How one man raised $70K+ to honor a childhood friend

The memory of a great Charleston childhood friendship inspired Nelson Latimer to push himself and others to do more for the local community through charitable giving. So far, he has raised more than $70,000 to honor his friend.

“We can do great things from great memories,” explains Latimer, an insurance broker who now lives in Washington, D.C.

When people think of charitable giving, they often think of major gifts from older, wealthy individuals, and bequests left behind after an individual passes. While the former is not untrue, young people are far more involved in the world of charitable giving than people may think.

Charitable giving can be more than just donating money —it can be taking memories and translating them into impact. This is exactly what Latimer and the friends and family of Elizabeth Tarrant Anderson are doing through her donor-advised fund at Coastal Community Foundation (CCF).

Elizabeth Anderson, who grew up in Charleston, lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, unfortunately passing away in 2017 at the age of 30. Elizabeth was a high-spirited young woman. In the words of her mother, Ann, “Elizabeth saw life with the glass half full.” She did not let muscular dystrophy hold her back. Instead, she took life, and all it had to offer her, in stride and often with great joy.

In 1996, Elizabeth’s parents created the Elizabeth Tarrant Anderson Endowment for Children at CCF to recommend grants to charitable organizations within the foundation’s service area, specifically supporting organizations for the betterment of children. Known fondly by her friends and family as “Lizzy,” Anderson was deeply involved in the fund’s grantmaking throughout her lifetime. At the age of 9, she was the youngest donor adviser at the foundation at the time and truly embraced that role.

Her father, Tom, remembers conversations after Thanksgiving dinners where Lizzy would sit down with her parents and older brother Thomas to decide which organizations she would like to contribute to that year. Some of the organizations Anderson’s fund supports include Windwood Family Services, Muscular Dystrophy Association and Pattison’s Academy, among others.

Latimer’s effort boosts fund’s impact

Lizzy Anderson and Nelson Latimer as toddlers.

The Elizabeth Tarrant Anderson Endowment for Children is a perfect example of Lizzy’s legacy. But the recent fund-raising efforts of Nelson Latimer further demonstrate her impact, and the power that young people can have in charitable giving.

Born one month apart, Nelson Latimer and Lizzy Anderson grew up south of Broad as the best of neighborhood friends. In late October 2022 while on a run, Latimer realized the five-year anniversary of Anderson’s passing was a month away. He always planned to find a way to honor Anderson, but it was on this evening jog that he decided the best way to honor her was by raising funds through a running challenge.

Latimer, now 35, started with a list. He formed an email group that consisted of friends, family and supporters of Lizzy. He created a campaign name, Miles4Muscles, and a website informing his audience of his goal and reminding them of Lizzy’s story. Three months and two emails later, Nelson raised more than $70,000 for the Elizabeth Tarrant Anderson Endowment for Children.

Latimer acknowledged the stress and potential hesitancy that his peers might have about charitable giving, given their young age, but he said, “it was never about the dollar amounts. It was about participation.

“My sole purpose was to provide an opportunity for Lizzy’s loving community to honor her legacy, relive fond memories, and drive change through charitable giving.”

Latimer said he is a firm believer that people are inherently good and are driven to impact the world around them, sometimes they just don’t know how. So, he showed them how—and it worked.

To celebrate his fund-raising efforts, Latimer will be running a total of 70 miles over the course of the next seven months as part of a variety of different races. So far, he has run the first 10 miles for Lizzy.

Younger donors help to make a difference, too

Nelson and Lizzy when they were a little older.

Young people have an immense power to positively impact the world around them, and Latimer and his efforts are an exemplary embodiment of that power. Nelson has shown that fond memories can be re-lived in an impactful way. It is because of these memories—and because of what Elizabeth’s friends and family have done with them—that Elizabeth will have a perpetual impact on the community.

Latimer says Lizzy’s drive to leave a positive legacy behind can be demonstrated by the infinity symbol tattoo she got toward the end of her life. “She wanted to leave this world letting everyone know that she wasn’t going anywhere,” said Latimer. “She was going to stick around for infinity.”