WAHHI has a long history of community outreach. From its inception, the women of WAHHI have participated in activities that benefited our community. Read "Traveling the Island with WAHHI" on our website and learn about the early days of WAHHI, including the projects and landmarks that WAHHI has contributed to the growing HHI community over the years.
WAHHI's Community Outreach has three major components: Difference Makers, WAHHI Competitive Grants, and Youth Service Awards. These three initiatives significantly impact the geographic area that WAHHI encompasses. Each outreach component made changes to encourage members' input and involvement this year.
Difference Makers (DM) is an Interest Group offering one monthly project. Members of this interest group have opportunities to serve as project leaders. All WAHHI members are encouraged to participate in each planned project, especially those that coincide with their availability and specific passions.
Difference Makers is seeking project proposals for the year. Contact Eileen Faas or Gina Hines for further information. Please be prepared to share a brief description of the nonprofit organization that needs help, what they need, etc.
The WAHHI Charitable Grant Committee is excited to welcome the DM Chairs to the Charitable Grants Committee. Gina and Eileen's involvement will help facilitate information-sharing about community needs and nonprofit organizations. It will also hopefully enable the committee to meet the increasing number of requests for assistance. The Competitive Grants Committee will use a Portal (Foundant Technologies) to make grant information and applications more accessible to local nonprofits. Committee members will also use the portal to review and score grant applications. The new system will generate comprehensive reports about the grant process and an annual history.
Each year since 1980, WAHHI has sponsored Youth Service Awards as a way to acknowledge local high school seniors who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to civic engagement. Award recipients are recognized at WAHHI's April Luncheon. WAHHI members have the opportunity to serve on the committee that promotes this scholarship and reviews applications.
WAHHI’s Community Outreach initiatives rely on the Fun-Raising Committee’s efforts. Under the leadership of Linda Dreisbach, the Fun-Raising Committee works year-round to raise the funds needed to support the WAHHI Community Outreach initiatives. Linda and her committee are always looking for enthusiastic members to help plan and facilitate fun activities, such as shopping days, social events, etc. Contact Linda to help put the fun into fundraising!
WAHHI’s Community Outreach initiatives need your support! Consider participating in a Difference Makers project, assisting with a fundraising event, becoming a Diamond Member, or contributing your time or talent. This year WAHHI is focusing on finding JOY in life. There is no better way to find JOY than by looking outside ourselves and seeing where we can make a difference in the lives of others. WAHHI’s Community Outreach programs mobilize members’ hearts and hands. We invite you to find ways to participate in community outreach and help those in need in our community. Together, we can make a difference, and you will feel the JOY of participating in an organization that has consistently benefited our community.
Please use our Contact Us page to contact the Difference Makers, Fun-Raising, WAHHI Charitable Grants, or Youth Service Awards.
Difference Makers
This Interest Group is comprised of over 100 active and volunteer-minded members who have FUN while doing good in a day. These women have led our Association’s efforts to:
In 2022-23, Difference Makers have led our Association’s efforts to:
✳️Provide arts & crafts supplies to the Sandbox Children’s Museum for their many art programs in which underprivileged children participate and are enriched & entertained.
✳️Collect and assemble household kits for Hopeful Horizons used to outfit new homes for victims of domestic violence and abuse.
✳️Teach & assist disabled clients of Pockets Full of Sunshine how to make Christmas ornaments that could be sold in their Christmas market booths and online store.
✳️Bring joy to the impoverished families of the Children’s Center by collecting and delivering Christmas gifts and toys.
✳️Build a safer, more usable pathway, weed, trim and spread mulch to beautify the grounds surrounding the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic on HHI. A food drive addressed some of the needed replenishment of this organization’s food pantry.
✳️Educate our own membership in potentially life-saving health measures and emergency preparedness in partnership with the American Red Cross, Hilton Head Fire & Rescue, & Lowcountry Hospice.
✳️Increase environmental awareness by learning to build oyster habitats and promote oyster shell recycling efforts in collaboration with Outside Foundation.
A huge THANK YOU to the leadership of Difference Makers and every WAHHI member who contributed to the success of these efforts.
WAHHI Charitable Fund
There are a number of visible and tangible gifts that our Association has contributed to the community in the past. Bike path maps, the bronze Walter Palmer statue on the grounds of the Coastal Discovery Museum as well as the front porch of the Gabled Farm House, and the 60th WAHHI Anniversary gift of a labyrinth that will be handicap accessible just broke ground in March. To highlight these and other contributions over the years made possible by the generosity of our members, there is now a booklet “Traveling the Island With WAHHI”, compiled by our Historian, Marie Danforth. It can be found on the website, in a downloadable format, for members and visitors to enjoy their discovery tour.
Congratulations to the 2023 WAHHI Charitable Fund Recipients
- The Celebration Projects
- Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park
- The American Heart Association
- Born to Read
- The Children's Center
- Family Promise
- Foundation for Educational Excellence
- Memory Matters
- Neighborhood Outreach Connection (NOC)
- The Pregnancy Center
- Sandalwood Pantry
- The Sandbox
Youth Service Awards
This program, organized in 1980, continues to recognize high school seniors who excel at community service. We congratulate the following outstanding youth who demonstrated an active commitment to community volunteerism.
Congratulations 2022-23 WAHHI Youth Service Award Recipients
- Samantha Reilly – John Paul II
- Sam Rembold – John Paul II
- Julia Delgado – John Paul II
- Whitney McGuire – Hilton Head Island High School
- Daniela Lopez – Hilton Head Island High School
- Audrey Perry – Hilton Head Island High School
- Caroline Denckhoff – Palmetto Classical Academy
Your Contributions
We are grateful for your generous support along with that of our vendor partners who donate items for door prizes and raffles, and to those businesses who sponsor Shop for a Cause events. Charitable Fund Grants and Youth Service Awards were funded by:
- WAHHI Diamond members
- Numerous fundraising events (Shop for a Cause – JMcLaughlin, JBanks Design, Phillips Shoes; Happy Days Dinner and St. Patrick’s Day Dinner; WAHHI Garden Tour; Golf Scramble; Belk Charity Day)
- Individual member donations to the WAHHI Charitable Fund (held in trust by The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry)
- Vendor tables at the December WAHHI Luncheon
And many thanks to the creativity, time, and energy of our Fun Raising Funds Interest Group members for their unceasing efforts to make these events possible.
Your Volunteerism
Every membership year is the result of many women coming together and committing time, talent, or resources. We are a 100% volunteer-based organization. We urge you to join these women who are dedicated to making a difference in our communities while enjoying the WAHHI benefits of camaraderie, team spirit, and just plain FUN. There is always room for more hearts and hands so please contact the President using the Contact Us form