HARTSVILLE, S.C–A $25,000 matching gift from SPC Credit Union’s SPC Cares Foundation will enable the United Way of Greater Hartsville to cover the costs of roof replacements for eight Darlington County homeowners.
The credit union said the dollar-for-dollar matching campaign was made possible by the determination of the United Way of Greater Hartsville’s executive director, Joann DeLong, who worked tirelessly throughout April to raise $25,000 in order to qualify for the Cares Foundation’s matching funds to meet the campaign goal of $50,000.
Area locals will recall this campaign from years past, fondly dubbed “Christmas in April,” according to the credit union.
“Historically, this program primarily targeted elderly residents of Hartsville who were living on income from Social Security and often faced the difficult decision of affording food, heat, or medications,” the credit union said. “Many were also raising grandchildren. As a result, any home repair was squarely out of reach. The Christmas in April campaign addressed the needs of these homeowners through a systematic approach that brought elderly residents a feeling of joy equal to that of their younger counterparts at Christmas.
“Although the official Christmas in April campaign lost its momentum and funding several years back, the housing repair needs of local low-income seniors have persisted, as has DeLong’s determination to meet those needs.”
“My goal is to work with our struggling, low-income seniors to replace roofs,” DeLong said in a statement “However, it is my hope that we will have other contributions come in so that we can expand on this.”
Added Linda Weatherford, president and CEO of SPC Credit Union, in a statement, “The SPC Cares Foundation’s focus on housing and hunger make it an ideal partner for this project.”
Under her leadership, the Foundation’s Advisory Committee approved a matching gift of up to $25,000 that was granted to the United Way of Greater Hartsville following a successful internal fundraising campaign to raise the $25,000 base.