- Funding supports 13 organizations with up to $15,000 in grants
- Simple safety improvements like ramps can improve security,
quality of life
GREENVILLE, S.C., Sept. 12,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- South
Carolina's senior population should never have to decide
between the necessities of life and living out their golden years
in safety in their own home.
"Being able to safely enter and exit our homes is a basic need
for everyone," said Mark Champagne,
executive director of Sumter United Ministries. "We have been told
of seniors in our community being physically carried in and out of
their home because there wasn't a suitable wheelchair ramp
available."
To assist the efforts of organizations like Sumter United
Ministries, the Duke Energy Foundation is providing $100,000 in grants to 13 organizations in the
state with existing home ramp programs for low-income senior
citizens or those with disabilities who qualify for assistance.
Each program qualified for up to $15,000 in funding based on the size of the
population they serve.
"This money will make life so much better for
several homeowners in our community," Champagne said.
"Safety is the most important aspect of everything we do at Duke
Energy, every day," said Mike
Callahan, Duke Energy's South Carolina
state president. "A simple safety improvement like building
a ramp can make an enormous difference in the quality of life of
our seniors. These grants will provide real freedom and security to
the recipients of these services."
Grants were awarded to the following organizations:
- AIM (Anderson County) –
$15,000
- Caring and Sharing (Williamsburg
County) – $2,500
- Greenwood Community Home Repairs – $5,000
- Habitat for Humanity (Greenville
County) – $15,000
- Habitat for Humanity (Spartanburg
County) – $15,000
- Habitat for Humanity (York
County) – $5,000
- Helping Florence Flourish – $5,000
- Home Works of America (Marlboro
County) – $2,500
- KARE of Kershaw – $5,000
- Lighthouse Ministries (Florence
County) – $10,000
- Rebuild Upstate (Oconee and
Pickens counties) – $10,000
- Sumter United Ministries – $7,500
- United Way (Clarendon County)
– $2,500
This year's grants are a continuation of the Foundation's
efforts to support South Carolina
organizations that help make needed home repairs to enable senior
citizens to continue to enjoy life in their current homes. In 2023,
the Senior Home Repair Program provided $225,000 in grants to 15 qualifying nonprofits of
up to $20,000 through a request for
proposals.
"The response we received after last year's grants were
announced was tremendous, and eye opening as the scope of the need
became evident," said Amanda Dow,
director of the Duke Energy Foundation in South Carolina. "We looked more closely at the
programs implementing this work and refined this year's grants to a
single specific focus area – home ramp programs – that will allow
for more targeted disbursement of funds and reach more individuals
in need."
In addition to the grants, Duke Energy employees will be
volunteering with several of these organizations to build ramps in
communities in the company's service territory that serves more
than 830,000 retail electric customers and stretches from the Pee
Dee region to the Upstate.
"We are excited to receive this grant which will enable Rebuild
Upstate to install ramps for several older adults in the
Upstate, ensuring safe access to their homes and helping them to
age in place," said Jake Beaty, CEO
of Rebuild Upstate. "We are honored to partner with Duke Energy in
serving our neighbors in need."
Individuals looking for more information on qualifying for
support from individual programs should contact the organizations
receiving these grants.
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to
meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and
work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune
150 company headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies.
The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities
serve 1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition,
keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the
forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions
from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions
from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in
major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including
expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and
the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy
on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook,
and visit illumination for stories about the people and
innovations powering our energy transition.
Contact: Ryan Mosier
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy