Giving Back

Healthy, resilient children are the future of our community. However, in Greenville, nearly 20,000 children live in poverty, struggling to survive through no fault of their own. Nearly 8,000 are suffering during their most vulnerable years—under the age of six. A Child’s Haven is a place of encouragement and transformation for those young children whose development has been delayed by poverty, neglect, and abuse. One year after being discharged from A Child’s Haven program, 90% of children are living in stable homes and succeeding in mainstream schools. A Child’s Haven is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization as well as the only program of its kind in Upstate South Carolina.

Adopt-A-Road is part of Greenville County's anti-litter program where corporations and organizations are assigned a 2-mile section of an adopted highway or county road to maintain on a continuing basis.

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, providing relief to disaster victims while helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. It accomplishes this through services that are consistent with its Congressional Charter and fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement. In 2008, the Upstate South Carolina Chapter responded to 352 fires and provided more than $374,000 in direct financial assistance throughout the seven-county region.

ARTISPHERE is an annual signature event for Greenville, SC, showcasing the visual and performing arts, reflecting the area's international flair, and maximizing existing arts programs by providing a high-quality event that attracts, entertains, educates, inspires, and enriches a diverse audience. Ranked a "Top Twenty Event" in the Southeast by Southeast Tourism Society, the festival is growing in popularity with locals and tourists alike drawing 100,000 patrons to the 2008 event.

A prime event for baseball lovers, the Big League World Series truly is a world championship event. Big League is the division of Little League Baseball for players 16-18 years old. This world championship tournament is again being held in Easley, SC, bringing an international flair to the Upstate. Regional champions from the US, Canada, and five other regions of the world will compete for the title of World Series Champions. The tournament, held during the first week of August, covers 7 days and draws 15,000 fans. Beyond those fans, the audience broadens as the championship game is nationally televised on ESPN. Little League Baseball, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “promote, develop, supervise, and voluntarily assist in all lawful ways, the interest of those who will participate in Little League Baseball and Softball." The Little League organization stresses love of country, sportsmanship and striving for excellence.

The Euro Auto Festival is a 3-day automotive event that brings together European Car enthusiasts to display, celebrate and share special stories about the great car marques of Europe. The Festival features a popular car show, an autocross, special exhibits, specialty merchants and a road rally for all participants. It is held annually at the BMW Zentrum in Spartanburg, SC. Funds raised from the Festival support the Upstate American Red Cross.

South Carolina Charities, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) which manages and administers proceeds from the annual BMW Charity Pro-Am to help support select charities based in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. Since inception, the tournament has set attendance records in almost every year, and is the top charitable tournament on the Nationwide Tour, having amassed more than $6 million for charities.

The South Carolina Children's Theater (SCCT) provides the finest live theatre experience to the Upstate community. Young people and adults have the opportunity to work with talented directors, choreographers and musicians, as well as the chance to be on stage at the Peace Center, a state-of-the-art performance venue. Family members and other volunteers graciously assist behind the scenes constructing and painting sets, making props and sewing costumes, giving everyone a chance to become a "part of the magic." SCCT also offers a year-round educational program in the dramatic arts, through the Conservatory for Theatre Arts, a professional center that provides theatre instruction to young people ages 3 - 18 at the Greenville headquarters.

The Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) is the only organization in Greenville, South Carolina working daily to support every discipline of the arts. MAC provides support to area arts organizations and many individual artists through its grants program, through its cultural planning process, by advocating on behalf of all artists and arts groups, and by providing cooperative marketing opportunities promoting arts groups that might not have resources available to them. Last year, MAC distributed more than $125,000 to area arts groups and artists touching almost 400,000 residents in and around Greenville County.

The Wilds is a 1,000 acre Christian campsite nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Rosman, North Carolina that offers a wide variety of camps and conferences throughout the year for all age groups. It offers beautiful surroundings, staff and counselors that care, and practical spiritual direction. Special services and chapels help campers personalize God's Word in their everyday lives.