by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Amid dozens of teeming golfers at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, representatives of the Gate Corporation still found the time and space to officially announce the creation of the Gate Foundation, a philanthropic affiliate of the petroleum and convenience store company.
Oh yes, they also found the time to award the Foundation’s first major gift: a $100,000 check to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida.
“This will support about 600 kids for a year,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Warren Grymes.
Hill Peyton — brother of Mayor John Peyton — is the Foundation’s president and chairman. He’s also the vice president of public relations for Gate Petroleum. Kathy Brady will serve as executive director of the Foundation.
“This is a very exciting day and something we have been working on for some time,” said Peyton, adding he will be able to serve in both capacities.
Peyton said the 501(c)(3) foundation has been in the planning stages for about six months. During that time, the idea was to award the first gift to Big Brothers Big Sisters due to a long-standing relationship between Gate and the organization that helps provide adult mentors to kids in the area between the ages of 6 and 18.
“We already had a relationship, so it was a good fit,” said Peyton. “Going forward, the (Foundation) board will interview others.”
Peyton said he isn’t sure who will be the recipient next year at Gate’s annual charity golf tournament. That will come after local organizations go through an application process and the Foundation’s board culls through those applications.
Grymes said there are currently about 2,000 mentors in the Big Brothers Big Sisters network. But, he needs a lot more.
“If we had the money and the infrastructure, we could use about 35,000 more just in the Northeast Florida area,” said Grymes. “That shows you how many kids come from single-family homes and live at or below the poverty level.”
The grant will allow Grymes and his staff to recruit new mentors, cover the cost of background checks and insurance and provide one-on-one, ongoing supervision between the kids and their mentors.
Peyton said neither his father Herb — owner of Gate Petroleum — nor his brother John will have a role in the Gate Foundation at the time. He did not rule out the mayor once his term expires in 2011.
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