2012 Philanthropist of the Year Awards

Inspired by National Community Foundations Week which will be celebrated this year from November 11-17, and National Philanthropy Day on November 15, the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation will recognize local individuals and a business that have made a positive philanthropic impact on our Eastern Panhandle community through remarkable charitable giving.

Three 2012 Philanthropists of the Year will be honored at a reception on Thursday, November 15, 2012, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at the Purple Iris at Hartwood.  Honorees will choose a charitable organization within the Eastern Panhandle to receive a cash grant from the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation.  The three awards which will be presented are:

Individual Philanthropist of the Year, presented to an individual, couple, or family.

Young Philanthropist of the Year, presented to a young man or woman within the ages of 8 and 18 at the time of his or her philanthropic work.

Corporate Philanthropist of the Year, presented to a business, corporation, civic organization, church, corporate foundation, or family foundation.

The criteria for judging include:

•Direct financial support of one or more nonprofit organizations or charitable causes

•Leadership and organizational ability in fundraising and nonprofit management

•Participation in other local, national and/or international charities

•Encouragement and motivation to inspire others to take leadership roles in philanthropy

We urge you to make a nomination in one, two, or all three categories.  You are also welcome to nominate more than one person or group within a category.  Nominations may be made by email, fax, or regular mail and must be submitted or postmarked by October 25th.

Past Individual Philanthropists of the Year have included W. Randy Smith, Roger & Helen Shallis, Terry Hess, Tim & Alice Bowers, Mikki Van Wyk, and Ray & Madeline Johnston. Corporate Philanthropists have included the Tom & Virginia Seely Foundation, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Country Roads Car Club, Dan Ryan Builders, Panhandle Builders & Excavating, and Millers Electric. Previous Young Philanthropists were Lauren Taylor, Melanie Springer, Kathryn Feehley, Ashley Mason, Nicole Taschner, Evan Frank, Brogan Dozier, and Chance Arensberg.

Please note that current members of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation Board of Directors, their immediate family members, and the businesses they own or manage, are not eligible for awards.  Although we believe that many of them are deserving, we feel it might appear self-serving to recognize them in this way.

Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation,

Attention: Philanthropist of the Year
229 East Martin Street, Suite 4,  Martinsburg, WV 25401
Toll-Free Fax: (888) 507-8375  Email:  [email protected]

Area public school teachers, artists, and arts organizations wanting to expand classroom involvement and creative learning may wish to apply for an Arts-in-Education grant through the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation.

By integrating painting, sculpting, theatre, weaving, music, graphic design, or virtually any other creative expression, the Arts-in-Education program is designed to make core classroom curricula, specifically within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects, more interesting and memorable to the student.  Adding the arts creates STEAM, which helps make the learning experience more dynamic.

For example, a grant previously awarded through the program presented a local chemistry class with the opportunity to experience the art of glassmaking in order to learn about the chemical properties of different materials and objects.

The Community Foundation will consider grants to charitable organizations and schools for programs that include the following elements:

1Collaboration among educators/schools with community arts groups and artists within the k-12 school environment

2Increased integration of arts in core STEM-based disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to support student advancement and success.

3   Projects integrating the arts with core curricula such as English, social studies, and history will also be considered.

Grants of up to $5,000 will be funded and the deadline for submitting an application is Wednesday, September 12, 2012. All projects are to be completed during the 2012-2013 school year.

Interested applicants may download the Community Foundation’s 2012 Arts-in-Education grant guidelines/application at www.EWVCF.org/grants.html or contact Michael Whalton by phone at (304) 264-0353. Applications may also be submitted using the eGrants on-line application process, also accessible from the Community Foundation website.

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation was founded in 1995 to build local, permanent endowment to generate annual charitable grants and scholarships. EWVCF serves Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan Counties, with affiliates in Hampshire and Hardy Counties.  Community foundations focus almost entirely on working with local individuals to build local assets to meet local needs. There are currently more than 700 community foundations serving donors across America, with 26 actively building endowments and making grants in West Virginia.

Three endowments held by the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation are positioned for growth thanks to recently announced challenges where a matching gift will double the contributions made to the endowed funds. Community Networks, Inc. (Bethany House) and the Shenandoah Women’s Center have both been named as beneficiaries of a $1,000 challenge grant that will be matched dollar-for-dollar with other donations. These two worthy organizations provide shelter for women and children in Martinsburg and Berkeley County.

The third endowment being supported by a challenge grant is that of the Two Rivers Giving Circle, an organization that supports conservation and preservation causes in Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan Counties. This $2,500, five-year grant provides $500 in matching funds for the next five years. Gifts of $50 to $250 will be matched each year, up to a total of $500 annually.

Donors can simply mail the Community Foundation a check made payable to EWVCF. On the memo line write the name of the endowment you want your gift to benefit.  (Community Networks, Inc. Bethany House Fund, Shenandoah Women’s Center Fund, or Two Rivers Giving Circle Fund)