News

Hub of Philanthropy of the Pee Dee

At their second annual Tux and Chucks Celebration, members of the Young Professionals Philanthropy Fund presented checks to two local nonprofits on October 28th. This fund was created at the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation in July of 2010. The Young Professionals of Florence represents a wide variety of professional members, some of whom worked to start a giving circle to benefit the nonprofits in Florence. The group raised $3,000 and held a grant cycle in August. Each of the two winners received a grant for $1,500.The two recipients were the Florence Area Literary Council and the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault.Daniel Hart, an attorney with Turner Padget , served as Chair of the YPP Fund committee. He encouraged participation by saying, “Young Professionals Philanthropy is an exciting new initiative of the Young Professionals of Florence. Young professionals in our community are often bombarded with requests for charitable donations and most young professionals do a good job of giving as much as they can. However, it’s hard for young professionals to contribute to every charity and they often feel that the small contributions do make do not go very far. This initiative will allow young professionals to pool their contributions in order to make a very significant impact on the community and will also allow these young professionals to actually have a voice in how the money is distributed.”

The Florence Area Literacy Council will use the grant for an Engaged Learning Project. This will enhance their established academic programs with learning manipulatives for adult learners. Some of the grant money will be used to provide adult students with math and reading learning materials. The remainder will be used to help provide transportation for eligible participants. The Pee Dee Coalition will use the grant money to refurbish a bedroom in the Coalition’s Shelter. It will allow the Coalition to utilize existing space more efficiently as it is expected that this room will shelter as many as two dozen battered women during the next year.

More than one hundred attendees at the Tux and Chucks Celebration applauded the efforts made by a small but determined group of individuals towards this effort. The Young Professionals of Florence was formed in 2006 and exists to mobilize the young professions of Florence to support and enhance leadership, civic responsibility, and business growth. Their membership has grown to nearly one thousand.

Robby Hill, CEO of HillSouth, serves as Chairman for the Young Professionals this year. When the fund was established, he stated, “We hope that the young professionals who get involved will find that YPP is an exciting and easy way to make charitable contributions that are pooled together to make a larger impact than any one person could make alone. This new fund will help to pull together the charitable giving of so many of our YP members and we are excited to support YPP and see it grow and prosper with the support of our members. ”

The Young Professionals of Florence (YPF) and Carolina First are pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the Carolina First Young Professional of the Year award. The purpose of the Carolina First Young  Professional of the Year award is to recognize a young professional within the Florence community that best exemplifies the qualities and mission of the Young Professionals of Florence.

Specifically a recipient will be chosen based upon their:

1. Professional Conduct and Leadership
2. Business Ethics
3. Community Involvement
4. Achievements

Any Young Professional within the Pee Dee is eligible for nomination. Individuals are not allowed to nominate themselves. All nominations will be reviewed, and a recipient chosen, by a selection committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the Young Professionals of Florence.

The recipient will receive a plaque from Young Professionals of Florence and Carolina First, and a gift from our sponsor. In addition, a scholarship for Leadership of Florence will be presented to the Florence Chamber of
Commerce in the recipient’s name. The Carolina First Young Professional of the Year will be announced at our annual YPF Tux and Chucks Celebration on Thursday, October 28, 2010.

Nominations are due by Friday, October 15, 2010.

To nominate a deserving individual for this award, please do all the following:

1. Complete the attached Nomination Form, AND
2. Write a short but complete letter describing why your nominee should receive this year’s award (with emphasis placed on the four criteria listed above), AND
3. Scan and Email the Nomination Form and Letter to elove@willcoxlaw.com or mail to:

Young Professionals of Florence
Attn: YP Award
PO Box 1234
Florence, SC 29503

Sincerely,
Young Professionals of Florence

This summer we are launching a philanthropic arm of the Young Professionals of Florence in partnership with the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation. This group will have its own membership, its own board of directors, its own events, and its own direction. The simple idea behind this project is to pool together modest financial gifts and combine them into significant grants that can make a tremendous impact on our community. Where will we give? How much will we give? That’s up to you! This new arm will be its own organization, Young Professionals Philanthropy. The bylaws haven’t been written, the board hasn’t been set, committees haven’t been organized. Its life is truly in your hands. You can even rename it!

Many of you have asked how you can get more involved with Young Professionals, or how you might have a bigger impact on our community. I can assure you there is no better way to do both than by being a part of  the formation of this endeavor.

There are a lot of moving parts to an ambitious project such as this one, including some special perks for members, and we can’t cover it all in an email. So, we will do what we do best- HAVE AN EVENT! Please refer to the attached .pdf for the relevant information.

See you there!

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