MORGAN PILZ/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
The Ocean City Development Corporation receives the single- largest donation during a Giving Tuesday event overseen by the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.

By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer

(Dec. 6, 2018) A record-breaking $172,000 was donated during the one-day Giving Tuesday event, held Nov. 27, and was distributed to 98 charities and organizations in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties.

More than 1,500 contributions were made by 1,000 donors during the 24-hour Shore Gives More Giving Tuesday campaign, which is managed locally by the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.

“Giving Tuesday shows us the power of ambitiously compassionate people coming together to make a difference in our local community,” Erica Joseph, CFES president stated in a press release. “Each year the event grows which means more nonprofits on the lower Eastern Shore are able to thrive.”

The largest donation came from Bill and Kevin Gibbs of Dough Roller Restaurants, who presented a $10,000 check to the Ocean City Development Corporation.

“The money from this donation will go toward more holiday light displays,” Glenn Irwin, executive director, said. “Bill Gibbs has been the leading factor of these contributions for these programs.”

OCDC also received the most money during the event – $12,955.

“We’re super excited about the fact that we received the most money, particularly noting there were other great nonprofits in the area. That is great news,” Irwin said.

The Worcester County Education Foundation garnered accolades for receiving the most donors overall, with 166. This distinction also earned the organization an additional $2,000 as a result of having the most donors within two different time slots.

“We do prize incentives for the nonprofits,” Victoria Kent, Community Foundation marketing director, said. “It basically gives them an additional chance to win. We have prizes for most … donors in one time period, and that gave them the opportunity to compete for an additional $1,000.”

One such $1,000 winner was the Berlin Heritage Foundation, who had the most donors from 4-5 p.m. Other winners were Wyatt’s Warriors Foundation and Crisfield Heritage Foundation. Two others – the Eastern Shore Ballet Theatre and Worcester County Education Foundation – won the award twice, each earning $2,000, for the most donors within an hour’s time period.

Other organizations earned rewards with the help of a golden ticket raffle.

Six organizations – Wyatt’s Warriors Foundation, Assateague Island Alliance, Main Street Princess Anne, Hope4Recovery Inc., 1 Year to Empowerment and Tri Community Mediation – received golden tickets worth an additional $500, sponsored by the Perdue Family Fund. This is the second-year golden tickets were used during the Foundation’s fundraising event.

“The Shore Gives More is truly by the community, for the community. Without the hard work of many nonprofits and their supporters this campaign would not be what it has become today,” Joseph said.

The Shore Gives More was first launched as a local Giving Tuesday campaign in 2015 and raised just under $7,500 in its first year.

To learn more about the Shore Gives More Giving Tuesday campaign for local nonprofits visit cfes.org or ShoreGivesMore.org.