Business

2014 ‘Celebrate The Season’ Raises Over $112,000 For Charity

celebrate the seasonMONCKS CORNER, S.C. — The 2014 Celebrate The Season, supported by 51 local businesses and organizations, raised $112,544.29 for charities serving Berkeley County and the tri-county area.

The total includes sponsorships, gate returns during the month-long festival and holiday lights driving tour, and additional proceeds from the second annual Tinsel Trot fun run.

“Celebrate The Season is the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks to the tremendous support from our community, our volunteers, and our sponsors, since 2011 we’ve raised over $409,000 for charities serving our community,” said Santee Cooper President and CEO Lonnie Carter. “Santee Cooper is happy to again support the Coastal Community Foundation and its Giving Back to Berkeley Fund, which will ensure this year’s gift helps achieve long-term and lasting good for our neighbors in need.”

Santee Cooper donated $81,392.91 in festival proceeds to the Coastal Community Foundation’s Giving Back to Berkeley Fund. A second donation, of $15,000, went to the Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center.

Santee Cooper is title sponsor and organizer for Celebrate The Season and Tinsel Trot, which are held annually at the utility’s Moncks Corner headquarters and its adjacent Old Santee Canal Park. Berkeley Electric Cooperative is the presenting sponsor of Celebrate The Season.

“Santee Cooper and Berkeley Electric Cooperative are connecting us in new ways. Going to Celebrate The Season is fun but also a meaningful way to support the year-round good work of local charities. Making the connections that allow our community to prosper is what Santee Cooper does,” said Coastal Community Foundation President and CEO George Stevens.

“It’s great to be a part of a holiday festival display and community event that rivals none,” said Dwayne Cartwright, Berkeley Electric Cooperative president and CEO. “It provides our employees an opportunity to give back to the community.”

Along with Berkeley Electric Cooperative, major sponsors Berkeley County, Goodwill Industries, and Home Telecom each received $4,037.79 to give to charities of their choosing: Berkeley Citizens Inc., Berkeley County Family YMCA, Callen-Lacey Center for Children, Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina VETS Program, Home Community Fund, and Helping Hands of Goose Creek.

In addition to Celebrate The Season’s focus on charity fundraising, the event is also distinguished by its commitment to the environment by exclusively using energy-efficient LED bulbs in the displays lining the driving route, and powering the entire festival with renewable Green Power from Santee Cooper.

Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s largest power producer, the largest Green Power generator and the ultimate source of electricity for 2 million people across the state. Through its low-cost, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity and water services, and through innovative partnerships and initiatives that attract and retain industry and jobs, Santee Cooper powers South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.santeecooper.com.

Nikki Gaskins Campbell
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