The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) is proud to congratulate Coach’s Low Country Brands dba T-60 Grill for being named the small business winner of the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Neighbor Award. A national partner of the NRAEF’s ProStart program, Coach’s Low Country Brands has shown a continued dedication to the restaurant and foodservice industry and its surrounding communities. This awards program, presented in conjunction with founding sponsor, The American Express Company, celebrates the philanthropic spirit of the restaurant industry and serves to inspire others to actively get involved in their communities.

“We are thrilled to congratulate T-60 Grill, specifically owner Joe Crosby, for the tremendous honor of winning a 2007 Restaurant Neighbor Award,” says Mary M. Adolf, president and COO of NRAEF. “Joe has always shown a tremendous commitment to giving back to his community, especially through his support of our ProStart program at both the state and national level, and it is wonderful to see him recognized for his incredible efforts. His operation and its philanthropic ventures exemplify how restaurants are the cornerstone of local communities throughout the United States.”

Coach’s Low Country Brand’s T-60 Grill in Seneca, South Carolina, was honored for its efforts to support the education system in Oconee County after budget cuts there left educators without the resources they needed to teach their courses effectively. After an initial donation of $5,000 to the Education Foundation of Oconee County was used to help teachers offset the results of the cuts, T-60 Grill supplemented their efforts with funds raised through a golf tournament held during Oconee County’s “Make a Difference Day.” Raising more than $41,000 through the tournament, Crosby partnered with a local Staples store, donating these funds to provide teachers with the essential supplies they needed.

In addition to these efforts, T-60 Grill has also made significant contributions to the NRAEF’s ProStart Program; has paid full tuition scholarships for four local students to attend Johnson & Wales University; provided uniforms, equipments, coaches, and other items for youth school sports teams; and made scholarship donations to four universities.

The Restaurant Neighbor Award is an awards program to honor restaurants for outstanding community involvement. On September 25, four national winners were flown to Washington, D.C. where they were awarded $5,000 each for their community project or favorite charity. The awards ceremony took place at the National Restaurant Association Public Affairs Conference.