School

• YMCA of Beaufort County

Thank you all! From your United Way of Beaufort County. 

Together we are doing what matters in our community.