On June 30, 2018, the First Horizon Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary of supporting nonprofit organizations in the communities it serves. To mark this mile and introduce its new Capital Bank Foundation, a 25 Years of Giving Video Contest was announced and winners will receive anniversary tribute grants in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.
From June 25 through August 1, 2018, eligible nonprofit organizations in the First Tennessee and Capital Bank service areas were invited to create 60-second videos sharing stories of how First Tennessee and Capital Bank foundations could and/or had partnered with them to support their communities. Videos produced using a smartphone were acceptable and preferred.
Round One of voting runs from August 15 to August 31, 2018. A total of 11nonprofit organizations in the Blount County area submitted videos of more than 500 submitted in total. The public is now invited to view and vote for their favorites at www.25YearsofGiving.com.
To cast a vote, users will need to create a new account (this is a one-time process and does not have to be repeated for each day of voting). Participants may vote on multiple videos each day but cannot vote on the same video twice in the same day. Votes will clear each night at 11:59 p.m. CST.
The top 30 videos will advance to the next level to be reviewed by a geographically diverse panel of judges during September. Twenty-five organizations will receive anniversary tribute grants in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, for a total of $250,000.
Winners will be announced on Monday, Oct. 1.
“We have been amazed by the amount of enthusiasm we’ve seen from participating organizations in just the first two days of voting,” said Greg Wilson, First Tennessee’s Maryville region president. “Social media and email have blown up with organizations making their advocates aware of the contest and appealing for their votes. We couldn’t be happier with the excitement the First Tennessee Foundation’s contest is generating and the attention it is bringing to the fantastic work these organizations are doing in our communities.”
The following organizations have submitted videos in the Blount County area for the contest:
Appalachian Ballet Company
Appalachian Black Bear Rehabilitation & Release Center, Inc. (DBA:Appalachian Bear Rescue)
Blount County Community Action Agency
Family Promise of Blount County
Friends of Tennessee’s Babies with Special Needs
Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center
Make-A-Wish East Tennessee
Maryville College
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee
The Gate – Gateway to Independence
YWCA Knoxville & the Tennessee Valley