Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc.
"We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill
The Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. promotes philanthropy by fostering charitable giving, serving our donors' interests, and effectively responding to the needs and opportunities of communities in Mercer County, West Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia.
Through scholarships and grants in the areas of Education, the Arts, Culture and the Humanities, Health, and Human Services, the Community Foundation matches the generosity of the people of our area with the needs of area organizations and individuals.
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Community Foundation Board Awards Grants
The Foundation's Board of Directors met on September 13 and approved 37 grant applications and three donor-designated awards totaling more than $74,000. Human Services grants led the list, with 17 awards, followed by 13 Arts and Humanities awards, 9 Education awards, and 1 Health award. Six applications were not funded, due to a shortage of available funding.
The Grants Committee, chaired by Bob Perkinson, includes Board Members Mary Jo Babbitt, Marie Blackwell, Kathleen Blaydes, Carole Dodson, Kermit Moore, and Community Member Cathy Zimmerman.
The recipients are:
Education Girl Scouts of Black Diamond, $2,800.00, "Free to Be Me" Program Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, $2,000.00, Mercer and Tazewell Reading Bee Oakvale Elementary School, $2,000.00, To purchase Lego building kits Appalachian South Folklife Center's Learning Day Camp, $1,000.00, Learning Day Camp Bluefield College New Opportunity School for Women Program, $640.00, Program expense Career Connections: Mercer County Schools, $1,500.00, 7th/8th graders visit colleges and technical schools Explore!, $2,000.00, Three hands-on exhibits at the Explore! Science Center Satira, Inc. , $1,500.00, The Science Addiction Program Bible in the Schools, $904.28, Donor-Designated
Human Services American Red Cross, $1,000.00, emergencey services to Mercer county residents Bluefield Police Department, $5,000.00, Purchase five officer safety partitions for vehicles Bluefield WV Fire Department, $7,250.00, Jacket and trousers for 8 firefighters Child Protect of Mercer County, $2,000.00, Well-being and health of families Childlaw Services, Inc., $2,000.00, curriculum and service project materials Children's Home Society of WV, $2,000.00, Twelve monthly group sessions City of Princeton Fire Dept, $2,000.00, Senior citizen fire and fall prevention program Family Refuge Center, $1,000.00, general support for the Mercer county office Feeding America Southwest Virginia, $2,000.00, Food distribution program for Tazewell County Make a Wish Foundation of Greater PA and WV, $2,000.00, Mercer County Make A Wish Mercer County Spay Association, $1,000.00, Program costs Princeton Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners, $1,500.00, fitness equipment and dog waste stations for new 2-mile walking trail Save A Pet Food Bank, $3,000.00, cat food and dog food distribution Second Chance for Cats, $2,500.00, to spay, neuter and vaccinate 40 cats The Wade Center, $2,000.00, Help Wade Kids Thrive Program Toys for Tots, $2,000.00, Program cost The Wade Center, $376.03, Donor-Designated
Arts & Humanities 4 Pals Productions, $2,000.00, Annual Theatre Festival for local high schools Alliance for the Arts, Inc., $1,500.00, Refurbish restrooms Blue Mountain Performing Arts, $2,000.00, Birth of the Beat" opening show Bluefield Preservation Society, $1,000.00, to purchase ten tents Bluefield State College Foundation, $2,000.00, Pole banners and hardware Bluewell Improvement Associates, $1,000.00, Installation of proper equipment for 60 poles used for holiday lights Bluewell Lions Club ,$2,000.00, 42 new flags, poles and brackets for the Town of Bluewell City of Bluefield Beautification Commission, $2,000.00, One bench and one trash receptacle Community Connections, $1,000.00, Paint and supplies for revitalization program Mercer County Historical Society, $1,500.00, Expenses associated with Mercer County Heritage Festival The Trails at Bluefield City Park, $1,690.00, Add a new children's station to the family friendly trail Town of Bluefield, Beautification Commission, $2,000.00, Banners and seasonal decorations for downtown Town of Bluefield, IDA, $1,500.00, Tables for the annual quilt show
Humanities Mercer Charitable Clinic, $265.19, Donor-Designated
Community Foundation Honored for Support of Child Protect
Celebrating its 15th year, Child Protect of Mercer County held a ceremony recognizing that milestone and recognized 15 individuals and organizations who had provided significant support for its mission. Foundation President Kermit Moore received the certificate of appreciation at the event on August 11.
