Local nonprofit, Re:Purpose Savannah, received over $26,000 in donations during their robust 2023 year-end campaign. The largest donations were $5,000 received from the Lesher Foundation, and $10,000 from The Human Fund.

The organization’s ongoing online campaign to support operations, electrical, programs, and services received over $11,000 in donations from the public so far. The goal of Re:Purpose’s year-end online campaign was to raise money for crucial upgrades to their warehouse as well as support operational costs for programming and services. Phase I of the campaign aimed to raise enough to upgrade the warehouse’s electrical panel and install new lights throughout the space. Phase II involves upgrading the wiring throughout the warehouse, which had been failing to meet the needs of Re:Purpose staff.

“Upgrading the wiring throughout the warehouse means that we can have stronger and more efficient utilities for production, communication, and overall environment. With an older warehouse like we operate out of, the upgrade is a must in the next couple of months,” says Executive Director of Re:Purpose, Mae Bowley. 

Two of the most generous donations to the year-end campaign came from The Human Fund and the Lesher Foundation, who donated $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. 

The Human Fund is capitalized by an anonymous donor and managed by the Savannah Community Foundation. Savannah Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity nonprofit corporation. The Foundation is an umbrella philanthropic organization through which individuals, families, businesses, and charities support the well-being of our community and invest in solutions to the area's civic, educational, health and human services, religious and cultural challenges. 

The Lesher Foundation was founded by Dean & Margaret Lesher in 1989. Now managed by the couple’s children and grandchildren, the foundation continues to provide grants to various organizations—particularly those in underserved communities—with over $100 million in grants given to date.

Bowley stated, “We are incredibly grateful for the donations from the Lesher Foundation and The Human Fund for recognizing the work we are doing in the deconstruction world, for preservation, and for women in the construction industry. With these kinds of support, we are able to further our mission and support the organization with the day-to-day tasks of trailblazing.”

Re:Purpose Savannah is a women+ (including women-identified, trans, non-binary, and other underrepresented people)-led and operated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that diverts materials from the landfill through the deconstruction of historic buildings in Savannah, GA. Re:Purpose Savannah captures and shares the value of historic structures through shared research and documentation of buildings, the careful deconstruction and salvage of the architectural fabric of projects, and by making goods available for reuse at their marsh-front lumber yard. 

To learn more about Re:Purpose Savannah go to www.repurposesavannah.org