SGL Carbon, LLC supports local students with scholarships

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St. Marys: The Elk County Community Foundation recently announced scholarship winners from the SGL Carbon, LLC Scholarship Fund. The SGL Management Team met with students who were selected to be awarded a $500 scholarship each. The awards were given to Luke Jansen and Thomas Slay, graduates of ECCHS who are both attending Penn State. The SMAHS scholarship recipients are Andrew Gerber, attending PSU DuBois, and Collin Kline, attending Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

Pictured standing from left to right are: Tom Detsch, Site Manager of SGL, Luke Jansen, Andrew Gerber, Collin Kline and Lacy Nicklas, SGL Human Resources Manager. Missing from the photo was Thomas Slay.

SGL Group – The Carbon Company – is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. SGL has supported local students with this scholarship for seven years. The scholarship is administered by the Elk County Community Foundation which distributed over $277,239 in scholarship funding in 2022. These scholarships recognize high school seniors who have displayed outstanding qualities in academic achievement, leadership, and community service.

The Elk County Community Foundation Board extends their gratitude to SGL who has seen a need and believes in the youth of today. Anyone interested in establishing a scholarship can contact the Foundation at 814-834-2125 or get more information on the scholarship section on our website.

ECCF and Elk County Commissioners award $125,000 in grants. More grants now available!

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The Elk County Community Foundation and the Elk County Commissioners are pleased to announce the recipients of $125,000 in grants awarded to 19 organizations through Elk County’s portion of the funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. County-wide 501 (c) 3 non-profit organizations are now invited to apply for the second round of grants with a deadline of July 1, 2022 for applications. Another $100,000 will be awarded to eligible nonprofits.

Through this partnership, the Elk County Commissioners provided matching funds of up to $250,000 to the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) for 2022. “By joining with the Community Foundation, we (i.e., the Commissioners) will be able to leverage these federal dollars to provide a greater benefit.” said Commissioner Fritz Lecker. This grant cycle will allow the Foundation to match dollars that they have for granting and offer more opportunities for our local nonprofits that they currently have helped.”

The first round of grants totaling $125,000 were awarded to Boys & Girls Club, CAPSEA, Catholic Charities, Christian Food Bank, Dickinson Center Inc., Elk County Historical Society, Elk County Riders, Penn Highlands Pinecrest, Friends of Twin Lakes, Holy Rosary Parish, Johnsonburg Little League, Keystone Elk Country Alliance, Ridgway Library, Ridgway Little League, St. Marys Area Snowmobile Association, St. Marys Heritage Preservation Group, St. Marys Little League, Trinity United Methodist Church, and Wilcox Presbyterian Church.

Applications for the second round of $100,000 in grants are now available on the Community Foundation’s website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org. Application deadline is July 1. If you have questions, please contact the Community Foundation at 814-834-2125.

The Elk County Community Foundation provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes, while improving the quality of life in our communities. The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation.

Grants now available from Johnsonburg Charitable Endowment Fund

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The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) was presented with a check from the sale of the Johnsonburg Community TV Company to add to the Johnsonburg Charitable Endowment Fund that will benefit the residents of the Johnsonburg Area School District in the coming years. The inaugural grant cycle for this fund is now open with a deadline to apply by July 15. 

The Johnsonburg Community Endowment Fund will begin granting through an open, competitive grant process open to any 501c3 organization, school, municipality or organized religion that serves the Johnsonburg area. ECCF will oversee the administrative duties of the fund with the objective to invest the monies, grow the fund, and help support the emerging opportunities and unforeseen needs of the community.

An Advisory Committee of interested Johnsonburg residents has been appointed to make grant recommendations to ECCF’s Board of Directors. The committee recently met with ECCF to be informed about the Foundation and its granting policies and procedures.

For instructions on how to apply for a grant go to the Foundation website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org. Feel free to contact the Foundation office at 834-2125 with any questions. The Elk County Community Foundation is a non-profit grant-making organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in our geographic area by partnering with philanthropic donors to help them meet their charitable goals.

PHOTO: Paula Fritz Eddy of the Elk County Community Foundation accepts a check from Advisory Committee members of the Johnsonburg Charitable Endowment Fund: Tom Fedorko, Barb Duffy, Charlie Constable, Janice Carnovale, and Al Maletto. Missing from photo: Jack Fowler and Vicki Condino.

ECCF grant awarded to SMASD for Mastercam software

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The Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Fund, administered by the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF), awarded a grant for $9,300 to the St. Marys Area School District (SMASD) for the purchase of Mastercam software.

There is a nation-wide shortage of skilled workers, and one of the SMASD goals is to create career-ready young adults to take advantage of and help fill that gap. This software is the same software that is used in industry. Exposure to and experience with this will be very advantageous for students when they enter the workforce. It will enhance their employability and will diminish the time required for them to become fully productive employees.

Mastercam is Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software, one of the most prevalent computer aided manufacturing software programs found in classrooms from high schools to vocational schools. Computer Aided Manufacturing software is used to translate Computer Aided Design (CAD) files to usable Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machining. CNC machines allow for the production of high complexity parts, in a fraction of the time, while also heavily ruling out the factor of human error.

In Elk County, industry varies from powdered metal, metal fabrication, 3D printing, and 3D injection molding. Mastercam will provide the Career Technical Education students with real-world knowledge that is applicable to every single aspect of industrial manufacturing. It will expose our students to a well-known system that is relied upon by multiple companies in different fields of manufacturing.

The Elk County Community Foundation provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes, while improving the quality of life in our communities. Funds established by charitable donors support our communities through the awarding of grants and scholarships.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation. For more information, please contact the Community Foundation at 814-834-2125.

Stager creates Right to Life Fund at ECCF

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New Judith Manno Stager
Right to Life Fund

A new fund was recently created at the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) by Judith Manno Stager. A founding member of ECCF, Judith recently established the Judith Manno Stager Right to Life Fund. This fund will award grants to support programs, events, education, and initiatives that promote the rights of the unborn.

The fund states: ‘Regardless of the circumstances surrounding conception, every human being is endowed with a dignity that must be unconditionally respected and safeguarded. With deep compassion for the vulnerable unborn who cannot fend for themselves, the Fund will award grants to nonprofits who advocate in defense of Life from Conception.’

Graduating from Villa Maria College, Judith worked in probation and parole before marrying and returning to Ridgway. After adopting two of their six children, she facilitated adoptions for more than 30 babies and arranged foster care, transportation and U.S. surgeries for dozens of international children. Judith has 20 grandchildren.

Judith established and managed her coal and trucking corporation for 40 years, chaired many state and area non-profit boards, headed a church addition, organized the building of a playground, and launched a successful court case to save another local play area.

The Elk County Community Foundation accepts contributions to support the Judith Manno Stager Right to Life Fund.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation. The Community Foundation provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes. Funds established by charitable donors support our communities through the awarding of grants and scholarships. For more information, please contact the Community Foundation at 814-834-2125.