Nursing Scholarships Awarded

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Recently the Penn Highlands-Elk Foundation formerly the Elk Regional Health System Board transferred two Scholarship funds to the Elk County Community Foundation. This years awardees met with Rose Campbell, President of Penn Highlands-Elk. The Kathryn Kilhoffer Walsh Nursing Scholarship awarded $725 to Leah Kucinski a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School and the Elk Diabetes Nursing Scholarship awarded $500 to Ashley Fabiano from Johnsonburg Area High School. Leah will be attending Edinboro University while Ashley will attend the University of Pitt at Bradford.

Penn Highlands–Elk Foundation moved their scholarship funds to the Community Foundation this past spring to take advantage of the PATH (Partnership for Access To Higher Education) program for their scholarship recipients. As a PATH partner, the Community Foundation can nominate their scholarship recipients for a matching grant to this program administered by PHEAA. Last year 49 local students received over $54,000 in matching grants through the Community Foundation’s scholarship program.

The Elk County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of North Central PA currently administers 110 funds and of those 67 are scholarship funds. If you are interested in establishing a fund please contact the Elk County Community Foundation at 814-834-2125 or check out their website at ww.elkcountyfoundation.com.

Pictured L to R

Ashley Fabiano, Rose Campbell, Leah Kucenski

Christian Cordero Memorial Scholarship

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Alex O’Neill, on the right, is the 2014 recipient of Christian Cordero Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Elk County Community Foundation. Alex is the second recipient to receive this award and he is the son of Mike and Gale O’Neill of St. Marys. The $500 Christian Cordero Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an 8th grade Cavalier basketball player who shows real enthusiasm for the game just as the late Christian Cordero did, and will be attending Elk County Catholic High School as a freshman the next year. Christian, “CC”, know to his friends, was a former Cavalier player and later returned as volunteer assistant coach. “I know he felt it a privilege to be able to give back to a program that he truly loved.” Said EJ Crowe, one of his classmates who had last year spear headed a Facebook awareness about the Scholarship. Each year the Cavalier Coaches will select an 8th grade player who best reflects the spirit of CC to receive the award

St. Marys Catholic Middle School Principal John Schneider accompanies O’Neill in the photo. The Cavalier Boosters, who created the scholarship fund in the memory of their former player, are encouraging donations in hoping to make this award permanent. Donations can be sent to the Elk County Community Foundation at P.O. Box 934, St. Marys, PA 15857, or can be made online at our website www.elkcountyfoundation.com. If you have any questions please call us at 814-834-2125.

Ridgway Area School District Receives Funding

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Over $18,000 was distributed to Ridgway School Districts from the Elk County Community Foundation. As an approved Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) partner the Foundation receives donations from qualified businesses to provide innovative educational programing with in the public schools K-12 school.

The Ridgway School District was able to purchase for each of their two buildings, HD video conference equipment, HD screen/projection devise and streaming continent input device. Their goal is to continue to enhance the technology experiences of their students. Recently representatives from the Community Foundation, Advantage Sales Company and Farmers National Bank, both contributors to the EITC visited Ridgway Area High School to check out the new equipment and to have a presentation of the new equipment. Students have been able to go on virtual field trips with this new technology. Dan Brocious, the Technology Director explain that there were a number of the virtual field trips/video conferences that their students have participated including a trip to NASA, San Diego Zoo, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Texas State Aquarium, Grand Teton National Park and the Holocaust Memorial Center, where the local students were able to interact with Holocaust survivors via video conferencing. The school also is utilizing the systems for recording and conferencing with school board meetings and presentations.

Kim Jacques from Advantage Sales Company was on hand and talked about how she found the EITC program a great vehicle for her company to make donations to her community and receive tax dollar credits. Other companies that contributed to the programs this year were: Northwest Savings Bank, EQT Production Co.; Highmark Casualty Insurance Company, Synder Trucking Company, Susquehanna Wire Rope and Rigging and PNC Bank. Any entity authorized to conduct business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and subject to certain taxes is eligible to apply to be involved with the EITC program. Tax credits are limited to 75% of the business’ contribution with a maximum of $750,000 annually. If a business agrees to make the same contribution for two consecutive years, it may receive a tax credit equal to 90% of its contribution. Interested participants must submit a brief application to the DCED. The application can be found at www.inventpa.com. Jacques indicated how easy the application was and is willing to assist others with the business application process.

Pictured from left to right are:

Foundation Board Member Gennaro Aiello; Kim Jacques representing Advantage Sales Company; Paula Fritz Eddy, Executive Director of the Foundation; Craig Carrow and Heather Serafini from Farmers National Bank; Donna Sidlinger, the district Business Manager; Dr. O’Brien, superintendent; Lisa Connely Board President; Dan Brocious, Technology Director and Judith Manno Stager, Foundation Board member.

