Established by Tom Yawkey's will in 1976, Yawkey Foundation I was created to support the places and causes that Tom loved the most during his lifetime. A special area of focus for Yawkey Foundation I is the community of Georgetown County, South Carolina. Though raised and educated in New York and Connecticut, Tom Yawkey inherited a considerable amount of land in Georgetown County. An avid outdoorsman and self-taught ornithologist, Tom placed significant value on conservation and wildlife preservation.

One of Tom Yawkey's greatest legacies was the donation of 20,000 acres of land along the shoreline in Georgetown County to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Now known as the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, the area is widely considered among the greatest natural conservation grants in the United States. The marshes, marine wetlands, forests, and sandy beaches play host to hundreds of species of coastal wildlife and serve as an undisturbed habitat for migratory birds, eagles, alligators, and many other endangered species.

This legacy remains the central mission of Yawkey Foundation I and the Trustees work diligently to support the operations of the Wildlife Center as place of conservation and learning.