Leaving A Legacy

Mother, athlete, outdoor enthusiast and Charleston changemaker: these are a few ways to describe Dicksie Johnson. She was passionate about good food, running, tennis, cycling and spending time with friends and family before her passing in November. Dicksie’s vibrant energy was felt everywhere she went and in everything she did, especially through her dedication to philanthropy, which lives on today through contributions made in her honor to the Adela Holmes Cook Fund.
Adela, known for being a beautiful, athletic, artistic and talented young woman continues to touch the lives of others. The Adela Holmes Cook Fund was established in her memory after her passing in 2009 and gives back to organizations Adela’s family and friends have worked with and are passionate about.
Dedicated to giving back, Dicksie served as a leader for the Run for Adela 5K, an annual event to support the Adela Holmes Cook Fund. She organized and inspired the race’s organizing team for seven years. As family friends of the Cook’s, Dicksie and her husband, Francis, were deeply involved. Their insurance company, Johnson & Johnson, continue to be major sponsors of the Run for Adela 5K.
Dicksie’s philanthropic efforts continue to be felt through the charitable gifts of friends and family. In her memory, 195 gifts totaling in $27,510 have been donated to the Adela Holmes Cook Fund. The generosity of people giving to her honors not just her legacy, but Adela’s as well.
Organizations including Camp Happy Days, Meeting Street Academy and Ronald McDonald House receive grants from the Adela Holmes Cook Fund. One weekend each summer Camp Happy Days hosts an Extreme Teen weekend for teenagers diagnosed with cancer to interact with one another and share an experience of a lifetime. This activity-filled weekend is supported by the Adela Holmes Cook Fund and takes place at the Cook family home on Wadmalaw Island.
This year the Run For Adela 5K run will honor Dicksie. “No one was more passionate about this race and the meaning behind it than Dicksie,” shared The Run for Adela Team. The race will take place on April 8th on Sullivan’s Island.
For more information on the Run for Adela 5K Race please visit the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/RunForAdela.