Elk County Community Foundation Grants $1,000,000 over the past 10 years!

/in /by

Recently, Elk County Community Foundation reported that the grant given to the Ridgway Volunteer Fire Department for the purchase of their new tanker’s equipment marked the $1 millionth dollar granted since the Foundation was established 10 year ago. The Ridgway Firemen plan to help host an Open House commemorating the Foundation’s Anniversary. The event will take place at the Central Hose Company on 30 North Broad St., March 24th from 6 to 8 pm. A short presentation will take place at 7 pm. This event is open to the public!

During the 1990’s a group of business and civic leaders worked together to explore and discuss establishing a Community Foundation in the Elk County Area. After thorough research it was determined to establish a Community Foundation. The Foundation was organized in 1999, and a year later was incorporated and classified as a non-profit organization. At the time Bill Conrad of Stackpole-Hall Foundation described the Elk County Community Foundation as something that “provides individuals with an opportunity to financially provide for charitable and community organizations that they believe in and want to see endure in the long term.” Also at the time of inception the founding President of the Foundation was Richard Masson who described the foundation as a “chance for an individual to see their charitable intentions carried on from generation to generation”.

The Elk County Community Foundation connects people who care with causes that matter. For the Fire Department the person who cared about them was Sara-Jane Stackpole who, in her estate plans, designated dollars to the Elk County Community Foundation to be use for the special needs of the Ridgway Volunteer Fire Department. This is just one of 68 permanent charitable funds the Foundation manages that improve the quality of life in Elk and surrounding counties. Revenues from these funds provide grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations and students, just as the donor intended.

The Foundation is growing with each passing year, and it will continue to help generation after generation. Meanwhile, the Foundation continues to enable individuals to achieve their philanthropic goals intelligently, creatively and effectively. If you have question or want to be a part of the future of our area, contact Paula Fritz Eddy at 814-834-2125 or www.elkcountyfoundation.com.

Women Who Care committed to philanthropy, community

/in /by

The newly formed Women Who Care organization is hoping to strengthen the community by educating, encouraging and expanding the number of women committed to philanthropy by providing funds and assistance to issues important to families.

The organization was established in January as a project of the Elk County Community Foundation.

“We thought a Women’s Giving Circle would be a good fit. One of the reasons we chose women was because we knew there were many women who have made a difference in the community through their philanthropy but have not always been recognized for their works,” said Paula Fritz Eddy, executive director of the Foundation.

Various local charitable organizations stand to benefit from the group which plans to award grants for a range of projects.

Eddy explained such targeted projects may include those new to a non-profit organization or the expansion of an existing program which benefits women and families.

Possible funding project examples range from a new program established at the Boys and Girls Club or YMCA, new furniture or appliance at a CAPSEA shelter or at Oakwood Manor, a special class for women re-entering the workforce through the CEC or new equipment for the hospital’s maternity or pediatric department.

The WWC Fund program breakdown consists of 85 percent of funds collected will be granted each year to a 501C3 non-profit organization, 10 percent of funds will be deposited in an endowment and five percent will be used for administration purposes. All funds will be maintained by the Elk County Community Foundation.

The endowment aspect of the fund will build over the years to create a fund for ongoing and future grants.

Any woman donating to the WWC fund is considered a member. Those contributing $100 for two consecutive years, by Dec. 31 will be considered a founding member of the group.

Annual membership costs are broken down into varying donations; $100 as a daisy member, $250 as a carnation member, $500 as a lily member or $1,000 as a rose member.

A kickoff event for the group which is open to the public is planned for October 8 at the St. Marys Country Club from 7 to 9 p.m. The “Fall Dessert Fondue” will include an art auction with donations from local artists and a musical performance by Jennifer Stackpole.
Eddy explained nearly 400 invitations are being sent out to area women, however anyone wishing to attend is welcome and encouraged.
Women Who Care came to fruition as Eddy and Gwen Auman of Elk Regional Health Center brainstormed on the idea to form the group.
“Gwen saw the needs of women and family health issues from the hospital aspect and myself from a broader prospective of community need,” Eddy explained.

From there the pair identified women from each community who they thought would be interested in volunteering for the group, thus creating a steering committee. Members of the committee include Doris Stackpole, chairperson, Jane Bryndel, Jennifer Dippold, Barb Duffy, Carole Harshbarger, Kris Kronenwetter, June Sorg, Gwen Auman and Paula Fritz Eddy.
“We decided that ‘in spite’ of the economy, this type of group could be formed and could benefit women and families in our county and give back at a time when it is needed the most,” Eddy said.

Kelsey Lewis receives the Griener/Roof Memorial Law Scholarship.

/in /by

Kelsey is a 2005 graduate of Cameron County High School. She recently received her undergraduate degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is now pursuing a law degree at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. Kelsey is the daughter of Patrick and Andrea Lewis of Emporium. The Greiner/Roof Memorial Law Scholarship was created in memory of the Honorable Paul B. Greiner and the Honorable Vernon D. Roof, past President Judges of the 59th Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Judge Greiner served as President Judge from 1964 until 1986, after which he served as a senior judge until his death at age 83 in 1999. Judge Roof’s tenure on the bench was much shorter, as he served as President Judge from 1996 until 2002, when he died at age 51. Both Judge Greiner and Judge Roof were respected and renowned as fair and impartial jurists not only in Elk and Cameron Counties, but throughout the Commonwealth.
The Elk County Community Foundation recently awarded the Michele Campbell Memorial Nursing Scholarship to Charlotte Beimel of St. Marys. Charlotte is a non-traditional student and long time employee of the Elk Regional Health System. She is currently pursuing her RN degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Michele Campbell was a hard working and dedicated nursing student at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. As the number one student in her class, Michele was dedicated to helping others and learning to be the best nurse she could. Her parents Jim and Joyce Campbell established this scholarship in her memory.

