News
Greenwood Promise receives new gift
May 16, 2021
The Greenwood Promise received a new gift, with Diana Pet Food pledging its support with a $25,000 investment.
The Greenwood Promise received a new gift, with Diana Pet Food pledging its support with a $25,000 investment. Diana Pet Food has been a part of Greenwood County’s manufacturing community since 2007, successfully supporting the local workforce as the global leader of solution development to improve pets’ well-being and owners’ satisfaction all over the world. “It is really important for our company to support Greenwood County and its community” says Tim Lonc, General Manager of Diana Pet Food North America. “The Greenwood Promise is excited for Diana Pet Food to join as an investor and committing to educate our students and home grow our county’s workforce. As the Promise begins consideration of a Phase 2 campaign, their investment exemplifies the community’s belief in the importance of education and providing a skilled and educated workforce for families and industries in Greenwood County.”
The Greenwood Promise has superheroes
May 16, 2021
“Sometimes leadership is planting trees under whose shade you’ll never sit.” —Jennifer Granholm.
Often, as the executive director of The Greenwood Promise, I am the person who many identify with as being the face of the organization. Well, I am here to tell you that there are many people behind the scenes who have been the guiding force of The Promise long before I became director. I have a board and three committees who, without them, The Promise would not only cease to exist, it would not be as successful as it is today. My board of directors and committee members do not just show up to monthly meetings, approve minutes and move along until the next meeting. We do have monthly meetings, they do approve minutes, but during the meetings, they listen, they are engaged, they offer suggestions and guidance, they support me as the director, donate their money and their valuable time, and they love The Greenwood Promise. Their love of The Promise means they love the families and students of our hometown because they believe in the power of education and care about the future of Greenwood County.
Greenwood Promise Partnership is changing lives through education
May 16, 2021
Like proud Olympic champions, a group of Greenwood kindergartners bowed their heads to receive a special medallion placed around their necks on a sunny fall day at a Greenwood High School athletic field.
The Promise Day Celebration in 2016 officially introduced the Greenwood Promise to the community and reinforced the medallion’s inscribed message that “You can go to college. We promise.” “We decided, in fact, to present all kindergarten kids in the county with the medallion that first year at various school events with parents and grandparents in attendance,” said Ron Millender, one of the core group of community and business leaders that conceived of the Greenwood Promise and now serves as its Board chairman. “We wanted the families to understand that their kids really could go to college. It’s not an impossible dream. We are working to change that narrative.” Establishing a clear, affordable path to college certainly increased the likelihood of graduating seniors from high school enrolling in college. Millender noted that, before 2017, Greenwood County consistently lagged 8% to 10% behind the state average in high school graduates enrolling in college, according to statewide data. “For the class of 2019, we were 5% above the state average!”