Thursday, May 19, 2005

By Larry Pakowski, PR Intern

At a press conference held May 19 in downtown Wilmington, David and Diane Swain presented University of North Carolina Wilmington Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo with a check for $50,000 for scholarship purposes. The money will create 100 scholarships in the amount of $500 per semester to be given to children and dependents of New Hanover County employees.

David Swain, owner of Swain & Associates, LLC, revealed a plan that will renovate the 21,000-square-foot former New Hanover County Administration Building at 414 Chestnut Street. Detailing his plan to revitalize the building, Swain unveiled the “Extreme Makeover: County Edition” theme featuring a renovation with vibrant colors, plentiful landscaping, and towering windows that he will be “personally proud of.” As a part of his efforts in the revitalization project Swain also noted that the redevelopment would give back to the community, similar to the way that the Port City Java on Fourth and Chestnut returns all profits to the community through East Carolina Community Development, Inc.

In what Swain called the next way for this project to give back to the community, he and his wife created the “Diane and David Swain Scholarship Fund” at UNCW. Swain, who is no stranger to UNCW, having worked with the Seahawk Club, the UNCW Board of Visitors, and even the search committee that brought Chancellor DePaolo to UNCW--called the chancellor the “developer of minds.” The chancellor thanked the Swains, saying they promoted UNCW ideals of community involvement and scholarship and that their generosity would help UNCW significantly in “building our future.”

Photo by Mark Boyer, New Hanover County Public Information Office