By Stan Welch
The Town of West Pelzer recently received a $5,000 grant to help fund its ‘Expand Your Wings’ program. The town, which is a designated bird sanctuary, is developing the educational and art installation project, and was one of five finalists in the Hughes Investment Elevate Upstate grant program. The program, founded by Phil Hughes Investments, provides grant funds as seed money for vibrancy initiatives around the Upstate area.
Mayor Blake Sanders said, “We are naturally excited and honored to accept this grant. We hope to use it to enhance and expand our town’s awareness and appreciation of the varied bird population in our town, and what they add to our quality of life.”
West Pelzer and the Anderson Free Clinic were the two $5,000 winners this year. Three other finalists received $1,000 grants out of the total of nineteen applicants.
The Free Clinic will use the funds to support its Food Resources Ensuring Satisfactory Health (FRESH) nutrition initiative.
Since the start of the grant program in 2013, $56,000 have been awarded to seventeen different recipients. This year’s awards were presented on November 29 at the Our Upstate Vision forum.
