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ACBC receives award from UPS Foundation

ACBC, Aluminum Cans for Burned Children program, received a $25,000 grant from the UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of the United Parcel Service. 

Pediatric Burn coordinator Jill Evans, right, explains the process of caring for patients to Paul Boggs, Greenville City Fire Department and ACBC director Mary Wiltshire inside the newly renovated Children's Hospital Burn Treatment Room.

The grant was awarded through the Foundation's Region/District Grant Program, a one-of-a-kind initiative that allows UPS employees to recommend organizations for funding based on the needs they see in their communities.

The grant will be used to send 50 children to Camp Can Do 2001, a specially designed camp for burned children. 

The camp was established to give children a fun-filled experience where they are just like everyone else. It is co-sponsored by South Carolina Firefighters and MUSC Children's Hospital Burn Services. Established in 1997, the camp is the only one of it's kind in the Palmetto State.

The ACBC program has been the primary funding source for the camp. Declining income from the recycling program has jeopardized the camp's future. The new UPS grant has secured the camp's existence for 2001.

“Funds from the UPS foundation are restricted exclusively for paying expenses related to Camp Can Do 2001. Camp Can Do's mission of helping burned children believe in themselves and show them that they can do anything is now secured for next year,” said Robert O'Donald, volunteer camp director and Charleston firefighter. “Now, we focus our attention on giving the kids a great time, instead of worrying if we'll have the money for camp.”

The grant awarded to ACBC is one of many the UPS Foundation has made through the 2000 Region/District Grant Program. The grants, totaling nearly $3.1 million, were awarded to organizations that support educational and human service initiatives across the U.S. and in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Chile.

“The Region/District Grant Program reflects our commitment to make an impact on the communities we serve,” said Evern Cooper, executive director and vice president of the UPS Foundation. “In the 16 years since its establishment, the Region/District Grant Program has awarded more than $39 million to charitable organizations.”

The UPS Foundation was founded in 1951 in Atlanta. It is committed to making a difference through focused funded programs and projects. In addition to the Region/District Grant Program, the foundation's major initiatives include programs that support hunger relief, family, workplace literacy and effective volunteerism.