The Foundation appreciates this recognition of its service to Mercer County and Tazewell County non-profit organizations.
Bluefield State College Foundation Receives Award for Student Center Improvement
Pictured above, BSC President Dr. Marsha Krotseng (left) receives a $2,500 grant award from Community Foundation President Kermit Moore at the Othello Harris-Jefferson Student Center.
The grant helped to fund improvements to the Center's patio area, including landscape shrubs, trees, mulch, solar landscape lighting, and patio pavers and substructure. The Student Center and patio are a high traffic area, used by students, faculty, staff and visitors.
This improvement will help the appearance of the outer area of the Student Center, and create a more inviting "feel" for students, college personnel and visitors.
Community Foundation Awards $101,000 in Scholarships The Community Foundation of the Virginias has awarded scholarships to 86 applicants who applied in the 2016 Scholarship Cycle that concluded earlier this month. The Board of Directors approved awarding $101,250 to assist deserving area students in furthering their education on May 10. The awards came from 22 individual scholarship funds, and benefit students from Bluefield, Graham, Pikeview, Pipestem Christian, Princeton, Tazewell, Richlands, and River View high schools, as well as several existing college students who qualified for awards to continue their education. The scholarships help students attending 17 colleges and universities. The following funds awarded scholarships this year:
The Community Foundation thanks Scholarships Committee members Carole Dodson, Chair; Gene Bailey; George Brooks; Lisa Lineberry; Kermit Moore; Mary Raub; Bettye VanDyke; and Cathy Zimmerman for their diligence in the scholarship application evaluation process. Information about Foundation scholarships and funds is available through a link in the right column of this page.
College Students Spend Spring Break Helping the Wade Center
Twenty-nine young adults and two adult supervisors from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA traveled to Bluefield, and spent their spring break working with children at the Wade Center. This activity is part of SJU's "Appalachian Experience," where students and associates travel to communities in Appalachia to work with local organizations to support community initiatives. The "Appalachian Experience" is guided by the mission of Saint Joseph’s University and the Catholic Jesuit tradition, and is in its 24th year.
The SJU students and the children of the Wade Center are shown enjoying after school activities, including a wholesome snack.
Mission trips like the one the SJU students participated in are a key element in spiritual growth the Wade Center provides, offering opportunities both in community improvement and relational ministry to mission trip participants.
The Wade Center exists to nurture Bluefield’s children, youth and their families spiritually, physically, emotionally and intellectually through practical programs and mentoring relationships. The Center seeks to be a centerpiece in the community for spiritual, educational, recreational, and cultural resources.
A $2,000 grant from the Community Foundation helped fund the Center's Blessings in a Backpack program. The grant was funded by the Community Action Grant Fund, the Jeffrey Edward Shott Memorial Fund, the American Electric Power Community Services Fund, and the Judge Jerome and Hilda R. Katz Memorial Fund.
Community Foundation elects Officers and Board Members At its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. elected the following Officers:
The Board also elected the following Directors to a term ending in 2020: Mary Azzo, Betty Bailey, Marie Blackwell, Gina Boggess, Kermit Moore, Bettye VanDyke
Other Directors are: Class of 2017 - Gene Bailey, Carole Dodson, Jim Ferguson, Craig Hammond, Eugenia Hancock, Harry Kammer, Rick Kendrick, Frank Sinicrope Class of 2018 - Frank Brady, Kathleen Blaydes, Sam Hill, Bob Perkinson, Mary Raub, Jim Steorts, Larry Douglas, Sara Whitt Class of 2019 - Jack Asbury, Mary Jo Babbitt, Charlie Carter, Julie Johnson, Doris Sue Kantor, Dan Shortridge
The Board members expressed their appreciation for Julie Johnson for having served as president of the Foundation for the last three years, and welcomed incoming president Kermit Moore.
