On October 3, 2017, during an annual event to recognize top-level donors, this year, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina also held a pre-reception at the North Carolina Executive Mansion to celebrate raising a significant matching grant that Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Trustees issued last year.
The grant was an ambitious effort of North Carolina’s 23 land trusts to work collaboratively to raise awareness of the benefits of land conservation and build greater support to achieve those benefits across the state. In November 2016, ZSR Trustees issued a $100,000 grant that needed to be matched on a two-to-one basis; therefore, a total of $200,000 needed to be raised toward this initiative.
To celebrate months of hard work, Conservation Trust for NC brought together members of the community, over the course of an evening, to join together in recognizing all the contributions and incredible effort that was put toward reaching this goal.
“We know that connecting North Carolinians to land conservation will be important to promoting vibrant, sustainable, resilient communities in our state; values that the Foundation holds close,” said Maurice “Mo” Green, executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. “We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all of the donors and supporters of Conservation Trust for NC, as well as to their staff and board, who worked tirelessly to ensure this match would be met.”
Governor Roy Cooper gave the keynote address for the event. Along with ZSR’s Executive Director Maurice “Mo” Green, ZSR Trustees Jane Smith Patterson and David Neal also attended the celebration.
The Foundation has been in partnership with Conservation Trust for NC for more than two decades and continues to remain grateful for its unique leadership in addressing statewide conservation needs.