Our delightful GWC scarecrow, Ms. Carey Givings, has made her grand return to Uptown Greenwood! This year, you can find her proudly displayed in front of Sugar Boutique (334 Main Street) as part of the Annual Uptown Scarecrow Contest.

We invite you to stop by and say hello to Ms. Givings, then show your support by voting for her as your favorite scarecrow! Voting opens on Tuesday, October 1 at 10am and runs through Thursday, October 31 at 5 pm. Please use this link to cast your vote for Ms. Carey Givings and GWC!

The cumulative Likes and Loves on Facebook will be combined with online votes to determine the People’s Choice Winner. Just visit your preferred social media platform to cast your vote! The winner will be announced on November 1 on Uptown’s website and social media channels.

Carey has been a busy woman! She has been burning up the roads of Greenwood County, attending GWC events at local nonprofits, businesses, and community organizations. She’s collected a total of 29 stickers on her vehicle from all the different places she’s visited—make sure to check them out when you stop by!

Communications Committee members Catherine DiBenedetto, Taylor Haigler, Sandy McCord, Laura Stowe, and Rachel Strayer shared some amusement and fellowship bringing our scarecrow to life on Catherine’s farm. They had a wonderful time working together on this creative project, which started in 2022 as a fun way to showcase GWC in the community.

We hope Ms. Givings will continue to inspire and serve as our GWC ambassador, encouraging more women to join us as we care for and explore Greenwood while giving back to our wonderful community.

Be sure to vote, share, and support Ms. Carey Givings!

Each year, GWC’s Membership Committee hosts new members for a special dinner to help everyone get acquainted outside our larger meetings. For the second year, GWC’s Membership Committee has planned and hosted one in late summer as well as early in the new year because of our increase in new memberships.

This year’s New Members Summer Supper was held on Tuesday, August 27, in Nina Trent’s lovely, welcoming home. Nina and other Membership Committee members set the tone beautifully with appetizers, beverages, and table seating arranged in several rooms.

Twelve of our 35 new 2024 members were able to gather for a light meal, rich desserts, and a steady stream of vibrant conversations. Many were meeting for the first time, but there was no shortage of laughter, anecdotes, and learning about each other. Before settling in at three tables for dinner, Mary Woodiwiss (Advisory Board Chair) invited everyone to introduce themselves, and Rachel Strayer (Advisory Board Vice Chair) and Mary offered brief descriptions of our six standing committees.

Salads and sandwiches were followed by fruit dessert bars and chocolate torte, all enjoyed with unhurried, lively exchanges.

We look forward to our next time together with members and guests at the September Social!

On Tuesday, July 16, GWC’s Grants Review and Awards Committee hosted Grant Writing 101. This annual workshop was offered at no charge to representatives from local nonprofit staff and volunteers. West Side Baptist Church generously provided comfortable meeting space for a third year.

The Rev. Kyle Richter, Senior Pastor of West Side Baptist Church, offered a warm welcome to our workshop participants and presenters. Mary Woodiwiss, Chair of GWC’s Advisory Board and member of the Grants Review & Awards Committee, extended a welcome on behalf of GWC and made introductory announcements.

Debbie Coesens, Jan Puzar, Kathy Emily, Deborah Natvig, and Donna Foster led workshop sessions designed to strengthen participants’ abilities to write an effective grant proposal, determine outcome measures for assessment of a program or project, and provide appropriate budget details to a prospective funder. These included activities with discussion among participants. Each session leader is a GWC Member who has professional experience in grant writing, assessment, program direction, and/or management.

Coffee and bagels provided by Margaret Conrad were served during the break.

The workshop concluded with a Funders Forum comprised of representatives from local granting organizations. Funders Forum presenters were: Marisel Losa, United Way of the Lakelands; Andria Wendell, Self Regional Community Health; Mamie Nicholson, Self Family Foundation; Mary Dula, Greenwood Women Care; and Mary Woodiwiss, Greenwood County Community Foundation. Each spoke about their organization’s granting process, and funding priorities, and responded to workshop participants’ questions.

This training provided attendees with fundamentals for improving their skills in submitting grant applications, whether in GWC Grant cycles or in requests made of other local or external funders. GWC’s Grants Review & Awards Committee members are pleased to offer Grant Writing 101 as a beneficial way to support our local nonprofits in their missions to serve our community.

GWC gathered in the administration building at Greenwood Pathway House to greet each other and to share in the delicious refreshments prepared by the Social Committee. We had a large group in attendance which included approximately 45 members and a dozen guests.

After enjoying refreshments, we proceeded into the Pathway House Worship Building where Rachel Strayer welcomed the group with a provocative introduction to our program during which she asked each of us to imagine ourselves being without a home and to consider how that would shape the course of our lives. Her introduction served to frame our experience as we learned more about Greenwood Pathway House and all that the organization does to help those who face the challenge of being homeless. Rachel then welcomed our guests and invited them to consider becoming a member of GWC.

Mary Woodiwiss then gave updates regarding GWC Membership, noting that in the first months of 2024, GWC has been enriched by 30 new members. Mary also recognized Debra Coleman who has been a faithful member since 2019, serving on the Communications and Programs & Education Committees during her tenure. Debra will be moving to Texas to be closer to her son and “GWC wishes her well in her next sphere of influence”.

Holley Coyle, Co-Chair of the Social Committee, informed the group that the Social Committee is actively seeking new members.

Following Holley’s announcement, Helena Wardlaw introduced our guest speaker, Anthony Price, Executive Director of Greenwood Pathway House.

Anthony Price gave a fascinating and highly informative presentation about homelessness, its root causes, and the many ways Greenwood Pathway House functions to address the root causes of homelessness in Greenwood and Abbeville counties. He noted during his talk that in 2023, 375 people were assisted and 62,207 meals were served. Additionally, the inclement weather shelter was open for 80 days.

He thanked GWC for the grants awarded to Greenwood Pathway House by GWC, the most recent being a large grant in 2022 toward the establishment of the Pathway Village. The Pathway Village is housing which serves homeless families. Thus far, Pathway Village has served 43 families with a total of 94 children. Of those, 14 families are now in their own home.

After Anthony’s remarks, Debra Coleman presented a children’s book “The Box” by Isabella Paglia, which is a story about reaching out to a new friend and “meeting others where they are”. This book will be donated to the Greenwood County Library’s Children’s Collection in honor of Anthony Price.

Laura Bachinski closed this portion of the meeting. She shared that our next meeting will be held on August 20 at the Greenwood Genetic Center and will be our celebration of GWC 2023 Grant recipients.

To conclude the presentation, Anthony Price led a tour of the grounds of the Pathway House, including a look at the Pathway Village and the “Furnishing a Future” woodworking shop.