Notes of Appreciation and Photos Received from Grant Recipients
― Mercer County WE CAN Outings ―
As part of its "In Our Own Backyard" monthly activities, WE CAN sponsored activities for Mentors to share with their Mentees. Activities included the Pumpkin Patch, the Ridge Runner, Chestnut Springs, Tate Lohr Fishing, Pipestem State Park, Wolf Creek, Back to School, and four other activities.
― Girl Scouts of the Black Diamond Council ―
The Girl Scouts of the Black Diamond Council offered girls the opportunity to build courage, confidence and character while they make the world a better place. Among the activities the girls participated in are learning to make healthy snacks (upper left), learning the importance of exercise (lower left), and playing parachute games, having fun and exercising at the same time (right).
Foundation Receives Certificate of Appreciation
Many thanks to the City of
At the City Council meeting on Monday, December 14, the City presented Foundation Board members Marie Blackwell and Jim Ferguson with the above certificate of appreciation for the grant.
The Foundation also awarded grants to the Park and Recreation Department in the amount of $1,176 for youth size basketball goals, and the Princeton Police Department in the amount of $2,080 for its "Friends for life Program."
2015 Grant Recipients Receive Awards
During the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, Representatives of the Mercer/Tazewell Reading Bee were presented a Foundation award of $2,000 for this year's event. Pictured are, left to right: Carole Dodson and Marie Blankenship, members of the Community Foundation Board of Directors; Michael Johnson, GBCC Reading Bee Chair; Becky Ritter, Vice Chair, GBCC Community Life Division; Teresa Barringer, Chair of GBCC Board of Directors; and Randy Moonie, Publisher, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, a Reading Bee sponsor.
New River Community and Technical College requested $1,138 for improvements at its Mercer County Campus in Princeton, and received the award at a Business After Hours at their facility. In the photo, left to right, New River President Marshall Washington and VP for Institutional Advancement & College Foundation Karen Harvey receive the award from Foundation Vice President Gene Bailey.
Above, Connie Saunders, director of WISE Women's Resource Center, receives a $2,800 Foundation award for materials and refreshments for seminars from Foundation Executive Director James Shott. N
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Recognizing the Impact of Community Foundations Community Foundation Week November 12-18, 2015 During the week of November 12-18, 2015, the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. will join more than 750 community foundations across America celebrating Community Foundation Week. For more than 25 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.
“Community foundations impact lives, solve problems, and improve futures,” said Community Foundation of the Virginias President Julie Johnson. “As many residents grapple with limited resources and a growing need for services, 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.”
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 Community Foundation of the Virginias awarded 52 grants and 61 scholarships totaling more than $180,000 in 2015, the 19th year of supporting local nonprofit groups and area students.
Community foundations represent one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy. Every state in the United States 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.
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.
Grants approved in the 2015 Grants Cycle
The Community Foundation of the Virginias awarded 52 grants totaling more than $103,000 in 2015 , the 19th annual Grants Cycle supporting local nonprofit groups.
With the inclusion of the 2015 awards, the Foundation has returned more than $1,180,000 to the area since 1997 in grants and scholarships.
The Grants Committee is chaired by Robert Perkinson and comprised of: Mary Jo Babbitt, Marie Blankenship, Kathleen Blaydes, Carole Dodson, Kermit Moore, and Doris Sue Kantor.
