When Eddie Smith bought Grady-White Boats in 1968, another stalwart of the marine industry’s charitable efforts, he and his wife, Jo, incorporated “sharing your blessings,” a lesson from his parents, as one of the core values of the company. This foundation remains at the forefront today under the leadership of President Kris Carroll, a 47-year company veteran, and her team.
In 2004, Grady-White partnered with the Pitt Community College Foundation and created the VISIONS Program to identify, mentor, and educate at-risk youth to help them graduate from high school and then, if they qualify, receive a scholarship to earn an associate degree. Of the more than 1,100 students accepted into the VISIONS Program, 99 percent graduated high school and 42 percent completed a degree or certificate at Pitt Community College, including Tutaw, a political refugee from Myanmar who came to the U.S. in 2007. Tutaw is now a U.S. citizen and personally supports the VISIONS Program so that other students can succeed as he did.
Grady-White Boats has supported the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain (North Carolina) for more than 30 years by contributing to clubs being built, including one in Greenville completed in 2007.
The company also helped establish and fund Club Academy, a program that mentors local schoolchildren in grades K-5 in reading and math. The indices have been shown that these mentors have been crucial to students later completing high school.