Congratulations to Larry King of Raleigh, LSC’s Philanthropist of the Year for North Carolina.
Lutheran Services Carolinas is blessed to have many wonderful donors each year, and their support is critical to helping LSC fulfill its mission, “Empowered by Christ, we walk together with all we serve.” The Philanthropist of the Year awards were created to give special recognition to select donors who demonstrate exceptional care for LSC. These awards recognize individuals or families who have shown extraordinary financial commitment and whole-hearted support for LSC.
“I’m pleased,” King said of the honor. “LSC is one of the charities I’ve supported the longest.”
King first became aware of what was then Lutheran Family Services (LFS) and its programs in 1993 when a church he attended, Hillyer Memorial Christian Church in Raleigh, sponsored a group of Montagnard refugees from Vietnam. LFS was handling their resettlement.
In 1995, King, whose mother’s maiden name is Garrett, founded the Garrett-King Foundation, named for both sides of his family to honor his ancestors and their care for their children.
“This caring over the generations gave me what every child needs and deserves: a stable home, living parents, and a secure childhood. Through this foundation, I wanted to help other parents provide a good start for their children,” he said.
The objective of the foundation was to help children have positive experiences during these early years and to support parents in their efforts to become financially self-sufficient. Providing partial tuition for quality day care was the major emphasis of the foundation.
LFS was one of the agencies the Garrett-King Foundation supported, and although the foundation was closed in 2000, King personally continues to support Lutheran Services Carolinas.
“I am glad to continue my support of Lutheran Services Carolinas because I appreciate the varied ways it works to improve people’s lives. And I have also enjoyed getting to know the various staff members I’ve interacted with over the years,” King said. “The agency helps people in so many different ways. I visited a new group home a few years ago. I toured that and met some of the young people living there and working at grocery store nearby. It was the most hands-on thing I’ve seen. LSC helps people in so many ways.”
King attended the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and completed a master’s of science in agronomy at the University of Georgia. His jobs have included draftsman and engine mechanic for NASCAR, aircraft engineer for Lockheed Aircraft, agronomist at Tennessee Valley Authority, and professor in the Department of Soil Science at NC State University.