I-Education
II-Health
Human Services
Arts & Humanities
Donor Designated Fund Grants
I-Education: Bible in the Schools - $2,328.90 - The B. G. and Rachel Blalock Fund II-Health: Mercer Charitable Clinic - $735.80 - The Charles E. and Jerry Ann Myles Fund Human Services: The Wade Center - $1,012.15 - The Sylvester C. and Janice M. Myers Fund
Two more 2015 Grants Cycle recipients receive their awards
Two local organizations have received their grant awards in the 2015 Grants Cycle. Community Foundation Executive Director James Shott presented the awards to Dwayne Harwick of the Abel Crisis Pregnancy Center in the left photo, and to Rodney Mayberry of the Mountaineer Marine Detachment 957 Toys for Tots project in the right photo. Abel Crisis received a $2,000 award for the to be used to purchase materials for its female clients, and Toys for Tots received a $2,000 award for program support.
Two recipients receive awards in 2015 Grants Cycle
Representatives of the Mercer County Historical Society, Heritage Festival and the American Red Cross, Southeast West Virginia Chapter, have received their awards to fund their individual projects from Foundation Executive Director James Shott.
In the photo at left, Fred Powers receives the Historical Society's award and displays a newspaper section about the Heritage Festival that the Foundation helped fund with a $2,000 grant aimed at defraying expenses for professional storytellers and presenters.
In the photo at right, Stephanie Meadows, Executive Director of the Red Cross office, receives her organization's award of $2,000 targeted at costs associated with provision of emergency services in Mercer County.
Community Foundation awards scholarships for 2015
The Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. awarded 61 scholarships totaling more than $79,000 in the 2015 Scholarships Cycle.
The scholarships were awarded from 18 different funds, and were awarded to graduating seniors from seven high schools, as noted.
Alex B. Mahood, Jr. Scholarship – 2 recipients (GHS, BHS) Bluefield High Schools’ Alumni Scholarship - 2 recipients (BHS) C.B. and Ora Hunter Hancock Memorial Scholarship - 1 recipient (BHS) E.R. Gillespie Scholarship - 4 recipients (3 PSHS, BHS) East River Mountain H.O.G. #5432 scholarship - 1 recipient (GHS) Graham High School scholarship - 1 recipient (GHS) Harman Lodge #222 scholarship - 1 recipient (GHS) James and Rebecca Steorts Fund - 1 recipient (PSHS) Joetta Collins Hooker Memorial Scholarship - 4 recipients (3 prior, River View) Kendrick Scholarship Fund - 4 recipients (Concord University) Lindsay Rebekah Haun Memorial Scholarship - 1 recipient (PSHS) Margaret “Trika” Smith-Burke Scholarship - 3 recipients (Richlands) Marsha A. Mead, PhD. Scholarship - 1 recipient (Bluefield College) Maurice and Grace Hanna Weinberg Scholarship Fund - 2 recipients (BHS) Robert Austin Family Scholarship Fund - 3 recipients (GHS) Rose Sinicrope Scholarship Fund - 3 recipients (2 prior, PSHS) Roy R. Raub Memorial Scholarship - 25 recipients (24 prior, Hurley) William G. Skewes Memorial Scholarship - 2 recipients (Mercer Christian, PSHS)
Prior recipients currently attend a variety of schools, including (alphabetically): Bluefield State College, Concord University, Covenant College, James Madison University, Marshall University, University of Maryland, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University, and West Virginia University.
Many thanks to the Scholarships Committee, chaired by Carole Dodson: Gene Bailey, George Brooks, Mary Raub, Jim Steorts and Bettye VanDyke.
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Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc.
128 North Street ● P.O. Box 4127 ● Bluefield, WV 24701
Phone: 304-324-0222 ● Fax: 304-324-7716
Email: admin@cfvinc.org
Problems on our Web site? Email execdir@cfvinc.org
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The Community Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. is a proud member
of the following organizations:
Community Foundation
of the Virginias, Inc.
128 North Street ● P.O. Box 4127
Bluefield, WV 24701
Phone: 304-324-0222
Fax: 304-324-7716
Email: admin@cfvinc.org