Thank You letters: Week of Feb. 23

Charles and Francis Sampson

There are many more takers in the world than givers. I would like to acknowledge two of our own who have given time and time again without asking for anything in return. I know many of you are aware of the financial and personal time donated by Charles Sampson and his wife, Francis. They make our communities a better place to live, especially for our children. Their effort is timeless and includes Habitat for Humanity, The Symphony causes, Boys and Girls Club etc. I would like to tell you my Sampson story.

Heroes on Horseback is a popular non-profit that offers equine therapy to 250 children & adults with special emotional and physical needs in the Lowcountry. We depend solely on volunteers and donations to bring a brighter day to our participants & fortunately our therapy results in one success story after another. Our Heroes come to us with various disabilities such as ADD, ADHD, Muscular Dystrophy, brain trauma, and learning disabilities. We sponsor a major fundraiser once a year in May and last year as guests, the Sampsons offered two pig roasts/Lowcountry boils for 100 guests as live auction items that earned a total of approximately $10,000. They began cooking at home the night before the events, were up most of the night, and directed the activities of the event the next day. Never once was there a complaint and many congratulatory gestures were brushed off by the Sampsons as something anybody would do; which we all know is not the case.

To quantify the effort put forth by the Sampsons, we are able to make it possible for approximately 30 children and adults with special needs to ride with Heroes on Horseback for one multi-ride session. The board and management, our volunteers, our riders, and our donors would all like to recognize the Sampsons as our real heroes. When you see them, thank them.

Bargain Box

The Bargain Box volunteers, staff and board members every year “knock it out of the park” by distributing much-needed grants to local nonprofit organizations. Again this year, they awarded a grant to Bluffton Self Help to support the emergency financial assistance program. We sincerely appreciate this very important partnership. We are so proud to be associated with the Bargain Box.

Women power

Never underestimate the power of a woman, 100 Plus Women HHI to be exact. This dynamic group of women come together quarterly to support a local charity in our community. Second Helpings was the fortunate recipient of their generosity and we thank each and every woman who made this gift possible.

We are very grateful they recognize the importance of our mission and the service our volunteers provide. The gift will support our Hilton Head truck operation that delivers food to 14 different charities and helping feed hundreds of people every week.

Wexford foundation

Second Helpings thanks the Wexford Plantation Charitable Foundation for its generous grant. Its commitment to the community by helping charities that deal with health, housing, hunger and education in our community is so appreciated. More importantly, the many people who benefit from its generosity are very grateful.

A recent grant will be used to help fund a new Second Helpings truck for Beaufort County. Our volunteers use these refrigerated trucks every day to bring food to 60 different charities in the Lowcountry.

Thank you to all the Wexford Plantation residents who made this grant possible. You are helping us feed more than 22,000 people every year.

Wexford foundation

The Grateful Hearts Soup Kitchen thanks the Wexford Plantation Charitable Foundation for its generous grant to our organization.

The donation will help feed the homeless, hungry, unemployed and working poor living on Hilton Head Island. We offer a hot meal from noon to 1:30 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday to all those in need.

We invite you to join us to witness the smiling faces and the love that comes from the people receiving the food, which the foundation has provided for them through its donation. It is not only feeding their hunger, but also feeding their spirit. It is because of this generosity that we are able to provide our guests with food, love and hope.

Grateful Hearts Soup Kitchen appreciates the thoughtfulness in selecting us as a recipient of a Wexford foundation grant. May God continue to bless the Wexford foundation for making it possible for us to reach out to the Hilton Head Island community through its generous grant.

Bargain Box

We would like to thank the Bargain Box for its wonderful generosity to our community’s nonprofit organizations and to the Sandbox Children’s Museum.

Bargain Box donations make it possible for us to provide interactive play and learning opportunities to all of the children and families in Lowountry.

It supports our Family Fun Night program, which is free to all children and families in our community. Each event includes our bounce house, interactive play, arts and crafts project, food and free admission to the children’s museum. Family Fun Nights are held on the first Friday of each month (September through May) at 5:30 p.m. so that all parents, including working parents, can have an opportunity to come and enjoy the museum and activities with their children. This program serves more than 1,000 visitors each year.

Church Mouse

ACTS Counseling would like to thank the Church Mouse Thrift Shop for its generous grant of $2,500 to our scholarship fund.

These funds are used to allow hurting people who are unable to afford our services to receive quality counseling.

Race4Love

On behalf of the CODA board of directors and staff, I would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for the amazing support we received for our 5th Annual CODA Race4Love, held on Feb. 13. The generosity of our sponsors, the commitment of our volunteers, and the positive energy from the race participants made this event a huge success.

It is the responsibility of each one of us to change the culture in our state so we no longer rank first in the nation for women murdered by their spouses/partners. It is the mission of CODA to protect victims and support survivors who have suffered domestic abuse.

Thanks to the kind and giving spirit of our community we were able to provide safe haven, counseling, legal assistance and other services to more than 600 victims within the past year. Your compassion and support is changing lives daily.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 4:37 AM with the headline "Thank You letters: Week of Feb. 23."