A Successful Sports Agent and Woodruff Native, Dandy’s Generosity Opens Opportunities for Students in the Community
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
Tory Dandy is a proud native of Woodruff, SC, and has always felt passionate about giving back to his hometown.
Dandy, Managing Partner and Co-Head of Football Representation for CAA Sports, has used his platform as one of the country’s most successful professional sports agents to give back to the Woodruff and Spartanburg communities while supporting educational and recreation opportunities for Upstate youth.
On August 29th, 2020, Dandy was presented keys to the city of Woodruff and Spartanburg, and the day was declared ‘Tory Dandy Day’ by both.
This year, in a ceremony on Saturday, August 28th, Dandy celebrated by awarding a scholarship to a deserving former Woodruff High School Student and presented the cities of Woodruff and Spartanburg with generous donations of $50,000 each to help support sports and recreations opportunities for students.
These funds will be directed to each city to fund youth services for parks and recreation programs through community centers and programs that assist youth in each respective city.
“We have to lead and invest in our youth for the future,” said Dandy. “Both the city of Woodruff and Spartanburg helped make me the person I am today. I am looking forward to working with city officials and community leaders.”
Tory Dandy signing check for Tory Dandy Foundation scholarship recipient [Courtesy of Tory Dandy and Tory Dandy Foundation] Tory Dandy presenting check for The City of Woodruff to Chaplain Rev. Derrick Scurry [Courtesy of Tory Dandy and Tory Dandy Foundation] Tory Dandy presenting check for Tory Dandy Foundation scholarship recipient A’Sydney Robinson [Courtesy of Tory Dandy and Tory Dandy Foundation]
Dandy, a 1998 graduate of Woodruff High School, started the Tory Dandy Foundation to offer a scholarship each year to an outgoing Woodruff High senior. To qualify, the student must have maintained a 3.0 GPA and write an essay explaining their scholarship needs.
This year’s recipient was A’Sydney Robinson, an exceptionally gifted student at Woodruff who graduated with a 4.5 GPA and is currently a South Carolina State University freshman.
Robinson endured much adversity throughout her four years at Woodruff High School while maintaining her academic excellence. It was that perseverance and drive to succeed, said Dandy, that made her an obvious choice as this year’s scholarship recipient.
“Miss Robinson graduated with a 4.5 GPA, which is outstanding,” noted Dandy. “Woodruff High has a scholarship committee that vets each applicant and gives us recommendations, and A’Sydney had all of the qualifications. During her sophomore year, her mother tragically passed away in a car accident. A few months after that, her father passed away, so she lost both of her parents during the same school year. She kept working hard and persevered. Typically, each scholarship we award is $1,500, but given all she has been through, I wanted to go above and beyond that for A’Sydney.”
Robinson was presented with a check for $10,000 from the Tory Dandy Foundation during the ceremony on August 28th.
Dandy has always made it a point to thank and praise the members of the communities who have lent their support and encouragement throughout his journey to become a successful sports agent. That support, he says, is the driving force behind his desire to always give back to those who have given so much to him.
“Last year, when I received the keys to Woodruff and Spartanburg, that came as a huge surprise,” he said. “And then when they proclaimed that August 29th would be ‘Tory Dandy Day,’ that came by surprise as well. I thought it would be a simple ceremony, which turned out to be a really grand thing. I thought, what more can I do on my end? I wanted to invest more in the youth and look toward giving back. I want to help lead (our youth) in the right way.”
Author: Tracy Sanders
