On May 2, 2017, the Hampshire County Community Foundation and the Hardy County Community Foundation will join communities across the country and West Virginia for Give Local America – a 24-hour crowdfunding event that provides individuals a platform to invest in and celebrate the work of local communities and nonprofit organizations.
Since 2014, Give Local America Day has raised hundreds of millions to support local communities and organizations improving the quality of life for citizens across the country. In 2017, Give2WV, the Give Local America Day promotion for West Virginia, hopes to engage thousands of donors giving collectively more than $1 million to benefit local West Virginia communities.
By partnering with Give2WV, a program of Philanthropy West Virginia, both the Hampshire and Hardy County Community Foundations hope to engage donors in supporting broad community funds that benefit local nonprofit organizations solving our community’s most pressing challenges.
Both Community Foundations will be promoting their respective Community Impact Funds. These unrestricted funds provide the Foundations’ boards of directors the flexibility to respond to ever changing needs and opportunities. They help ensure that every year, for generations to come, there will be funds available for the Community Foundation to respond to pressing needs and opportunities in our community. In the past theses Funds have supported organizations in Hampshire and Hardy counties that provide programs that address hunger relief, substance abuse prevention, emergency medical services, youth health and wellness, animal welfare, arts enrichment programs, senior services, and much more.
The Hampshire County Community Foundation will also be promoting the Hampshire County Education Fund, which was established in 2015 with a vision of creating a permanent source of funding to support a wide range of education programs and initiatives in Hampshire County. Recently, the fund has helped launch the Mini Grants for Teachers program, which has provided 64 grants to help local teachers provide enhanced learning opportunities for over 2,300 students.
In addition to its Community Impact Fund, the Hardy County Community Foundation will be encouraging gifts to the Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College Entrepreneurial and Economic Development Fund, which was established to support the initiatives of the college’s Institute of Rural Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. Recognizing that entrepreneurship and small businesses are the cornerstone of economic development in Hardy County and the Potomac Highlands, this endowment was established to help launch new initiatives aimed at expanding entrepreneurship.
Every donation, no matter how large or small, will make a difference,” said Amy Pancake, Affiliate Director. “By growing these endowment funds we can build a tremendous, local resource to support the people and organizations who work tirelessly and selflessly to keep our community vital and strong.”
The Hampshire County Community Foundation and Hardy County Community Foundation online giving platforms can be accessed through the Give2WV.org website. On-line contributions will be accepted beginning at 12:00 a.m. on May 2nd. For more information about joining the Community Foundation for Give2WV Day, contact Amy Pancake at 304-822-7200 or 304-538-3431 or [email protected]. Daily updates with links to the Give2WV website are also made on the both affiliate Facebook pages. You can find the pages here: Hampshire CCF and Hardy CCF.