ewvcf.org

By

Hardy County Community Foundation Announces Spring Grant Awards 

The Hardy County Community Foundation is pleased to announce nineteen grants totaling $20,545 to support local organizations and programs. 

These grants represent distributions from five endowment funds held by the Community Foundation.  

The Hardy County Community Impact Fund is an unrestricted grantmaking fund and provides the community foundation with the greatest flexibility to respond to the community’s current and evolving needs and opportunities. Grants from this fund include:

  • Baker Ruritan Club – $1,000 for relocating the club’s BBQ pit
  • Big Blue Wardensville – $1,000 for transporting youth to and from the community center
  • Children’s Home Society – $1,000 to help foster families purchase necessary safety items
  • EACHS Head Start – $1,500 for science-based educational materials to provide more hands-on learning opportunities, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion education materials
  • Girls on the Run of the Shenandoah Valley – $1,000 to reduce registration fees for their 10-week program
  • Hardy County Health and Wellness Center – $2,000 to purchase equipment to start a youth volleyball league, and to offer free swim lessons for babies and youth
  • Lost River Projects – $1,000 for a summer live concert series, Music in the Park
  • Moorefield Intermediate School – $1,000 for their Leadership Clubs
  • Town of Wardensville – $1,000 for or building improvements for the War Memorial Building
  • Town of Wardensville – $1,000 for the installation of park benches in honor of the J. Allen Hawkins Park “founding moms”
  • Wardensville Lions Club – $1,000 for their Story Time early literacy program
Girls on the Run of the Shenandoah Valley
Girls on the Run of the Shenandoah Valley accept a $1,000 grant to offset registration fees for their 10-week program

The Deanna Wilson & J Cavanagh STEM Fund supports programs geared towards advancing interest and learning in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math among youth. This fund awarded a $1,000 grant to Moorefield High School to support the school’s Robotics Team, and a $1,000 grant to WVU Extension Service to purchase supplies and materials for STEM classes at 4-H Camp and at-home kits for family engagement.

The France Frye & June Orndorff Fund provides support for public parks located in Wardensville, WV. A $730 grant from this fund was awarded to the Town of Wardensville for general support for J. Allen Hawkins Town Park.

The Hardy County Heritage Fund is a donor-advised fund, which allows donors broad flexibility in recommending grants to varying charitable organizations and causes. The fund’s advisors recommended a $5,000 grant to The River House in Capon Bridge for their Color our World Summer Camp Program.

A new fund, the John R. and Agnes J. Mathias Fund, supports arts, culture, and music programs in Hardy County, and awarded its first grant this spring to the Lost River Educational Foundation. They received $315 to host free Make & Take community workshops.

According to Amy Pancake, the Foundation’s director, funding requests continue to increase.

“We received many exceptional applications, including requests from two new organizations,” she said. “We are so pleased and thankful to be able to support a diversity of organizations that are doing such impactful work in our community. Our grants connect our donors and nonprofits around a common desire to build a stronger community and we’ve certainly seen that happen with this grant cycle,” she added.

The Hardy County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation, is a charitable organization committed to providing people who care about the future of our area with unique and effective ways of supporting their community now, and for generations to come. Community foundations number more than 800 across America with 25 in West Virginia and focus entirely on working with local individuals to build local assets to meet local needs. 

To learn more about the Community Foundation including information about starting your own fund or contributing to an existing fund, visit our giving page  or contact Amy at apancake@ewvcf.org or 304-538-3431.

By

Wrapping up Community Foundation Week with a Story of Impact

As the 2019 Community Foundation Week celebration wraps up today, we’d like to share a story of impact, in the form of a grant report from Lindsey Miller, a Head Start teacher who received a grant funded through the Hampshire County Community Impact Fund and the William Brady and Jean Taylor Rannells Fund.

“First, I would like to thank the Hampshire County Community Foundation for that grant that has been provided the opportunity for our EACHS Head Start students to expand their scientific thinking, curiosity, imagination, and problem-solving skills. When I originally applied for the grant my expected outcomes for the use of the materials were that the children would make predictions, explanations, and generalizations from using the sensory/science materials. The children would learn from hands on experience. Children would also enhance their language development, cognitive growth, motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interactions. These were the things that I had hoped to achieve with the children. I know that we have succeeded with these goals by observing the children in play situations and watching them become more inquisitive about the world around them.”

“Not only has the science material been a great asset to the classroom but so has the sensory material. In our room we have what we call “Cozy Cove”. This is a nice and quiet space for students who are having a rough day, children who just need a space to get away from the noise, or children who just want to use their imaginations in an enclosed area.  The Cozy Cove is where we keep a container with a selection of sensory materials that the children can choose from. Materials include textured balls, liquid discovery tubes, draw and write touch board, etc. The items that produced the biggest improvement in a child were the moods and emotions mirrors. At the beginning of this current school year we had a young boy who, based on observations, we suspected might have autism and developmental delays. When the young boy first started school, he was very stand-offish, quiet, did not transition well, and had no control over his emotions. The first day in the middle of a transition the boy became very angry and aggravated. It was to the point he was crying and screaming, his whole body was tense and uncontrollably shaking. The only thing that we had found that had worked for him was for my assistant teacher and him to sit in the Cozy Cove with him in her lap, and use the moods and emotions mirrors to show him how he was feeling and himself in the mirror. So, every time that he would begin to have one of those episodes, we would take him to the Cozy Cove and repeat those steps with him. As the year has continued he has become a completely different student. Now he is better at controlling his emotions and when he starts to become distraught he will quickly calm himself and go on to the next activity.”

To our donors, we know that we can only succeed and be impactful because people like you care about improving your community, both now and into the future. We are so grateful to everyone who has contributed to our success look forward to growing our work together!

By

Looking for Participants for Volunteer Hardy 2018

Volunteer Hardy is annual program of the Hardy County Community Foundation which seeks to promote volunteerism and encourage support for local community service organizations.

We’re currently seeking participants for the fifth annual Volunteer Hardy event.  This year’s program will take place during the months of August and September, specifically during August 18th through September 16th.

Nonprofit organizations, school and community groups, businesses, and families are invited to coordinated fundraising activities to benefit a specific cause during the event.

For more information and to sign up, download the 2018 Volunteer Hardy Details.

Follow us on Facebook to learn about Volunteer Hardy activities and opportunities for you to get involved with local volunteer efforts.

Contact EWVCF

Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation
229 East Martin St., Suite 4
Martinsburg, WV 25401
www.EWVCF.org
info@EWVCF.org
Join our email list
Follow us on Facebook
304.264.0353
Fax: 888.507.8375

Contact Hampshire CCF

Hampshire County Community Foundation
Post Office Box 40
Romney, WV 26757
www.hampshireccf.org
info@hampshireccf.org
Join our email list
Follow us on Facebook
304.822.7200
Fax: 888.507.8375

Contact Hardy CCF

Hardy County Community Foundation
Post Office Box 1058
Moorefield, WV 26836
www.hardycountycf.org
info@hardycountycf.org
Join our email list
Follow us on Facebook
304.538.3431
Fax: 888.507.8375

Vision

Our Vision is to build vibrant communities that provide opportunities for everyone living in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

Mission

Our Mission is to inspire philanthropy, serve donors, strengthen communities, and improve the quality of life in Eastern West Virginia now and for future generations.

Values

We Value diversity, provide exceptional stewardship, and fully embrace accountability, integrity, professionalism, and transparency in everything we do.