2019 Live Oak Society Reception
The St. Simons Land Trust hosted its annual Live Oak Society Reception on Saturday, March 16 at The Cloister. The event was started more than a decade ago to celebrate and thank those supporters who make membership contributions of $1,000 or more annually. The Live Oak Society has grown to nearly 400 sustained donors who give generously to support the mission and strategic goals of the Land Trust through their yearly memberships.
Just as the size of the Live Oak Society has grown exponentially, so has its annual reception. This year, we hosted a standing-room-only crowd of more than 340 guests. The evening began with a welcome from the Land Trust’s board chair, Scott McQuade, and included a newly created Land Trust video (please click here to view the video) and an update on the organization’s recent accomplishments and initiatives from Executive Director David Pope.
David’s remarks included a grateful acknowledgment of the community’s extraordinary support in helping the Land Trust match a $4 million challenge grant from The Anschutz Foundation last year. All totaled, our generous donor base helped us raise more than $9 million in The Canopy Campaign during 2018.
Guests were also treated to the premier presentation of a documentary on the island. St. Simons: Surviving Success is the work of two retired videographers – George Crain and Lance Lipman – who spent almost three years interviewing island residents and visitors to St. Simons. The result is a stunning testament to how passionately people feel about this unique barrier island and how important they feel it is to protect and preserve its most special qualities. The documentary is also an example of a well-produced “trigger film” that is meant to engage viewers in discussion about the very real challenges facing a beloved community like St. Simons, whose popularity threatens its very existence. To view a trailer of St. Simons: Surviving Success, and to learn how you can schedule a screening of the documentary at your next community or organizational meeting, please click here.
George Crain and Lance Lipman, St. Simons: Surviving Success Documentary
One of the ways that we can counter many of the threats highlighted in the documentary is by including the Land Trust in our estate plans. At the March 16 Live Oak Society Reception, we were pleased to launch the Land Trust’s new planned giving program: The Legacy Society. Members of this newly created group are including the St. Simons Land Trust in their estate plans. To learn more about how simple it is to name the Land Trust as a beneficiary in your will, please click here.
We look forward to hosting the 20th Anniversary Celebration and the Live Oak Society Reception next year. In the meantime, we extend sincerest thanks to all who attended and grateful acknowledgment to our sponsors of the event.
Event photos by Chris Moncus Photography:
Thank you to Golden Isles Magazine for featuring the Live Oak Society Reception in their May issue!