Posted on Thu, Apr. 03, 2008 - Charlotte.com

Rewards for sound finances

Groups get money for their good stewardship

STEVEN BROWN
sbrown@charlotteobserver.com

Taking good care of their finances is paying off for three Charlotte-area cultural groups.

The Carolina Raptor Center, Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary and Festival in the Park are receiving a total of $45,000 donated by the Stanford Financial Group. The awards, administered by the Arts & Science Council, reward groups for sound financial management over a three-year period.

The Raptor Center is receiving $20,000; Wing Haven, $15,000; and Festival in the Park, $10,000. The groups can use the money any way they want.

Stanford, a network of financial-services companies, supports similar awards for groups in Tennessee, Texas and Florida.

"As a wealth-management firm, we understand the importance of ... being good stewards of financial resources," the company's Carolinas director, Eddie Rollins, said in a statement. This is the second year of the awards in Charlotte.