IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov 5, 2001 Contact: Tish Lynn The Community Foundation Serving Coastal South Carolina

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1 IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov 5, 2001 Contact: Tish Lynn The Community Foundation Serving Coastal South Carolina ARTHUR M. BLANK KEYNOTE SPEAKER 6 Th ANNUAL AFP LOWCOUNTRY PHILANTHROPY AWARD LUNCHEON HONORING LINDA AND TONY BAKKER AND DOLPHIN ARCHITECTS & BUILDERS Charleston: In celebration of National Philanthropy Day, the Lowcountry Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), formerly the National Society of Fundraising Executives, will host its 6 th Annual Award Luncheon at the Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston on Thursday, November 8 th. Recipients of the 2001 AFP Lowcountry Philanthropy Award are Linda and Tony Bakker and Dolphin Architects & Builders. Capital sponsor of the event, Corporate DevelopMint will give its first annual The Courageous Leader Award to Dr. Jack McConnell. Supporting sponsors include: United Way, Blackbaud, Ashley Hall, Health Sciences Foundation of MUSC, The Community Foundation Serving Coastal South Carolina, and CareAlliance Health Foundation. Croghan s Jewel Box provided the awards and Carolina Color Graphic invitation and program printing. With 25,000 members in 161 chapters across North America, AFP fosters the development and growth of fundraising professionals, works to advance philanthropy and volunteerism, and promotes high ethical standards in the fundraising profession. In the past year, AFP has actively encouraged its chapters to develop youth-oriented programs to stress the importance of giving time and talent to one s community. Begun in 1986, National Philanthropy Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of giving and to honor those people who have shown outstanding leadership in philanthropy. Its theme this year is Change the World With a Giving Heart. Past recipients have included: Piggly Wiggly, NationsBank, BellSouth, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Zucker, Senator and Mrs. Fritz Hollings, The Post & Courier, The Post & Courier Foundation, Wachovia Bank and Mrs. and Mrs. William Hewitt. Keynote Speaker, Arthur M. Blank knows very well how critical it is that companies and individuals take a leading role in philanthropic community efforts. As co-founder of The Home Depot in 1978, the world s largest home improvement retailer and one of Fortune Magazine s Global Most Admired Companies, Blank oversaw the donating of $113 1

2 million to communities across the country during his 23-year tenure as CEO. Money was not all that was given. Home Depot Associates volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours of personal time as well. Blank is also dedicated to his own giving back. Through the creation of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, he and his wife have donated nearly $40 million to organizations like Outward Bound, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Piedmont Park Conservancy, Zoo Atlanta and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry. For their magnanimity, Mr. and Mrs. Blank were named as the Georgia Philanthropists of the Year by the National Society of Fundraising Executives in 2001 Active on many corporate and non-profit boards, Blank has recently been appointed to Governor Barnes Georgia Council for the Arts and joined the faculty of Emory University s Goizueta Business School as the Distinguished Executive in Residence. An avid runner, Blank is often seen sporting a favorite T-shirt bearing the inscription There is no finish line. There are no finish lines for this year s recipients of AFP s Lowcountry Philanthropy Awards. They just keep going and going Much honored Linda and Tony Bakker (formerly of Blackbaud), and Wally Seinsheimer of Dolphin Architects & Builders again take a deserved bow for their exceptional civic and philanthropic leadership in the community. Our family has been most fortunate to realize the American Dream, said Tony Bakker. Since Blackbaud serves the non-profit community, we felt it was appropriate to give something back to that community. As founder and CEO of Blackbaud, the computer software company that created the Razor s Edge program for non-profits, Bakker wanted the company and its employees to think up different ways to support its community. Out of that challenge grew The Blackbaud Endowment (grantmaking for education programs, especially for disadvantaged youth); Team Blackbaud (employees who have volunteered at various non-profit fundraisers over the years), Volunteer for Vacation (in which employees are allowed to earn paid vacation days for volunteering with area non-profits), Job Shadowing (in which middle and high school students were invited to shadow a Blackbaud employee through a workday, and The Giving Box (a workplace gift drop-off site to provide items needed by a monthly charity-in-the-spotlight). After the sale of his controlling interest in Blackbaud, Tony and his wife Linda continued their commitment to the community by creating a multi-million dollar charitable endowment at The Community Foundation Serving Coastal South Carolina (TCF) in late Working together as a family, the Bakkers and their children, James and Katie, have recommended grants in excess of $750,000 over the past two years to organizations 2