Recently, the Joseph A. Williams Medical Scholarship was awarded to Renee Dallasen of St. Marys, by the Elk County Community Foundation. Renee is the daughter of Theodore and Janet Dallasen and is pursuing a degree from the University of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. She is a graduate of St. Marys Area High School. This scholarship was named for Joseph A. Williams who had worked in the lumber industry for over 67 years. Mr. Williams was always interested in civic matters and he held leadership positions with numerous community organizations including Andrew Kaul Memorial Hospital.

The Elk County Community Foundation recently awarded the Ruth E. Reed Memorial Nursing Scholarship to Jimmy Higgins, of St. Marys. Jimmy is the son of James and May Higgins and is pursuing a nursing degree from Penn State Behrend. Jimmy is a 2007 graduate of Elk County Catholic High School. This scholarship is named for Ruth Reed, who was a skilled and compassionate nurse with 47 years of care and service. Her husband and children established this scholarship to honor Ruth’s constant encouragement of others to continue their education throughout their careers.

These hard working students were selected from a pool of many worthy candidates to receive their respective scholarships. The Elk County Community Foundation has awarded 78 scholarships totaling over $62,725 to deserving students this spring. These four scholarships are the only ones that are awarded to students already enrolled in an accredited program at a post-secondary educational institution. All others are awarded to seniors graduating from local high schools. The Elk County Community Foundation is looking to expand their scholarship offerings to include more of these students already in college. If you are interested in establishing a named scholarship fund to support these students, contact the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) at 834-2125.

Northwest Savings Bank Presents Check to Elk County Community Foundation

/in /by

Recently Northwest Savings Bank presented a $10,000 check to the Elk County Community Foundation. First Commonwealth Bank, Snyder Trucking and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield gave an additional $13,650 combined. These funds will be included in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) which then will make grants available to area public schools to support innovative educational programs that do not fall within the typical academic program.

The funds for these innovative programs 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. In 2008, through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program and the Elk County Community Foundation, St. Marys, Johnsonburg and Ridgway Area School Districts were able to apply for grants for programming.

Ridgway Area School District purchased a Smartboard, computer and projector for a classroom along with training for the teachers. Johnsonburg School District will be sending Educators to the workplace this summer. Educators will be working with and in local businesses to help enhance their curriculum so students become more aware of what knowledge they need to enter the workforce in our community. Finally St. Marys School District purchased 10 projectors for the Middle school classrooms for the use of integrating technology, particularly the digital videos from Discover United Streaming.

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 percent of the business’ contribution with a maximum of $100,000 annually. If a business agrees to make the same contribution for two consecutive years, it may receive a tax credit equal to 90 percent 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.

Grant Give to St. Marys Public Library Summer Reading Program.

/in /by

Representatives of the Saint Marys Public Library and the Elk County Community Foundation met recently to review and give funding for the popular summer reading program held at the Library each summer. Nearly $900 came from two different Funds held a the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) to benefit the Library.

Some of the dollars distributed came from the St. Marys Public Library Endowment Fund which had been set up over 8 years ago by some local community leaders. The rest of the grant came from a fund set up for the Library when the Kiwanis Club disbanded. They put their left over treasury in a fund with the Foundation, for the St. Marys Public Library that was designated especially for Children’s Programming.

The St. Marys Public Library’s Summer Reading Program reached an all time high registration with 700 local children registering in 2008. The kids have a great time reading, participating in programs and activities, winning awards and prizes all summer long. This year’s theme is Be Creative @ Your Library, focusing on art and self expression.
The focus of the program is to ensure that children maintain their reading level during the summer when they are out of the classroom. Any child who completes the program by reading 10 books or 500 pages from June through August receives a free item from our Scholastic Book Fair held at the close of the program.

The annual Summer Reading Program has been especially successful in St. Marys, which is why it was such set-back when all funding was cut from the program in 2006. Prior to 2006, the program was completely funded with Family Literacy funds through the Even Start Program. When Even Start funding was cut, the library had to make a decision to either raise funds or stop having the Summer Reading Program. There was no question what had to be done.
Forging ahead, the Library turned to local businesses, organizations, and individuals for help in funding this worthwhile program which costs approximately $8,000 per year.

The community has rallied behind the library and made it possible to continue to not only hold the Summer Reading Program, but to watch it grow with more and more children registering every year. Every donor can rest assured that their contribution is going to the betterment of our community’s future.

The library has begun its annual fundraising drive for the Summer Reading Program. The library would appreciate donations from anyone who is interested in insuring the success of the 2009 Summer Reading Program. This year’s goal is to raise at least $5,000 to cover the majority of the cost.

Registration for Be Creative @ Your Library begins June 1st.

ECCF is a non profit organization that manages endowed funds established by donors for area non profit organizations as wells as administers a number of scholarships for individuals and groups. Donor gifts to the Foundations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.