TBF RAISES FUNDS BENEFITTING HURRICANE HELENE RECOVERY AND RELIEF EFFORTS

D.C. BASED GROUPS RAISE FUNDS BENEFITTING HURRICANE HELENE RECOVERY AND RELIEF EFFORTS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida State Societies of Washington, D.C., as well as the Tennessee Business Forum, hosted a fundraising event on October 10, 2024 in Washington benefitting recovery and relief efforts across the Southeast in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The event boasted over 300 attendees and was supported by over 50 corporate sponsors including, but not limited to, American Clean Power, American Electric Power, Apple, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Edison Electric Institute, GE Vernova, Honeywell, Invenergy, NextEra Energy, Nextracker, R.J. Reynolds, Southern Company, and the US Chamber of Commerce. The $622,522 raised will go directly to nonprofits already working on relief efforts in communities across the Southeast. Nonprofits receiving funds include Golden Harvest Food Bank of Augusta, Second Harvest Food Bank of South Georgia, CSRA Community Foundation, United Way of the Coastal Empire, Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Fund, One SC Fund, North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, Florida Disaster Fund, and East Tennessee Foundation.

Heath Wheat, President of the Georgia State Society, said this: “The Georgia State Society is excited to support this effort and give back to our beloved home state during this extreme time of need. We are proud to support organizations back home who are providing critical assistance to our fellow Georgians in their time of need. We’d like to thank our individual donors and corporate sponsors for their generous support.”

Carey Turner, President of the South Carolina State Society, said this: “We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from our Southern community in D.C. and the generosity of our host committee. The South Carolina State Society is proud to join with these four organizations to play a small role in the recovery effort. We’re very thankful to everyone who joined us to send prayers, donations, and support back home to the Palmetto State.”

Greg Steele, President of the North Carolina State Society, said this: "The North Carolina State Society is proud to partner in this special event to help folks recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, which has had a severe impact on western North Carolina and the entire region. We are especially thankful to the other state societies for their collaboration and all sponsors who

contributed and have allowed our organization to help raise funds that will make a lasting impact in our communities. Together, North Carolina's efforts will support the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund to provide essential aid to those in need as they work to rebuild and recover."

Alex Bond, President of the State Society of Florida, said this: “The State Society of Florida is humbled by the generosity of the organizations and supporters who contributed to Hurricane Helene relief. Thank you for standing with the people of the Sunshine State and our neighbors in our hour of need.”

Brandi Lowell, Executive Director of the Tennessee Business Forum, said this: “The Volunteer spirit is a time-honored tradition in our community. The Tennessee Business Forum was honored to join forces with fellow business leaders and state societies to raise money for those that were impacted by Hurricane Helene in Tennessee and the surrounding areas. We were proud to come together for the greater good-- not just for our own communities, but also for our neighbors.”