Carolina Handling donated proceeds from its recent patriotic forklift auction to Folds of Honor Palmetto State Chapter and Upstate Warrior Solution, with each organization receiving $5,000 during a check presentation held September 20th at the Rupert Huse Veteran Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
The red, white and blue Raymond 7000-Series Reach Truck with images of Old Glory and Lady Liberty was purchased by Silmar Electronics of Greenville, South Carolina, A distributor of security systems, fire alarms, CCTV, access control, home automation and audio-visual systems, Silmar was in the market for a forklift when Greenville Branch Manager James Branton received an email about the auction.
“The auction was an opportunity to get a usable forklift at possibly a good price and help a charity that helps veterans,” Branton said. “As a branch that has two veterans in house, this immediately turned the meaning of the forklift from functionality to purposeful.”
Custom painted by a Carolina Handling renewed shop technician, who also serves in the South Carolina National Guard, the patriotic forklift features large images of Old Glory and Lady Liberty, white stars along the mast and operator cabin, and red forks. The colorful piece of material handling equipment was displayed outside the Carolina Handling Military & First Responders Skybox during the 2023 BMW Charity Pro-Am, then sold at auction after the tournament to benefit Folds of Honor and Upstate Warrior Solution.
“Folds of Honor Palmetto State Chapter is grateful for the ongoing and continued support in providing educational scholarships for the children and spouses of fallen and disabled service members and first responders,” said Jeff Morris of Folds of Honor Palmetto State Chapter. “The support and money provided by Carolina Handling will allow us to continue to help those who serve our community and country.”
Upstate Warrior Solution will use proceeds from the patriotic forklift auction to continue its work of providing wrap-around care for veterans, including housing, employment, mental health and peer support, according to Director of Marketing and Communications Catherine Pelicano.
“As a community-based nonprofit, local support has always been crucial for sustaining our work,” Pelicano said. “We’re so grateful for partners like Carolina Handling who share our passion for serving the men and women who protect our country and community.”
With 13 percent of its associates having served in the U.S. Armed Forces, Carolina Handling supports veteran’s organizations across the Southeast and is an annual sponsor of the Veteran Employment & Transition Summit presented by The RECON Network.
“Careers at Carolina Handling offer a purpose-driven, military-to-civilian transition,” said Carolina Handling President & CEO Brent Hillabrand. “The skills developed while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces can make you highly successful in the material handling industry.”
