Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation

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Donors Set Charitable Sights on Warming Hampshire County Children

When Karen and Ormond Hyers retired and moved from New Jersey to West Virginia to be closer to their daughter and new family, it didn’t take long for Karen to get involved in her new community. Karen, who spent 25 years as a teacher and guidance counselor, was eager to stay involved in helping improve the lives of children and families.

Karen quickly learned about a local group of people working to improve child and family services and started attending meetings. Through her involvement with this group she led the effort to establish the Hampshire County affiliate of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation.

Since then Karen and Ormond have helped establish the Slanesville Presbyterian Church Angel Fund, the Hampshire County Volunteer Emergency Medical Services Fund, and have contributed annually to these and other endowment funds held by the community foundation.

More recently, the couple turned their charitable sights towards children in the community in need of warm clothing. “Ormond and I believe all young people and children need to be warm in the winter; we chose to help warm the kids closest to home,” said Karen.

In September, they established the OK Hampshire County Warm the Children Fund. This designated fund will benefit the program of the same name, which has been providing warm clothing for Hampshire County children for the past 23 years, with the assistance of local volunteers and annual contributions from the community.

Rather than making a gift annually, the Hyers chose to create an endowed fund with the Community Foundation. “We have always thought of Community Foundations as locals helping locals build for the future, growing bit by bit – slow but steady – and lasting forever”, said Karen. “The fund will grow through additional contributions and market earnings while it offers the designated recipient a bit of help, “ she added.

Designated funds are one of several types of funds available to donors to help them preserve their charitable interests. Designated funds allow donors to support, in perpetuity, those organizations and causes that they have cared about most during their lifetimes.

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Day 2 of National Community Foundation Week!

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) offers Mini-Grants to Teachers in Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan Counties. These Mini-Grants of up to $500 will be awarded to teachers who need financial assistance with special projects, materials, or classroom resources. Our Partners in Philanthropy, joined by individual donors committed to enhancing the quality of life in the Eastern Panhandle, have pledged more than $30,000 in total.  

More and more, teachers are faced with the challenge of keeping children interested and engaged with few resources beyond the basics. In its first couple years, the Mini-Grants to Teachers program awarded grants to fund classroom book sets, a giant abacus, Speed Stackers, Rekenreks, an Autism Cafe, K’NEX building sets, sheet music, Lego Mindstorm kits, pedometers, Apple TVs, pBone instruments, a projector, wood chisels, an alto flute, eBooks, a couple of robots, art supplies, a river tank system, digital cameras, calculators, graphic tablets, and much more. This year, Mini-Grants will be awarded to teachers who have a burning desire to improve the classroom experience for their students, and the ability to inspire the members of our grants committee to support your efforts. The process is simple-fill out a simple one-page application and teachers can share their ideas with the committee.   The objective is to encourage and support teachers who have great ideas that will enhance the learning experience for students. Mini-Grants can be used to purchase supplies and materials for special projects; provide resources for the classroom; and support projects and programs that are not covered by school budgets or other means.    All grant recipients are expected to report on the expenditure of grant funds and results of the supported project by the end of the school year (June 2018).

All Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan County public school PreK-12 teachers are invited to apply. Public schools are defined as being supported by public funds and are part of the free public education system. Any school that charges tuition to students is not eligible.

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EWVCF Celebrates Community Foundation Week 2017

When disaster strikes, the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation is ready and willing to come together to provide support in many different ways throughout the state of WV. While the majority of the Foundation’s grants and scholarships stay in the Eastern Panhandle, EWVCF increases the effectiveness of contributions given to disasters, bring greater attention to the life cycle of disasters, from preparedness and planning, to relief, to rebuilding and recovery efforts. In addition, EWVCF will provide timely and relevant advice from experts with deep knowledge of disaster philanthropy and conduct due diligence so donors can give with confidence. Pictured: Lisa Welch, Vice President, Scott Roach, Past President, Darlene Truman, President, Chip Hensell, Secretary.

RECOGNIZING THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS

NOVEMBER 12–18, 2017

EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Participates in National Effort to Highlight Local Impact of Philanthropy

Martinsburg, West Virginia ─ During the week of November 12-18, 2017, the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation will join more than 780 community foundations across America celebrating Community Foundation Week. For 28 years, the effort has raised awareness about the increasingly important role of these philanthropic organizations in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address persistent civic and economic challenges.

During the week, EWVCF will be working with local high school Leadership classes in Berkeley County to make them aware of opportunities to get involved in their communities. Through an innovative collaboration of schools, businesses and charitable organizations this will give the students the tools to bring about positive change and opportunities in their communities. EWVCF will also be preparing to distribute nearly $37,000 in Mini Grants to Teachers in Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties while also promoting and working with Philanthropy West Virginia’s Keep 5 Local statewide program that encourages local residents to take a new look at philanthropic estate planning through the community foundation, making West Virginians see a powerful private sector solution to its longtime local charitable needs.

“Community foundations impact lives, create opportunities, and the result is a bright future,” said Darlene Truman, EWVCF Board President. “We are more determined than ever to bring our community partners together to find innovative and effective solutions for some of our most challenging social problems and advance the most promising of opportunities to benefit our residents.”

