By Thom Little, Ph.D.

In September 2020, during the darkest days of the Covid-19 pandemic, my mother turned 80 years old. A few weeks before, she had read an article about a woman who was turning 80 and decided to send $80 to friends with the stipulation that they spend it on or donate it to a worthy cause and send her a note explaining what they did with the money. Liking the idea, my mother decided to do the same thing, and she still treasures the letters and cards telling her that her money helped people and organizations across the nation.

After sharing this story with the SLLF staff, we all agreed that it would be cool if we could do something similar so at our 2020 (virtual) Board Meeting and Leadership Forum, we divided the participants into groups, giving each group $1,000 to distribute as they saw fit, and we have continued to do this at each Board Meeting ever since.

This year, SLLF Directors and Advisory Council members attending the meeting allocated more than $9,500 to a wide variety of worthy causes, ranging from support for cancer patients to historical preservation to aiding the homeless. Find below the list of organizations that will benefit from 2024 SLLF Gives Back:

American Cancer Society (cancer.org)
Providing support for people with cancer throughout their entire journey.

American Exchange Project (americanexchangeproject.org)
Their mission is to connect our divided country by  providing high school seniors with exchange trips to another American community very different from their own.

The Drake House (thedrakehouse.org)
Their mission is to empower women and their children experiencing homelessness to achieve economic independence and long-term stability.

Health Leads, Inc. (healthleadsusa.org)
Everyone deserves the opportunity to live with health, well-being and dignity. They are striving to build a world where racial health equity is the standard.

The Gettysburg Foundation (gettysburgfoundation.org)
A non-profit philanthropic, educational organization that operates in partnership with the National Park Service to preserve Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site, and to educate the public about their significance.

South Carolina Historical Society (schistory.org)
Supports the state’s largest and oldest private archive as well as a modern historical museum.

Three Square, a member of Feeding America (threesquare.org)
Their mission is to provide wholesome food to hungry people, while passionately pursuing a hunger-free community.

Tommy’s Place (tommysplace.org)
Tommy’s Place owns and operates two 10+ bedroom year-round magical vacation homes on Cape Cod for kids fighting cancer and their families.

Young Chances Foundation (youngchances.org)
Providing urban children in South Philadelphia with the opportunity to have fun, strengthen family relationships, build positive leadership skills through peer-motivated activities, and access resources for general to higher education.

From all of us at SLLF, Happy Holidays and may you all have a wonderful 2025!