The Hilton Head Sun, October 7 2025
The Wexford Foundation awarded $384,000 in major impact grants to five Lowcountry nonprofits Sept. 14th during a reception at Lulu Kitchen.
The annual event, sponsored by Matt Shkor and Walid Karim of The Phoenix Companies, brought donors and community leaders together to recognize organizations that provide critical services in health, housing, hunger and education.
Grant recipients included:
- The Children’s Center, which will upgrade its playground with new equipment and impact-absorbing surfacing.
- Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA), which will renovate its Open Arm’s Children’s Home with new furniture, blinds and paint.
- Second Helpings, which will update its truck fleet with equipment to make food transport safer and more efficient.
- Hopeful Horizons, which will make interior upgrades to its Beaufort emergency domestic violence shelter.
- Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head, which will purchase diagnostic ophthalmology equipment to help detect vision problems and related health issues.
“These organizations do much more than just meet a need; they are so effective that they change the outcomes for their clients,” said Wexford Foundation Chairman Jim Hicks. “We are proud to share in their success.”
Hicks thanked Shkor and Karim for sponsoring the reception and for pledging to donate $5,000 in the name of each of their new home buyers. He also recognized Lulu Kitchen owners Scott and Jennifer Hastings for hosting the event.
“The Wexford Foundation is honored to partner with these charities to make our community a better place for everyone,” Hicks said.
Founded in 2012, the Wexford Foundation is an all-volunteer nonprofit that has awarded more than $4 million to area charities.
