Since the 2009 IRS approval of the Bent Tree Foundation as a public, 501(c)(3) charity, its missions have evolved into an organization that is dedicated to the school children of Pickens County, to the caring for and temporary housing of lost pets in Bent Tree and to helping improve the quality of life for local residents.
Thanks to our generous donors, the Bent Tree Foundation has purchased four SCBA masks for the Bent Tree Fire Department. These masks are a critical piece of protective gear worn by firefighters to ensure they do not inhale deadly smoke and other hazardous air. With the addition of these four masks, our primary Bent Tree firefighters will now have their own assigned fitted masks. This will not only enhance their safety in hazardous conditions but allows firefighters to have more training time with their own gear. It will also eliminate the need to retrieve masks from a fire apparatus, saving valuable time during emergencies.
In the Bent Tree Foundation’s ongoing mission of enhancing our community, the Foundation purchased 9 portable Motorola radios for Bent Tree Public Safety. Now all Bent Tree primary response units have been assigned state-of-the-art radios, allowing them to properly communicate during emergency situations. Officers with assigned radios are also now properly equipped to go directly to emergency scenes from an off-duty status, which happens frequently. The Public Safety Department thanks the Bent Tree Foundation and all the generous donors that made this purchase possible. Your contributions have made a major difference and will greatly enhance the safety of our community and officers.
The recent Bent Tree Foundation Community Enhancement is a result of the generosity of Bob and Barbara Foley. Their estate donation is dedicated to the beautification and enhancement of the Bent Tree golf course. Three new enhancements are now completed – the extension of the driving range, the addition of a chipping green and the addition of the beautiful new clock tower. The Bent Tree Foundation greatly thanks the Foley family for their generosity.
Another achievement in the Bent Tree Foundation’s Community Enhancement mission is the donation of several pieces of Lifesaving Equipment to the Bent Tree Public Safety Department and the Bent Tree Fire Department. The donated items include four thermal imaging cameras, two gas NiMH detectors, four Halligan tools for access into burning structures plus three new ladders and new ladder rack. This new lifesaving equipment will enable Bent Tree’s First Responders to more efficiently assist the residents of Bent Tree.
The Bent Tree Foundation partnered with the Lake & Wildlife Committee, Bent Tree Community, Inc. and its administration and crews to construct an All-Access Trail in the Sallie Doss woodland by the lake. This trail is a raised boardwalk with handrails that can provide a pathway suitable for strollers, walkers, wheelchairs and all foot traffic. Additionally, a large handicap accessible concrete parking pad was added 
to the front of the Sallie Doss Nature Center to access the new trail. Stay tuned for a possible Phase 2 that will include an additional walkway to the dock as well as a total renovation of the dock to be made handicap accessible with railings and benches.
The Bent Tree Foundation is proud of its prior community enhancements that have been donated to the Bent Tree Community: the Playground Equipment, the Animal Shelter, and the Playground Gazebo.
The Bent Tree Foundation has also played a part in several enhancements in the Bent Tree Community: the Front Gate Project, the Paws ‘n’ Play Dog Park, the Memorial Garden, the Lady Niners Golf Course Landscape Project, the Equestrian Center Fencing Project, the new Bocce Court, the New Equestrian Center’s Building, the Bent Tree Administration Building Landscape Project and two new Automated External Defibrillators.
