For Good, Forever: A Story of Partnership

Twenty years ago, the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation set out to build something lasting for the region. Gilbert Harrell organized the Foundation as a corporate entity and filed the incorporation paperwork that established its legal foundation. "Everyone was hopeful and dreamed big," the firm recalls. Two decades later, that partnership continues.

For the Foundation, the relationship has always extended beyond legal services. President and CEO Keeva Kase describes it as "a relationship built on trust, familiarity, and shared values". Working closely with Hillary Stringfellow and others at the firm, the Foundation has gained not only advisors but partners. "In a long-term relationship, you get to know each other more closely, understand how each other works, and what each other's values are," Keeva says. "It's like your oldest friend. You can pick up where you left off. That is a comforting feeling."

Gilbert Harrell has served as ongoing counsel throughout, advising the Foundation through governance, compliance, and growth. Attorneys from the firm have also led directly: Rees Sumerford and Hillary Stringfellow have collectively served as board chair for 8 of the Foundation's 20 years.

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That involvement gives the Foundation more than legal guidance. "First and foremost, it means that we have a competent and legally qualified leader protecting the Foundation from any downside," Keeva says. "It's not just about compliance. It's about reputation."

From major governance decisions to leadership transitions to complex initiatives like the Under One Roof Fund, the firm has helped the Foundation expand responsibly. The Foundation has grown from a one-person operation focused on childhood literacy grants into a leading force across Coastal Georgia, with more than $65 million in assets and over $50 million in grants distributed. Its work now reaches the environment, the arts, housing, food security, and education.

Twenty years. One partnership. Built for good, forever.

The partnership is, at its core, a local one. Both the Foundation and the firm are rooted in Coastal Georgia and invested in the region's future. "The partnership has worked so well because of the people involved on both sides," Keeva says. "You have a firm with more than 150 years of experience coming alongside community leaders trying to build something 'for good, forever.' That's a recipe for success."

Both organizations remain focused on the next 20 years and beyond, continuing to build something lasting for Coastal Georgia, grounded in purpose, integrity, and care.