3 ranging from neighborhood groups to the South Carolina Aquarium. The following is only a partial list of organizations they have supported with grants of $5,000 or more: College of Charleston Soccer Program, Youth Service Charleston, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity, Windwind Farm Home for Children, Honey Hill Neighborhood, Lowcountry Food Bank, Wings for Kids, Communities in Schools and Crisis Ministries. Of particular interest to Linda has been her board participation and support of the work of Carolina Youth Development and Sea Island Academy. Currently, as majority owner and CEO of the Charleston Battery soccer team, Bakker has encouraged the team s work with low income neighborhood leagues, mentoring kids and providing much needed financial support. His belief in giving back knows no bounds; acknowledges no finish line. Dolphin Architects & Builders is no stranger to receiving prestigious awards either. This time it is from AFP, but every time it is richly deserved. Dolphin is a custom home building company located on Johns Island with a sense of community responsibility that has not wavered since its inception. Under the visionary leadership of President and CEO Walter G. Seinsheimer, Dolphin Architects has been involved in numerous philanthropic endeavours ranging from the Sea Island Habitat for Humanity and the Make a Wish Foundation, to Trident United Way and the Charleston Symphony. Seinsheimer takes personal pride in his involvement with the Spoleto festival and has recently been elected to its board. I give personally to Spoleto, because I m passionate about its importance to the Community and the state, says Seinsheimer. Dolphin and One Vendue Range give to Piccolo because we feel it s terribly important that there be a venue for local and regional performers and that area residents have the opportunity to attend Piccolo at significantly reduced costs. Seinsheimer s concern has continually reached deep into the real needs of the community. In 1994, working together with two other businessmen, he designed a program called Gun Stoppers, in an effort to eliminate weapons carried illegally by children and felons. Thanks to its success, this program is now copied in 200 communities across the U.S. A sense of community responsibility runs in the family, beginning with Seinsheimer s grandparents and parents and now with his son, Walter G. Seinsheimer, III who helped found a program created by the Sea Island Habitat for Humanity and Trident Community College to train Johns and Wadmalaw Island residents to learn construction trades. Dolphin Architects joined in to help build the much-needed housing, while literally giving people the tools to continue this important work on their own. We at Dolphin consider that those who ve enjoyed the fruits of a successful business need to care about the community, says Seinshimer. Sharing is an imperative and, frankly it feels wonderful. 3

4 Past awards to Dolphin Builders & Architects include the 2000 Corporate Citizenship Award given by The Community Foundation Serving Coastal South Carolina, and the 1999 BFA Award (Business Committee for the Arts headquartered in New York) for its initiative in supporting the Charleston Symphony Kiawah Concerts in a time of grave need. Corporate DevelopMint, capital sponsor for the local chapter of AFP s Philanthropy Day luncheon, awarded its first Courage in Leadership Award to Dr. Jack McConnell from Hilton Head for his work in developing and implementing the Volunteers In Medicine Clinic (VIM). The award recognizes a leader, living in the Carolinas, who has shown great vision and true courage throughout his or her lifetime to positively impact non-profit organizations in the Carolinas through gifts, personal sacrifice and example. Dr. McConnell overcame enormous adversity in changing laws and public opinion to make VIM a reality. Twelve years ago when he arrived in Hilton Head to retire, he couldn t have foreseen the work and sacrifice that lay ahead of him. But he saw a community need and responded. The concept of VIM was simple utilize retired medical professionals to offer medical care to the needy. Today, Dr. McConnell has motivated thousands to come and volunteer at VIM and has been the inspiration for 16 other clinics to open across the country, with 15 more in various stages of development. Among his many accolades, Dr. McConnell was especially moved to receive the Martin Luther King Award, bestowed by his local community. This is the most important award I ve ever received and it means the world to me, he said. Because I received it from my friends and neighbors. I received it from the people that VIM was built for, and this tells me that VIM is doing the right thing for the right people. The Courageous Leader Award will be given in Charleston for the next three years, with the presentation in 2004 planned for North Carolina. A $1,000 gift will be made to the honoree s non-profit of choice. Established in 1974, The Community Foundation is a public grant making foundation that fosters philanthropy throughout coastal South Carolina. Thousands of families, businesses, individuals and organizations have built funds and endowments at TCF to benefit specific charities and/or broad areas of community life education, basic human needs, conservation and preservation, arts, health and neighborhood/community development. Last year, TCF funds generated over $3.26 million for charitable programming, community projects, educational initiatives and scholarships. For information about making a gift or receiving a grant, call or visit our website at 4

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