SPC Cares Foundation Makes $25,000 Grant To United Way Of Greater Hartsville

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. This 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 the month of 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.” 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. 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. She shared, “My goal is to work with our struggling, low-income seniors to replace roofs. However, it is my hope that we will have other contributions come in so that we can expand on this.”

To read the full press release, click here.