To download a flyer for the Lunch & Learn Seminar for Nonprofit Organizations, click on the link below.
To download a flyer for the Lunch & Learn Seminar for Nonprofit Organizations, click on the link below.
We received this great email from former scholarship recipient Jamie Shrewsbury. Jamie was awarded the Martinsburg High Class of ’64 Scholarship and the David “Hawk” Hawkens Scholarship in 2013. This wonderful update makes all the hard work that goes into awarding scholarships incredibly worthwhile. Congratulations Jamie, and thank you for the kind words!
Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation,
My name is Jamie Shrewsbury and I am a 2013 graduate of Martinsburg High School. I wanted to reach out to you to thank you for everything that you have done for me and continue to do for the community.
During my senior year of high school, I was very uncertain of how I was going to be able to further my education after graduation. I was aware that scholarships were available that I could apply for, but thought I truly had no chance of receiving any of them. However, I applied for several scholarships through the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation and was generously awarded two scholarships that helped to completely fund my freshman year at West Virginia University. Being able to attend my dream college and successfully complete my first year of schooling set me up for another successful 3 years in Morgantown.
After my first year, I decided to change my education/career path to Public Relations with an emphasis in sports. Throughout school, I participated in several university organizations and held numerous internships including a media relations internship with the West Virginia Black Bears, a Single A-Affiliate baseball team for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a summer internship with Major League Baseball in Pittsburgh and a two-year internship position with the Mountaineer Athletic Club.
In December of 2017, I graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Strategic Communications-Public Relations and a minor in English. Upon graduation, I was offered a position in the Media Relations Department with the New York Mets and gladly accepted. I am now living in New York and living out my dream of working on the business side of a Major League Baseball team.
Thank you for allowing me to have something I thought I would never have. Thank you for giving me countless memories of Morgantown hills, experiencing a Mountaineer game day and being able to link arm in arm with fellow students and sing “Country Roads” after a win. Without your continuous, tireless efforts to encourage education, I would not be where I am today. The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation gives high school students who may not be in secure financial situations hope and a chance to further their education and to hopefully one day, be able to hold their dream job.
Thank you again, Jamie Shrewsbury
The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation hosted its first Grantee Recognition Breakfast in early March after receiving and reviewing a record 93 applications from nonprofit organizations serving the region. During the breakfast ceremony EWVCF awarded 67 grants totaling $161,460 for a wide range of programs covering the gamut from helping infants and their families to providing palliative care for folks in the final stage of life.
In 2017, the Community Foundation awarded nearly $1.8 million in grants and scholarships, received just over $1 million in contributions, and grew endowed assets to $23 million. Thanks to investment advisors at BB&T, BCT Bank of Charles Town, CNB Bank, City National Bank, First United Bank & Trust, and United Wealth, the endowed assets grew nearly 15%. EWVCF manages more than 220 endowed funds, including 82 agency or designated funds that were created specifically to provide annual support to area nonprofit organizations. Another 31 field of interest or unrestricted funds are the source of the competitive grants.
The program started off by awarding a total of $88,000 in Youth Grants, which are funded by the Jane P. Snyder Youth Fund, the Tom & Virginia Seely Children’s Fund, and the C. Scott and Elizabeth C. Shade Youth Fund. There were 35 Youth Grants awarded to programs serving all three Eastern Panhandle counties. The average youth grant this year was $2,500.
The Frada Fine Berkeley Education Fund awarded 14 grants totaling $20,000 to education focused programs serving Berkeley County. Frada Fine established a Memorial Scholarship Trust that is administered by BB&T Wealth Management. Each year, the Community Foundation receives a substantial gift from the trust which funds Berkeley County Education grants and Mini-Grants to Teachers.
The Joan Roach Volunteer Fund for the Needy, Housing Action Fund, Robert A. Sanders Fund, and Partners in Philanthropy underwrote nearly $14,000 in Housing and Human Welfare grants. Seven nonprofit organizations benefited from these grants in 2018.
The Eastern Panhandle CARE Clinic discontinued operations in 2016, but before doing so, their board of directors established the Eastern Panhandle CARE Fund in order for the Community Foundation to award grants to nonprofit organizations that deliver services similar or complementary to those that were provided by the CARE Clinic during its 16 years of operation. The mission of the organization was to provide all residents of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, regardless of their economic status, access to affordable, high-quality, patient-centered care; while empowering patients through health education and providing connection to community resources. The Eastern Panhandle CARE Fund awarded six healthcare grants totaling $25,000 during the 2018 breakfast ceremony.
