Kelly and Katherine Odom both grew up in families committed to charitable giving, particularly to their churches. In their own family, which includes sons Wade, 13, and Taylor, 9, they’ve continued that tradition, while branching out to support nonprofits that create positive impact on the community, providing financial support along with substantial investments of their time.

The couple’s primary interests are the arts and history. As third-generation owners of the Pickwick Pharmacy on Augusta Road, it’s not surprising that they would be drawn to activities that promote a strong business environment and celebrate the Upstate’s storied past. Serving local residents since 1947, The Pickwick is itself a part of Greenville’s history as well as its future.

“The arts impact education in our schools, help our area thrive economically, and provide cultural benefits to the Greenville community,” Kelly says. “Organizations that focus on Greenville’s history provide a sense of place for newcomers as well as longtime residents.”

Kelly has served four years on the Greenville County Museum of Art’s Museum Association board. He’s in his second year as president of the Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC), where he has served for over a decade.

“What drew me to MAC is its impact on artists and art education that enrich our community,” he says. “Its contributions to Greenville make it such a worthwhile organization.”

Kelly has served more than ten years on the board of the Greenville County Historical Society, of which he is a past president. He chaired the Save the Wilkins initiative, which moved the historic Wilkins House, and through that project became active with the statewide organization Preserve South Carolina.

“It was a call to action when we heard it was going to be demolished,” Kelly says of the 1876 Italianate mansion on Augusta Street that was saved thanks to local activism and community engagement.

Katherine, who works as a trust officer at Bank of America, is a board member of Artisphere.

“Working for a company that is consistently giving inspires you to give as your employer gives,” she says. “Artisphere is a huge economic driver for Greenville, and serving on the board intertwines my personal and professional goals.”

In addition to her affinity for the arts, over the last five years Katherine has also focused her efforts on addiction rehabilitation. She is a board member at The Family Effect, the philanthropic arm of the Phoenix Center, Greenville County’s largest provider of substance abuse services. Before the pandemic, she volunteered to care for infants at Serenity Place while their mothers participated in treatment. The importance of this work became even more clear as overdose deaths have spiked in the last two years.

“Substance use has an effect on the local economy, impacts children, and involves social services as we try to break the cycle,” she says.

To coordinate their giving to these and other groups, the Odoms set up a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) with the Community Foundation of Greenville in September 2021, naming their sons as Successor Advisors.

“Our giving felt haphazard,” Kelly says. “We needed a more organized and central way of giving and the Community Foundation provided that for us.”

He added that CFG staff made the process seamless, with a structure that will serve them well in the present while providing opportunities to bring their boys into the fold.

As small business owners, Kelly says they are happy to donate to organizations that help the local economy and draw people to the area by enhancing its quality of life.

“Supporting Greenville’s nonprofit community benefits us, offers things to us, and makes Greenville a better place to live,” he says.