Before sunrise on Friday, September 18, 2026, the Greenville Downtown Airport filled with patrol cruisers, SUVs, motorcycle units, and K-9 handlers. They were all there for one reason: to roll through LEAD Upstate’s “Line of Gratitude” and hear a simple message from their community. Thank you.

The 12th annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (LEAD Day) was the biggest yet. Nearly 700 officers came through the line, the event’s highest attendance to date, according to Who’s On The Move. Marchant Real Estate is proud to have been part of it.

From a breakfast tab to the largest “thank you” in the state

LEAD started with a single gesture. In 2014, Seabrook Marchant, the founder of Marchant Real Estate, was eating breakfast at Tommy’s Country Ham House when he noticed several officers waiting for their meals. He and a friend picked up the tab. That small act turned into an annual tradition, and then into a nonprofit, LEAD Upstate.

The breakfast soon outgrew Tommy’s. In 2020 it moved outdoors and became a drive-through at the airport. Officers can come through on their way to or from a shift, so nobody has to leave patrol or disrupt a shift change. Twelve years in, the event is described as the largest dedicated law enforcement “thank you” in South Carolina.

Marchant Real Estate has been with LEAD from the beginning and is recognized by LEAD Upstate as its Founding Sponsor. This year, approximately 10 Marchant Real Estate agents volunteered on the line.

What the morning looked like

From LEAD Day 2025: officers and supporters in front of the LEAD Upstate sponsor wall.

Roughly 30 volunteers began setting up hours before the event began at 6 a.m., WYFF 4 reported. Volunteers, community leaders, and sponsors then lined the route, greeting every vehicle with a handshake and passing gifts through the driver’s-side window.

Every officer who came through received:

• A Valor Bag: a tactical bag packed with curated gifts, practical essentials, and gift cards from local businesses

• Breakfast on patrol: Chick-fil-A biscuits from the Mauldin, Haywood Road, Laurens Road, and Cherrydale franchise operators

• Keepsakes: a commemorative 2026 LEAD Upstate challenge coin

• T-shirts: designed specifically for LEAD

• Hats and caps: courtesy of Southern Tide

• Pepsi products: courtesy of Pepsi of Greenville

• Coffee: provided by Canteen of Greenville

• Prize pickups: registered officers had been entered all week into drawings for donated prizes, including home electronics, outdoor grills, family entertainment packages, and weekend getaways

Nine agencies, one community

LEAD Day honors officers, deputies, and state agents across Greenville County. The 2026 line welcomed the Greenville, Greer, Mauldin, Simpsonville, Fountain Inn, and Travelers Rest police departments, plus the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, and SLED.

Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis told WYFF 4 what the morning means:

“We live in a very special part of the country, a very special part of the state. I believe our people really do support law enforcement here; the community comes out and supports them, gives them a pat on the back, maybe buy their lunch one day and do some of those things. This today gives us a chance to do it as a large group, and it’s just certainly a blessing to me to be here. We can’t thank these folks enough for what they are doing.”

A presenting sponsor with a personal reason

This year’s presenting sponsor was Dr. Kelly Willenberg of Kelly Willenberg & Associates. In 2017 her husband, Dale, was killed in a hit-and-run cycling accident caused by a distracted driver. She has spoken openly about the care and compassion law enforcement showed her family afterward. When LEAD Upstate announced her sponsorship in May, Seabrook Marchant said:

“Kelly brings something rare to this sponsorship — she knows firsthand what it means to be on the receiving end of law enforcement’s dedication and care. When someone of her caliber and character steps forward to champion our officers, it sends a powerful message to the entire Upstate community. We are honored to have her as our presenting sponsor.”

On the morning of the event, Dr. Willenberg told WYFF 4: “That’s what’s so heartwarming this morning is to see these people drive through the line, having such a good morning and feeling good for what they do.”

She joined a long list of businesses, civic groups, and neighbors whose sponsorships paid for the morning’s logistics, meals, and gifts. That list included Southern Tide, CPI Security, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville Downtown Airport, Pepsi of Greenville, Prisma Health, the Fraternal Order of Police Greenville Lodge 17, Greenville County Councilman Joey Russo and Councilwoman Liz Seman, and many more. See the full 2026 sponsor list.

More than one morning: Stay with Me

LEAD’s support for officers now goes beyond one day a year. This spring, LEAD Upstate launched the “Stay with Me” Mental Health and Wellness Program. Run with Upstate Warrior Solution, it gives Greenville County officers free, confidential services such as individual counseling, wellness and resilience training, and family-focused activities.

“The Stay with Me program is our commitment to the whole officer — their health, their resilience and their family,” Seabrook Marchant told the Greenville Journal. Officers can learn more at leadupstate.com/stay-with-me.

In the news

• WYFF 4: Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Greenville County (Naomi Popa, Sept. 18, 2026)

• FOX Carolina: Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at Greenville Downtown Airport (video, Myra Ruiz, Sept. 18, 2026)

• WYFF 4 Editorial: Editorial: LEAD Upstate 2026 (Sept. 16, 2026)

• Who’s On The Move: Record turnout at Greenville Downtown Airport marks biggest LEAD Day yet (Sept. 21, 2026)

• Who’s On The Move: LEAD Upstate prepares annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day honoring Greenville County officers (Sept. 7, 2026)

• Who’s On The Move: LEAD Upstate announces Kelly Willenberg as Presenting Sponsor for 2026 Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (May 11, 2026)

• Greenville Journal: LEAD Upstate launches mental health, wellness initiative for law enforcement (Megan Fitzgerald, April 30, 2026)

Thank you, 365 days a year

A record morning is worth celebrating, but LEAD was never about a single day. In our own post after the event, we wrote: “Every handshake and every gift was simply our way of saying thank you, yesterday and all 365 days of the year.”

To every officer who came through the line, every volunteer who was there before dawn, and every sponsor who made it possible: thank you. We’re already looking forward to LEAD Day 2027.

Want to get involved? Sponsorship, prize donations, and volunteer details are at leadupstate.com, and contributions can be made at leadupstate.com/donate.

About Marchant Real Estate

Founded in 1993, Marchant Real Estate is one of the Upstate’s premier independent brokerages, known for its client-first service, community engagement, and commitment to excellence. With decades of local expertise, Marchant continues to lead with integrity, innovation, and heart.

About LEAD Upstate

LEAD Upstate was founded by Seabrook Marchant to bring the community and law enforcement together in the spirit of appreciation and gratitude. Each September, LEAD hosts Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, the biggest thank you to law enforcement officers serving Greenville County. Learn more at leadupstate.com.