AFL Foundation Announces Inaugural $1 Million Gift to Middle Tyger Community Center to Expand Mental Health Services for Upstate Children and Families

AFL Foundation Announces Inaugural $1 Million Gift to Middle Tyger Community Center to Expand Mental Health Services for Upstate Children and Families

Spartanburg, S.C. – February 18, 2026 –  AFL has announced the inaugural donation of $1 million from the AFL Foundation to the Middle Tyger Community Center (MTCC), marking a significant milestone in a partnership that has strengthened families across Spartanburg County for more than two decades. The contribution will help fund construction of MTCC’s new 42,000 square foot family services and childcare center in Duncan, S.C., expected to open in August 2026.

AFL’s commitment to MTCC goes well beyond financial support; it is rooted in its Community-Centered core value. As part of the announcement event, associates gathered at the Embassy Suites Golf Resort & Conference Center in Greenville, S.C. for a hands-on bike build, assembling and donating bicycles to the center for local children in the kinship program.

Over the years, AFL has supported MTCC through 33 grants and sponsorships totaling more than $277,000, including its first counseling grant in 2011. AFL associates regularly volunteer and contribute to MTCC’s annual Thanksgiving food and Christmas toy drives, demonstrating a deep, ongoing investment in the well-being of the community.

“Given everything Middle Tyger Community Center has meant to this community over the past 20 years, it only seemed fitting they would receive our inaugural gift,” said Grant Burns, Chair of the AFL Foundation and Executive Vice President and General Counsel of AFL. “Our partnership has always been about more than grants and sponsorships; it’s about showing up for families who need support. The AFL Foundation builds on that legacy, ensuring we can continue to address the needs of children and families where our associates live and work.”

The AFL Foundation is a charitable partnership between AFL and the Spartanburg County Foundation, established in 2024 with an initial investment of $10 million to commemorate AFL’s 40th anniversary. The foundation builds on AFL’s decades long commitment to community engagement, enabling the company to create sustainable, meaningful impact in communities where AFL associates live and work.

“I am incredibly grateful for the partnership AFL has provided to our organization,” said Haley Grau, Executive Director of Middle Tyger Community Center. “AFL’s commitment to the community is a huge part of why Middle Tyger can be successful and why families in our district can be healthy and thrive. Whether it’s bicycles for children facing obstacles or this transformational gift to expand our capacity to serve, AFL shows up for Upstate families in ways that truly matter.”

About AFL

Founded in 1984, AFL is a global manufacturer providing end-to-end solutions to the energy, broadband, data center, AI and industrial markets. With products in over 130 countries, AFL specializes in fiber optic cable and hardware, transmission/compression and substation accessories, connectivity solutions, fusion splicers, and test and inspection equipment. Guided by Customer-Focused and Community-Centered values and a strong commitment to safety, the company operates manufacturing facilities worldwide and provides a comprehensive portfolio of services and solutions supporting network infrastructure, data centers, service providers, wireless and power grid modernization. For more information, visit www.AFLglobal.com.

About the Middle Tyger Community Center

The Middle Tyger Community Center was born out of a community collaborative effort to address the needs of children during the holiday season with toys and warm clothing. Community leaders and volunteers soon recognized that families’ needs extended well beyond one time of year. Agency representatives and local leaders came together to develop a vision for an innovative, comprehensive family resource center that would address the complex needs of families living in rural Spartanburg County. Today, MTCC continues to serve as a vital resource for the community, and its upcoming new campus will significantly expand its capacity to support area families.