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Foundation Celebrates 20th Birthday

A large crowd was on hand Thursday, Nov. 14 to help the Foundation celebrate its 20th year of service to the Mercer/Tazewell County area. The audience heard brief descriptions of the formation of the two parent organizations — the Bluefield Area Foundation and the Greater Mercer County Charitable Foundation — and the formation of the Doctor Jack Witter Scholarship Fund, a fund begun in honor of Dr. Witten and his many good works benefitting young boys.

In its 20th year the Foundation has crossed two significant threshholds, surpassing the $4 million mark in invested assets, and awarding more than $1 million in grants and scholarships to support organizations and students in Mercer County, West Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia.

More photos to follow.

List of 2013 Grant Recipients now available

To view a list of organizations that received grants this year, follow this link.

Community Foundation Funds Renovation

of Two Bluefield Playgrounds

A program to renovate the City of Bluefield, West Virginia's playgrounds got a boost from the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. with the funding of renovations to two of those playgrounds, the Bedford Street and Midway playgrounds, through a grant in the amount of $22,250.

The funding comes through the Foundation's participation in the State of West Virginia's Neighborhood Investment Program, which awards tax credits to charitable organizations, which they in turn exchange for charitable donations dedicated to funding a project that the organizations identified in their applications to the West Virginia Development Office.

The Community Foundation's Community Impact Project submitted the playground restoration as its focus in this year's tax credit program.

Pictured above, left to right: Julie Johnson, Foundation president; James Shott, Foundation Executive Director; Bluefield Mayor Tom Cole; City Board Members Ellen Light and Chuck McGonagle; Vice Mayor Barbara Smith; and City Manager Jim Ferguson.

Organizations interested in applying to the Community Foundation for consideration for funding through the Community Impact Project may contact the Foundation in January for information on the process.

Foundation Board Approves Grants for 2013

The Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. Board of Directors approved 41 grant awards totaling more than $80,000.

Recipients will be notified by letter in the near future, and a public announcement of grant recipients will be made at that time.

The Grants Committee is chaired by Bob Perkinson, and members Mary Jo Babbit, Rich Bezjak, Kathleen Blaydes, Phyllis Beaver-Horwitz, Carole Dodson, Craig Hammond, Doris Sue Kantor and Kermit Moore unselfishly donated their time and effort to review and recommend the grant recipients.

Featured Grant Recipient:

Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens, Inc.

The Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens received a $2,000 grant from the Community Foundation to replace the stove in its Tazewell nutrition site. The funding came from the American Electric Power Community Service Fund, and from the Unrestricted Fund.

In correspondence, the Agency said, "Without the generosity of the Community Foundations of Virginia, we would have to close our nutrition site in Tazewell because we would not have a way to prepare our meals."

The Foundation is pleased to have assisted the Agency in its efforts on behalf of area senior citizens.

Community Foundation Awards Scholarships for 2013

At its May meeting the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. reviewed and approved scholarships for 56 students seeking to further their education.

Most of the students are graduating high school seniors from high schools in Mercer, McDowell and Tazewell counties, although 14 are existing college students who had their financial aid renewed for another year.

This year’s awards bring to 329 the total number of scholarships awarded since the Foundation began these awards in 1998. The scholarships are funded by 18 individual endowments among the Foundation’s nearly 60 funds. This year’s awards total $52,545.

The recipients were chosen from more than 200 applications reviewed by the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee, chaired by Carole Dodson, with members Mary Azzo, Gene Bailey, Carl Gillespie, Eugenia Hancock, Harry Kammer, Mary Raub, Jim Steorts, Susan Cooper-Snyder, Bettye VanDyke, and Susan Whittaker.

This year’s scholarships are funded by the: Alex Mahood Fund, Alfred and Shirley Wampler Caudill Scholarship Fund, Dr. Jack Walter Witten Scholarship Fund, E.R. Gillespie Scholarship Fund, Graham High School Scholarship Fund, Harman Masonic Lodge #222, James and Rebecca Steorts Fund, Joetta Collins Hooker Memorial Scholarship Fund, Joshua Lee Shutt Memorial Scholarship Fund, Kendrick Scholarship Fund, Lindsay Rebekah Haun Memorial Scholarship Fund, Maurice and Grace Hanna Weinberg Scholarship Fund, Max L. and Virginia S. Kammer Family Scholarship Fund, Robert Austin Family Scholarship Fund, Rose Sinicrope Scholarship Fund, Roy R. Raub M.D. Memorial Scholarship Fund, and William G. Skewes Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Foundation congratulates the recipients, and gratefully thanks the donors and Scholarship Committee members for their generosity and time.

Featured Grant Recipient:

Southwest Virginia Community College

Educational Foundation, Inc.

Southwest Virginia Community College Educational Foundation, Inc.'s 2013 Festival of the Arts -- NO LIMITS! has ended and has been termed a great success. The Festival, the 19th annual edition, featured 13 days of performances, workshops, exhibits, master classes, culinary and experiences.

The Community Foundation is pleased to have supported this year's Festival with a $2,000 grant from the Foundation's Unrestricted Fund.

Community Foundation Celebrates

Twenty Years of Community Service

Twenty years ago last month the first of two organizations that eventually merged to form the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. was founded. A group of community leaders formed the Bluefield Area Foundation serving Mercer and Tazewell counties. A few years later, community leaders in Princeton formed the Greater Mercer County Charitable Foundation in 1998.

The two foundations merged in 2002 to form the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc., and in March of 2003 the new organization announced its first grant awards.

With its Board of Directors and committees comprised of dedicated volunteers from the communities it serves, the Community Foundation has worked diligently to provide funding for important and beneficial projects in the areas of Human Services, Health, Education and the Arts and Humanities, and to assist deserving students in continuing their education at the college or university of their choice.

Today, the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. has well over 50 individual endowed funds aimed at supporting community projects and prospective college students, and since those beginning days 20 years ago, the Community Foundation and its parent organizations have awarded nearly $900,000 to dozens of worthy community projects managed by nonprofit organizations, and to scores of students seeking to continue their education.

The Foundation is grateful for the confidence fund donors have shown by entrusting our organization to carry out their charitable desires, and the strong level of support of the general public whose annual contributions make it possible to continue supporting area projects and students.