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QuikTrip Fuels Comfort for Children in Crisis with $36,000 Grant to Lily Pad
GREENVILLE, S.C. (August 28, 2025) – QuikTrip is partnering with Lily Pad: A Soft Place to Land to bring comfort and care to South Carolina children in foster care, awarding a $36,000 grant to Lily Pad, a local nonprofit organization working to create calming, child-friendly spaces across the state. Thanks to the generous donation from QuikTrip, two new Lily Pads recently opened up in the Aiken and Lancaster County SCDSS offices.
Benjamin Tice, Lily Pad Co-Founder said, “This work has been a part of our lives for more than a decade—we’ve welcomed over 40 children into our home, and we’ve seen firsthand how much it matters when a child walks into a space that feels safe and welcoming. To have the company I work for recognize that and choose to invest in it—there’s a deep sense of gratitude and pride. QuikTrip’s partnership isn’t just financial support; it’s a shared commitment to showing up for kids in our community when they need it most.”
The funding covered supplies needed to complete the beautiful new Aiken and Lancaster Lily Pad spaces, including paint, furniture, decorations, and more. The rooms include beds, a TV, gaming system, books, Chromebook, comfortable couches, gliders, sensory toys, weighted blankets, desks, activity walls, and age-appropriate toys. Soft, clean linens are provided in each space as well.
“At QuikTrip, we believe every child deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported—especially during times of uncertainty,” said Lauren Sherry, Community Relations Manager at QuikTrip. “Partnering with Lily Pad allows us to help create spaces that offer comfort and dignity to children in foster care. We’re proud to support this mission and invest in the well-being of the communities our employees call home.”
All children and youth deserve a nurturing, supportive family and community to help them reach their full potential. Lily Pad is working on one space at a time to meet the needs of each individual DSS office and the children and youth they serve. When a child enters foster care or has a change in their placement, they may spend time waiting temporarily in agency offices until their next placement is ready. Lily Pad creates a living room-like setting for children and youth and gives them a place to comfortably rest, play games, do homework and distract themselves from the difficulties of their everyday life.
This grant was made possible through QuikTrip’s Charitable Grants program, which partners with nonprofit organizations that work with at-risk youth to help end the generational cycle of poverty. QuikTrip believes in investing in the communities in which its employees live and work. By doing so, each year the company donates 5 percent of its annual net profit to qualified charitable partners.
With these new locations completed, Lily Pad has transformed 35 spaces in South Carolina and hopes to create 53 Lily Pads (one in each of South Carolina’s 46 county foster care offices and seven regional adoption offices) over the next few years.
DYK? There are more than 3,000 children in foster care in South Carolina. You can help them by supporting Lily Pad’s work throughout the state!
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About Lily Pad
Lily Pad began in 2022, inspired by the lived experience of Ashlyn, a former foster care youth and now advocate, whose story moved the South Carolina residents, Benjamin and Jennifer Tice, to action. As active foster parents in the Upstate, the Tices want to give vulnerable youth a soft place to land. Lily Pad was born out of that desire. To learn more, visit LilyPadInc.org.
About QuikTrip
QuikTrip Corporation is a privately held company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since its founding in 1958, QT has grown into an $11 billion company with a reputation for high-quality products, friendly service and giving back to the communities it serves. To learn more, visit www.quiktrip.com.