New Fund Established to Support Catholic Education

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New Fund Established to Support Catholic Education

The Elk County Community Foundation recently made the first distribution of the R. Thomas and Mary Rita Valentine Charitable Fund for the Elk County Catholic School System (ECCSS). Tom and Mary Rita had both worked and retired from Stackpole Carbon Company. They were members of Queen of the World Church, devout in their faith and active in their community.

Tom and Mary Rita were supportive of Catholic education and together they made provisions in their estate plans to provide funding for this purpose. They chose to come to the Elk County Community Foundation to ensure that funds would be available for the Catholic schools in our area for generations to come. Each year going forward a portion the R. Thomas and Mary Rita Valentine Charitable Fund will be awarded with half of the gift being allocated for tuition assistance and the other half benefiting the general operations of the Elk County Catholic School System.

Tom Wagner, the Valentine’s lawyer and estate planner of Meyer & Wagner Law Offices, and Tom Fledderman, the couple’s financial advisor and Trust Officer from Northwest Savings Bank, were on hand for the first distribution of the fund. Both gentlemen worked with the Valentines as they created their legacy. Attorney Wagner said that once he realized the Valentines wanted to support their community he began to help them fulfill their charitable goals. A gift through the Community Foundation seemed to best accomplish Tom and Mary Rita’s objectives of keeping local control of the funds while supporting Catholic education. Tom Fledderman also said that educating his clients about their options is so important in financial planning. Fledderman commented “when long term gifts are the objective, I try to inform them about the Community Foundation and how it can help them give a gift that will give back to the community forever.”

Sam MacDonald, ECCSS president, commented that a gift to the Community Foundation complements the school system’s endowed funds to help ensure there will always be Catholic education in St. Marys. More tuition assistance means more help for our families, and operating dollars certainly help keep the cost of tuition low. “Words cannot adequately express our schools’ appreciation for the Valentines contribution,” said MacDonald.

The mission of the Elk County Community Foundation is to strengthen our region through development, stewardship and grant making as donors achieve their philanthropic goals. Its vision is to connect people who care with causes that matter. The Foundation assists donors in starting a Fund to benefit nearly any charitable organization or cause that they have a vested interest in, whether as a named fund or in the memory of a deceased family member or friend. The R. Thomas and Mary Rita Valentine Charitable Fund for the Elk County Catholic School System is one of 110 different funds the ECCF manages. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the Foundation’s Executive Director, Paula Fritz Eddy at 814-834-2125 or emailing eccf@windstream.net. More information can also be found at www.elkcountyfoundation.com.

Pictured from left to right are Tom Fledderman, Sam MacDonald, Paula Fritz Eddy, and Tom Wagner

Johnsonburg Area School Districts receive Funding

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Johnsonburg Area School Districts receive Funding

Over $17,000 was distributed to Johnsonburg School Districts from the Elk County Community Foundation. As an approved Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) partner the Foundation receives donations from qualified business to provide innovative educational programing with in the public schools k-12 school.

This year Johnsonburg School District replaced a computer cart with laptops and upgraded the wireless service at their Elementary school. The EITC donations for innovative technology, like this, are administered and distributed through the Foundation, which has been designated to serve as an Educational Improvement Organization by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Recently representatives from the Community Foundation and Northwest Savings Bank, one of this year’s EITC contributors, visited Johnsonburg Elementary school to check out the new laptops and cart. 6th grade students were eager to share some of the stories and projects they have been working on with the new laptops. One of the programs they use is “Study Island” which provides a lesson or video that the students are then tested on to see how much they retained. Another program, the students really seemed to like was called “Throw the Teacher” and it dealt mostly with math skills like multiplication and division. All in all, the students love using the laptops, each student has an assigned number for the computer they use and the privilege of using the laptops is reserved for the 6th graders and the cart house in the 6th grade wing of the school. Other grades levels need to move to one of the computer lab rooms to have access to multiple computers.

Other companies that contributed to the programs this year were: Farmers National Bank, EQT Production Co.; Highmark Casualty Insurance Company, Synder Trucking Company; Advantage Sales Co., Susquehanna Wire Rope and Rigging and PNC Bank. Any entity can be authorized to conduct business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and subject to certain taxes is eligible to apply to be involved with the EITC program. Tax credits are limited to 75% of the business’ contribution with a maximum of $750,000 annually. If a business agrees to make the same contribution for two consecutive years, it may receive a tax credit equal to 90% of its contribution. Interested participants must submit a brief application to the DCED. The application can be found at www.inventpa.com. The foundation also has applications and further information available to assist with the business application process.

Pictured standing behind a group of Johnsonburg Elementary 6th grade students from left to right are: Charlie Constable, Elk County Community Foundation Board member along with Angie Leader and Christina Tigani, representing North West Savings Bank