Community foundations are independent, public entities that steward philanthropic resources from institutional and individual donors to local nonprofits that are the heart of strong, vibrant communities. The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation is a local, independent, public 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that directs tax-exempt gifts from donors to endowed funds to support favorite charitable causes in the region. The EWVCF, founded in 1995, provides financial stewardship for $22 million in endowments for nearly 220 component funds, and awards more than $3 million in grants and scholarships annually.

Community foundations represent one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy. Every state in the US is home to at least one community foundation—large and small, urban and rural—working to advance solutions on a wide range of social issues locally and globally.

Community Foundation Week, created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush, recognizes the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community problems. West Virginia has over 25 Community Foundations and there are more than 750 across the US. These foundations, which support everything from social services to youth programs, historic preservation to the environment, and education to animal advocacy, provide stewardship for more than $66 billion in charitable endowment. For more information about the Eastern West Virginia Community contact Executive Director Michael Whalton at (304) 264-0353 or visit www.EWVCF.org.

For more information, please contact Michael Whalton at [email protected] or 304-264-0353.

 

 

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Community Foundation Embraces Keep5Local Program

West Virginia is experiencing the largest generational transfer of wealth in its history, and community foundations have a new tool for harnessing those resources.

Keep 5 Local is a statewide program of Philanthropy West Virginia’s Give2WV: Community Foundations Network, and it is based on the fact that West Virginia, like the rest of the country, is in the midst of the biggest personal wealth transfer in history.

If West Virginia communities can capture at least 5 percent of today’s wealth, it will translate to millions, if not billions, in community philanthropy funding across the state. By encouraging local residents to take a new look at philanthropic estate planning through the lens of a community foundation, West Virginia can see a powerful private sector solution to its longtime local charitable needs.

Paul Daugherty, president and CEO of Philanthropy West Virginia, said Keep 5 Local is using economic data compiled by “transfer of wealth” or TOW studies that have been conducted in at least 33 West Virginia counties.

“As wealth transfers from generation to generation, a lot of it is expected to leave the state,” Daugherty said. “But if we manage to keep at least 5 percent of it in West Virginia, we could see thriving communities in every corner of the Mountain State.”

EWVCF has completed a TOW study for each of the five counties we serve:  Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire, and Hardy and the results are astounding.

The five counties served by EWVCF – Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire and Hardy – have more than $20 billion in personal wealth today and more than $5.2 billion will be transferred to the next generation during the coming 10 years. If 5 percent of that wealth is set aside for community philanthropy, the community foundation will grow to more than $260 million and will be able to award nearly $13 million in grants to local charities every year.

Although this is a lofty goal, other areas of the country have had great success with similar programs. Considering how generous West Virginians are, we believe we can help donors create lasting legacies that will benefit the Eastern Panhandle for generations to come.

Please contact EWVCF Executive Director Michael Whalton at 304.264.0353 to learn more about the Keep5Local program.

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Now Accepting Scholarship Applications

The 2018 Scholarship Applications are now available!

University, college, technical institute, community college and other higher education-bound high school students can apply for Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) scholarships.

We offer dozens of scholarships, which generally range from $500 to $5,000. Anyone interested in learning more can download  the 2018 Scholarship Criteria, which is a comprehensive list of the scholarships, their specific criteria and who is eligible to apply. This list will be updated if any new scholarship funds are set up.

Our 2018 Scholarship Application is designed to be either saved to your computer to be completed electronically or printed and filled out by hand. Then, just mail it along with the required attachments to our office on or before March 1st. Make sure you read our 2018 Scholarship Criteria prior to applying.

Additional Scholarships – In addition to our general higher education scholarship funds, we have three unique funds that require a separate application.

The J. Oakley Seibert Scholarship is for students from Berkeley, Jefferson, or Morgan counties who have completed an undergraduate degree, are enrolling in law school, and plan to return to the area to practice law after graduation.

The Overington Scholarship is for home-schooled or faith-based/parochial K-12 students.

The Deborah, Leslie, and Christopher Bright Achievement Scholarship affords high school students (grades 9-12) in Morgan and Hampshire Counties hands-on experience in STEAM-based subjects. This application will be available in December.

Renewing a Scholarship – If you received a scholarship from us in the past year and are interested in applying for a Renewal, you should download the Renewal Application form.

For more information about the program, review our Scholarship FAQ.

Martinsburg Office
127 Crimson Circle
Martinsburg, WV 25403
[email protected]
304.264.0353

Romney Office
Post Office Box 40
91 South High Street
Romney, WV 26757
[email protected]
304.822.7200

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Vision

To build vibrant communities that provide opportunities for everyone living in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

Mission

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

Values

We honor the philanthropic vision of our donors and value their generosity. We respect the work of nonprofit organizations and the passion they bring to carrying out their missions. We earn the trust of our grantees, donors, and partners through our commitment to excellence in our stewardship and our dedication to accountability, integrity, professionalism, and transparency in all our actions. In all our work, we actively embrace accessibility, inclusion, racial and social equity, and the unity that comes from diversity.