Letter to the Editor - December 17, 2015

Readers Respond Regarding the Daniel Island Community Fund

A letter to the editor last week presented concerns about DICA dues, a special assessment, and the Daniel Island Community Fund (DICF). While the letter appeared to focus primarily on DICA dues, some comments regarding the DICF were incomplete or inaccurate. The undersigned are current or former members of the DICF grants committee and wish to present the following to your readers.

The DICF was established by the Daniel Island developer with a mission to enhance the quality of life on Daniel Island and the Cainhoy/Huger peninsula. DICF revenue comes from a community enhancement fee on real estate resales, not from annual POA dues. About ten years ago, the DICF board established a grants committee, comprised solely of volunteer DI residents, to guide and approve DICF expenditures. Following the original mission, the committee developed the following guidelines and broad categories for expenditures.

The first category and priority is to support community events on Daniel Island. During the depth of the real estate downturn, these were the only expenditures. Examples of these events include Park Day, 4th of July parade, Holiday Festival, Concert in the Park, Sundown on the Wando concerts, Easter party and others. If there were no DICF and residents wanted these events to continue, they would need to be funded by additional POA dues.

The second priority is to support Daniel Island residents and organizations that seek to improve lives and build better communities on Daniel Island and the neighboring Cainhoy/Huger peninsula. Toward this focused end, we look at three criteria:

1. The proposed program/initiative should be led or supported by a DI resident or organization through the contribution of their time (sweat equity) and/or money.

2. The proposed program/initiative should address a humanitarian area of focus (families and children, health and wellness, hunger and nutrition, housing and shelter, literacy and education) or a community improvement.

3. The geographic area served should be within zip codes 29492 or 29450, Daniel Island or the Cainhoy/Huger peninsula.

There are many examples in this category such as Daniel Island School, Golfers for Education (reading tutors), Daniel Island’s Flying Fish swim team, Daniel Island Cub and Boy Scouts, Young Life, American flags by the Daniel Island Rotary Club, Patriotic banners by the Daniel Island Exchange Club, Daniel Island Speaker Series, Daniel Island Garden Club, Music Battery’s Drum Line, Rotary food drive at the Daniel Island Seven Farms complex, Daniel Island Commemorative Park (led by Rotary), Daniel Island Animal Hospital on Wheels, and more.

The philosophy is to support DI residents doing good works on Daniel Island or the Cainhoy/Huger peninsula. If any reader has an idea for a service project that fits these criteria, please let the DICF know (at the POA office).

The third category of expenditure is to make grants to charitable organizations that deliver specific programs that meet the service and geographic criteria above. Examples are an East Cooper Meals on Wheels program that delivers meals to homebound seniors on both Daniel Island and the Cainhoy/Huger peninsula; launching of the East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) Baldwin-Carson center in Cainhoy (achieved in partnership with Benefitfocus, Nucor, Google, and Christ Our King); delivery of 70 Chromebooks to the Cainhoy Middle School (in partnership with Nucor), and support to veteran’s groups such as Palmetto Warrior Connection and Wounded Warrior Fund.

Jane Baker, VP of Community Services, (Jimmy Bailey previously) is an active advisor to the grants committee and manages the operations of the DICF. DICF grant expenditures (categories 2 and 3 above) are approved by the grants committee consisting solely of volunteer DI residents. The grants committee is not a rubber stamp and has amended (down or up) and denied requests.

The only community adjacent to Daniel Island supported by DICF is, as described above, the Cainhoy/Huger peninsula. We are proud of these results, many led by DI residents. At the same time, the majority of expenditures made by the DICF have been for programs directly on Daniel Island. And we have consistently turned down requests from worthy charities when they do not meet our tight zip code geography criterion. We welcome donor partners as some of our most impactful results have been when we participate with other like-minded donors, as described above.

In closing, we hope this helps readers to better understand what the DICF does and how it does it. We further hope readers will conclude that the DICF helps make Daniel Island a better place to live. Daniel Island is a unique place. The philanthropic culture of its residents, supported by DICF, is a part of that unique fabric. We thank DI residents for all they do for our community and our neighbors on the Cainhoy/Huger peninsula and wish you a joyous holiday season and great 2016.

Sincerely, Emily Dorton, Bob Graham, Mac McBride, Jim Morrill, Steve Slifer, Bill Stevens

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

Breaking News Alerts

To sign up for breaking news email alerts, Click on the email address below and put "email alerts" in the subject line: sdetar@thedanielislandnews.com

Comment Here