Kate Beckwith Woody Propagates Promise

Enthusiasm and generosity joined hands in July 2025 when Kate Beckwith Woody gave a $1 million gift to fund the Promise Program at Indian River State College. The two-year tuition-free program, available to eligible high school students who have graduated from public, charter, or homeschools in Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee Counties, provides a pathway to an associate degree. Sponsored by the IRSC Foundation and funded by donations and proceeds from investments, it has helped 4,000 students achieve a bright future.

“The Promise Program has had an incredible impact—it’s a game changer!” exclaims Woody, who serves on the foundation board. When making her donation, she challenged the other directors to follow her lead, with the goal of raising $15 million to fully fund the program into the future.

“When we designed the program, we looked at barriers to further education and ways to remove them,” she explains. “For example, there’s no family income restriction, students can attend classes at any one of our four campuses, and staff will walk them through the process. We have free tutoring if needed, and there are over 130 different programs for them to choose from.” In her excitement when describing the program, she can’t talk fast enough.

“We’re not just promising a better future; we’re making it happen, one student at a time. What’s really great is that 77 percent of our graduates stay and work right here in Indian River County, so if you’re in the hospital, it’s a good chance you’re being cared for by someone who graduated from IRSC. The same is true when it comes to our local police officers, EMTs, and firefighters. There are so many inspiring stories.

“I really feel strongly about supporting the Promise Program. I truly believe everybody needs to give back in one way or another to the community they live in. I learned that from my parents and grandparents.” Woody’s parents, Alice and Jim Beckwith, left their philanthropic fingerprints on a number of local nonprofits, the most visible being the Vero Beach Museum of Art and the south and north sculpture parks that bear their name.

Woody knew very little about IRSC when she chose to make Vero Beach her home; however, that changed two years ago when she and her children established the Chip Woody Legacy HVAC Lab in the college’s new Eastman Advanced Workforce Complex, a state-of-the-art center for students seeking careers in the trades, in honor of her late husband. At the time she was quoted as saying, “Chip Woody, the late patriarch of the Woody family and former owner of Smith Services Heating and Air Conditioning, embodied a lifelong commitment to both learning and professional excellence.”

That’s why, when approached to join the IRSC Foundation board, Woody thought about those words. “Even though Chip never finished college, he believed in the importance of getting an education. He was an idea man, an entrepreneur who owned Smith Services, but he wasn’t a man with a tool belt. He depended on people who knew how things worked and, if there was a problem, could fix it.”

Woody, whose family has deep roots in the Pittsburgh area, has been enthusiastically supporting the Vero Beach community ever since she decided one blustery winter morning 20-plus years ago to visit her parents, who lived in John’s Island. After she had spent a week soaking up the sun instead of shoveling snow, Pittsburgh didn’t stand a chance.

“I decided to move here because, first of all, I wanted to be closer to my parents, who were getting up there in age. I also wanted my daughters to go to Saint Edward’s, but another big reason was because Pittsburgh winters are really awful and I was tired of scraping frost and ice off my car’s windshield.”

Woody purchased a house close to her parents and wasted no time before diving into her new community. She championed Saint Edward’s School by serving on the board of directors for six years, cheering at sports events, and supporting numerous fundraising efforts. She was over-the-top-happy and so was the rest of the family.

When her mother passed away 11 years ago, Woody inherited her house and began infusing it with her personal style. “The house needed personality, it needed color—it needed me!” she enthuses.

“One of my passions is cooking, so I started making changes in the kitchen. Then I expanded the living area. My kids and grandsons are always here for Sunday night family dinners. I love to entertain, to have family and friends over, to give parties. Back in April I had a cocktail party for some friends, and students from IRSC’s culinary school prepared the food. Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. It showed what they could do. I was so proud of those young people!”

Five years ago, shortly after Chip passed away, Woody purchased a “teeny-tiny” cottage sight unseen in Richmond Hill, Georgia, a small community outside Savannah.

“I wanted a summertime retreat I could get to easily, where I could escape the heat. It’s a four-and-a-half-hour drive from here, which is perfect. The only thing is the heat followed me,” she says with a laugh.

What also followed was a former Chatham College classmate and longtime friend, well-known interior designer William Peacock, who factored in Woody’s love of entertaining and joie de vivre to create a home bursting with vibrant color and bold patterns. Fanciful flowers, animals, birds, and butterflies brighten wallpaper and fabrics. Woody’s cottage reflects the way she approaches life—with arms wide open.

That’s why she didn’t have to think twice about becoming a member of the IRSC Foundation board. She was all in. “Everyone I’ve met at the college is amazing, especially Dr. Moore [Timothy, IRSC president]. When he sees a problem, he says, ‘How are we going to fix it?’ And we get to work. The Promise Program is a great example, and the young people who are coming out of school now have so many opportunities because of it.

“You want to be a chef in the culinary industry? We have a program for you. Some people find HVAC really interesting, which is great because we need people who know how to run systems and fix things. I’d love to see other schools around the nation adopt a similar program because it really works.

“We in Vero Beach have such great crown jewels in our area, and IRSC is right up there at the top. I really feel the world needs to know about all the wonderful things going on at IRSC. I could just talk about it forever.”