EWVCF, Author at Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation

July 3, 2017 By EWVCF

Fulton L. Walker, Jr. Scholarship Golf Classic Fundraiser a huge success

The inaugural Fulton L. Walker, Jr. Scholarship Golf Classic took place at Locust Hill Golf Course this spring. It was an amazing fundraiser that attracted and engaged community leaders from numerous professions and local organizations. Under light rain and cloudy skies, 64 golfers turned out for this wonderful event.

The tournament started with welcoming the participants, providing insight about the scholarship, and giving golfers course rules for the day. Activities included: 50/50 Raffle, $10,000 Hole in One Shot, Sport Memorabilia to bid on, and a closing ceremony which included team trophies, door prizes and BBQ dinner.

The success of this event would not have been possible without the support of our many sponsors, golfers, family, friends and volunteers. We would like to give a Special Thanks to Pill and Pill, PLLC., Mountaineer Fan Club, Martinsburg’s Chick-fil-A, and Craig Martin of Martin Distributing Company for their generous contributions which truly made a huge difference in making the event a successful one.

The event raised $15,389.00. After expenses, a check for $10,900.00 was deposited into the Fulton L. Walker, Jr. Scholarship Fund at the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. This will bring the first year total contributions to $12,500.00 in the Fulton L. Walker Jr. Scholarship Fund.

During a recent meeting to review this year’s tournament, committee members Kevin Walker, Charles Mason, Robert Sowell, Bertha Brown, Rick Pill, Paul Mason, and Gregg Wachtel expressed their thanks to everyone that helped make this inaugural event a great success. They are looking forward to seeing you next year at the Fulton L. Walker, Jr. Scholarship Golf classic which is already in the early planning stages.

June 27, 2017 By EWVCF

EWVCF Hires Karin Hammann Dunn

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) has operated successfully with three full-time employees for nearly 10 years. When our first Executive Director Amy Owen received a grant from the Benedum Foundation in 2007 to add our second and third staff members, the foundation had $7.1 million in assets, grants and scholarships totaled $153,000 per year, and there were 89 endowed funds.

During the past 10 years we have grown to $22 million in assets, now award an average of $700,000 per year in grants and scholarships, and manage 250 endowed funds. And, we’ve been able to do all of this with the same three staff positions. Our Finance and Admin Manager Felicia Fuller will celebrate her 10th anniversary with the Community Foundation on August 1. Affiliate Director (and Scholarship Coordinator) Amy Pancake has been here nine years. I came onboard when Amy Owen moved to Virginia in 2012.

Thanks to generous donors, strong investment market returns, prudent spending, and healthy financial reserves, we are finally able to add our first new full-time employee in almost 10 years. Since our grants and scholarships have more than doubled in the past five years we realized that we needed to bring onboard a Program Manager and we are excited to announce that we have hired Karin Hammann Dunn to fill that position and join the Community Foundation team.

Karin Hammann Dunn has been hired to fill the new position of Program Manager at the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. She joins the team of Michael Whalton, Felicia Fuller, and Amy Pancake.

Karin has been working at Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Panhandle for more than three years, first as Director of Operations, and more recently as Interim Executive Director. Prior to that she was Assistant Project Manager at Shepherd University from 2006 to 2012 when many construction projects were completed. Early in her career Karin was the General Manager at Tanger Outlet Centers in Martinsburg and when the property sold in 2003, she stayed on and served as Director of Operations and Facilities for Mountain State University until 2006. She is a graduate of Shepherd University and cousin of founding EWVCF board member, the late Connie Hammann. Karin lives in Martinsburg with her husband Larry, a Jefferson County native. They have two children, a daughter who just completed her first year as a teacher in Berkeley County, and a son who will finish his senior year at college this coming May.

We received 35 strong applications, interviewed our top 10 candidates and were impressed with all of them. But Karin was the one that stood out most of all. She is friendly yet professional and has all the skills – grant writing, computer literacy, grant evaluating, internet, project management – that we need in a Program Manager. And, she is a self-starting multi-tasker who isn’t afraid of wearing any number of different hats at work.

Karin’s first day on the job is July 17 and once she gets settled in here at the Community Foundation we will host a reception to introduce her to the board, our technical advisors, and emeritus leaders. In the meantime, Felicia, Amy and I will continue holding everything together and counting the days until the newest member of our team joins us.

June 8, 2017 By EWVCF

Volunteer Hardy Scheduled for August/September

The Hardy County Community Foundation is seeking participants for its 4^th annual Volunteer Hardy initiative. Volunteer Hardy is the Community Foundation’s attempt to call attention to the invaluable contributions nonprofits, and the volunteers who serve them, make to their local communities and Hardy County.

Volunteer Hardy seeks to promote the work of local volunteer-driven organizations by encouraging and promoting fundraising events held during a specific time of year. This year’s initiative will take place during the months of August and September.

The intent of the initiative is to remind people of the impact our local nonprofit and civic organizations have on our communities and to encourage not only financial support of their work, but to also consider getting involved in their efforts.

Organizations wishing to participate in this year’s initiative should download the 2017 Volunteer Hardy Letter for details about the event.

May 22, 2017 By EWVCF

2017 EWVCF Scholarship Reception Photos

We are delighted to share several photos and a recap of the Community Foundation’s Scholars & Donors Reception that was held on May 11th at the Purple Iris. It was a great event with over 130 people attending — including 50+ students, dozens of parents, Community Foundation board members, and several donors. The staff at the Purple Iris did a splendid job of accommodating us and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.

Susan Hawkens Whalton spoke on behalf of the donors who established scholarship funds at the Community Foundation and Shepherd University sophomore Jillian O’Connell, who is studying to become an educator, spoke from the point of view of students who receive the scholarships. Special thanks to them and to our board members who presented the scholarship letters to the students.

Scholarship Coordinator Amy Pancake was able to include a brief bio of each student receiving a scholarship and she nailed the pronunciation of every single name (no small feat when names included Insixiengnmay, Kubovicik, and Yadara).

Here are photos of many of the 60 students who received scholarships from the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation in 2017. A total of $98,350 was awarded! Thank you to one and all for making this such a resounding success.

Violet Hott and Israel “Z” Ellis, recipients of STEAM focused Bright Scholarships.

Allyson Berry and EWVCF Board Member Andrew McMillan

Violet Hott with EWVCF Board Member Andrew McMillan

Payton Carter and EWVCF Board Member Charlotte Norris

May 15, 2017 By EWVCF

Community Foundation Awards $98,350 in Eastern Panhandle Scholarships

Ciera Clawson and Ann Stickley pose with Hawk Hawkens Scholarship founder Susan Hawkens Whalton and several other hard-working and talented students during the Scholars & Donors Reception.

We are delighted to share several photos and a recap of the Community Foundation’s Scholars & Donors Reception that was held last May at the Purple Iris in Martinsburg. It was standing room only, with over 130 people including 50+ students, dozens of parents, and several donors in attendance. Tiffany and the staff did a splendid job of accommodating us and everyone had a wonderful time.

Susan Hawkens Whalton spoke eloquently on behalf of the donors who established scholarship funds at the Community Foundation and Shepherd University sophomore Jillian O’Connell, who is studying to become an educator, was equally charming speaking on behalf of the students who receive the scholarships. Special thanks to them and to our board members who presented the scholarship letters to the students.

Here are photos of just a few of the 60 students who received scholarships from the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation in 2017. A total of $98,350 was awarded! Thank you to one and all for making this such a resounding success.