Verizon Foundation Supports Lowcountry Charities And Students Through The Heritage

Verizon Gives To Lowcountry Charities, Students

Monday, 13 Lowcountry charities were awarded monies all thanks to a grant by the Verizon Foundation.

By: Holly Bounds | WSAV News 3
Published: April 04, 2011

A longtime title sponsor for The Heritage golf tournament on Hilton Head is getting back in the game in a special way. Monday, 13 Lowcountry charities were awarded monies all thanks to a grant by the Verizon Foundation. By way of Verizon, The Heritage Classic Foundation will give out $1.5 million to the nonprofits and Lowcountry students over the next three years.

"They know the situation we're in and they want to continue to give back to this community,” Tournament Director Steve Wilmot said of Verizon. “They will be a sponsor this year on a much lower level but they're showing their support, and they still believe in this even and this community."

Douglas Barry, Executive Director of the Boys an Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry, said the unexpected money will make a huge difference for their operations.

"This is going to allow us in a couple cases to keep summer programs open that we were thinking about closing and also to help meet our budget,” Barry said.

Same song with Literacy Volunteers, which tutors adults learning to read and write.

"We've been running deficit budgets the past several, several years so this is a tremendous boom and I know it's appreciated by all the organizations that have benefited in this way,” Executive Director Nancy Williams said.

Wilmot wants to be clear -this is new-found money and not that of the Heritage Classic Foundation. It was made possible only through Verizon. The search is still on for a title sponsor for The Heritage golf tournament.