COA Foundation Board President Douglas Gardner and Foundation Executive Director Amy Alcocer with entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Taylor at The Pines.
COA Foundation Receives Largest Gift Ever College of The Albemarle Foundation received the gift of The Pines at Elizabeth City from local McDonald’s restaurant owner, Bill Taylor, in the summer of 2017. Bill opened his first McDonald’s in Elizabeth City in December 1971. The gift of the 111 acre 18-hole golf course, valued at $3.83 million, was the largest gift to ever be received by the Foundation. The gift included the golf course, the clubhouse and the pool. While the Foundation’s Board of Directors preferred to keep the golf course running, the college would be unable to operate the facility. In September of 2017, the Foundation partnered with the YMCA of South Hampton Roads to take over the daily operations of The Pines, so the community would continue to have access to the golf course, outdoor pool and banquet hall. The relationship between COA and the YMCA has spanned more than 15 years, when the Zack D. Owens Health Sciences Center was constructed in a shared building with the Albemarle Family YMCA located on the college’s Elizabeth City Campus. The opportunity to operate The Pines as a collaborative effort with the YMCA has allowed COA students, community members and families in the area to continue enjoying the recreational events The Pines has to offer. Through the partnership, COA has had the opportunity to use the facility for additional classroom and meeting space, while the YMCA utilizes the space for camp programming, outdoor activities and the pool for swimming lessons and recreational activities in the summer.
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