The Helen Parker Willard Fund was established in her memory by her son Henry to help restore civil war era monuments in historic cemeteries in Jefferson County. EWVCF awarded four grants totaling $14,545 from the Helen Parker Willard Fund.
EWVCF Partners in Philanthropy sponsors ROCS Local Market/Roach Oil, BB&T Wealth, Bowles Rice, United Bank, Jefferson Distributing, First United Bank and Trust, CNB Bank, BCT Bank of Charles Town, Dan Ryan Builders, City National Bank, and Gat Creek Furniture have been instrumental in the success of or grants program.
Kevin Walker, Michael Whalton, and Charles Mason met last summer to deposit proceeds from the The inaugural Fulton L. Walker, Jr. Scholarship Golf Classic. First year contributions to to the EWVCF Fulton L. Walker Jr. Scholarship Fund totaled $12,500.00 and the new fund hopes to award at least one scholarship in 2018.
Eastern WV Community Foundation offers three new scholarships in 2018
In addition to more than 40 existing scholarships, three new ones were recently established at the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. Deadline to apply for any of the Community Foundation scholarships is March 1st and a total of more than $100,000 will be awarded to deserving students.
Graduating seniors from Berkeley County who are carry a 3.0 or better GPA and plan on attending WVU may apply for the $1,250 Fulton L. Walker Jr. Scholarship. The Inspiration Scholarship Fund: In Memory of Thelma Henry and Viola Hedges will offer one $2,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from Jefferson, Berkeley, or Morgan county, who carries a 3.5 GPA and is planning on attending an out-of-state college or university. Cadets any of the squadrons of the West Virginia Wing – Civil Air Patrol may apply for the third new scholarship being offered by the Community Foundation. The award is estimated to be $2,000 and graduating seniors with a GPA of 2.5 or better who have earned the CAP Amelia Earhart award or higher may apply.
Scholarship guidelines, applications, and information about all 44 EWVCF scholarships can be found on the Foundation’s website at https://www.ewvcf.org/how-to-apply/.
From Grantmaking to Asset Growth, the past year has been one to remember for the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. Thanks to the generosity of several of our donor advised funds, we topped more than $1.7 million in total grantmaking in 2017. Our investment advisors at BCT-Bank of Charles, BB&T, City National Bank, CNB, First United Bank & Trust, and United Wealth all provided excellent returns on investment with what is anticipated to be considerably better than 10% ROI.
EWVCF had more than $2o million under management at the beginning of the year, so we are very pleased with these results and hope that more of the same may be coming our way in 2018. Although we didn’t received any major gifts in 2017, new donations to the Community Foundation continued to help build our assets and provide us with expanded grantmaking capabilities.
The addition of Karin Hammann Dunn as our Program Manager back in July has given Felicia, Amy, and me more time to focus on our core responsibilities and we are pleased with the expertise and enthusiasm Karin has brought to the table. Revisions to our Grant and Scholarship Programs are beginning to pay dividends and we’ve had good feedback about the new application forms and grant deadline. We added several new field of interest funds that will allow us to award grants to more nonprofit organizations providing a wider scope of services to the community.
Finally, we want to thank our friend and leader Darlene Truman for serving as President these past two years. Darlene’s professionalism, keen intelligence and quick wit, provided a calm reassurance to the staff and board at the Community Foundation. For her leadership and friendship, we are most grateful.
We are looking forward to more success in 2018 and are excited to be working with our new President, Lisa Welch who has a long list of her own remarkable skills that she is willing to share with us. This promises to be another great year for the Community Foundation and we are most grateful to have the opportunity to serve our donors, area nonprofit organizations, and the community at large.
Happy New Year!
Michael Whalton, Executive Director
Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation
229 East Martin St., Suite 4
Martinsburg, WV 25401
www.EWVCF.org
info@EWVCF.org
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304.264.0353
Fax: 888.507.8375
Hampshire County Community Foundation
Post Office Box 40
Romney, WV 26757
www.hampshireccf.org
info@hampshireccf.org
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304.822.7200
Fax: 888.507.8375
Hardy County Community Foundation
Post Office Box 1058
Moorefield, WV 26836
www.hardycountycf.org
info@hardycountycf.org
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304.538.3431
Fax: 888.507.8375