by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Aug 11, 2021 | CFFC News, Grants, News Releases
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) recently awarded seven charities a total of $41,400.
In 2020, the Strawberry Patch Fund was created through an estate gift. This Donor Designated Fund will support the following charities in perpetuity: Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County; Domestic Violence Services of SWPA; Fayette Friends of Animals; Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Fayette, Inc.; Mount Macrina Manor; St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School; and Uniontown Public Library.
“Making a legacy gift to CFFC reflects a donor’s ongoing commitment to the charities and causes they care about the most. We are honored to carry out the wishes of donors in this way,” said Renee M. Couser, Executive Director of CFFC.
Left to right: Carol Ashton, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Fayette, Inc.; Andrea Hibbs, Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County; Lisa Hannum, Domestic Violence Services of SWPA; Christine Roskovensky, St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School; Lori Coffman, Fayette Friends of Animals; Linda Evans, Uniontown Public Library; not pictured Mount Macrina Manor.
Andrea Hibbs, Executive Director of Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County, said, “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of this donor and grateful for this annual award. Crime Victims’ Center is using some of the funds to support our 24-hour crisis hotline service, and we also plan to provide additional outreach for our underserved/unserved areas of Fayette County with this funding.”
Lori Coffman, Board President of Fayette Friends of Animals, said, “Fayette Friends of Animals is eternally grateful for every donation we receive since our operational expenses are paid for in large part by donations from animal lovers within our community. Gifts like the annual grant from the Strawberry Patch Fund will be hugely beneficial with the upkeep of our aging building.”
Contact Renee Couser at 724-437-8600 x1 to learn more about how you can make a lasting impact through philanthropy.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jun 21, 2021 | CFFC News, News Releases, Scholarships
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) will award over $160,000 in post-secondary scholarships for the 2021-2022 school year. Congratulations to the selected students!
Watch the scholarship award slideshow here! (also posted on our Facebook page)
Scholarship funds are created in honor or memory of a loved one, to support certain career paths, or to simply give back to the community. Generous donors who create and support these funds make it possible to award a wide selection of students each school year. Each scholarship has unique criteria, including qualifications related to academic achievement, community service, financial need, extracurricular participation, area of study, or school preference.
“The CFFC Board of Directors would like to applaud all of the 2021-2022 scholarship recipients for their hard-earned accomplishments and achievements. We look forward to seeing how these students progress in their education, professions, and as members of the Fayette County community. We also want to thank the volunteers of the CFFC Scholarship Committee who reviewed hundreds of applications to select this year’s winners,” said Angela Braun, CFFC Scholarship Committee Chair.
CFFC hosted a “Snap & Go” Ice Cream Social for the scholarship recipients on May 25 at Hatfield Elementary School’s covered patio. Students “snapped” pictures to commemorate their accomplishment and took an ice cream treat “to go”.
Through the CFFC’s partnership with the Pennsylvania Access to Higher Education Program, qualifying students will have the opportunity to have their scholarship awards matched by the state.
Please visit the website at www.cffayettepa.org and follow CFFC on social media @cffayettepa to stay updated with the scholarship program and much more.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jun 7, 2021 | Building a Stronger Fayette
If you know the names Hoover, Roxie, Mittens, and Cricket, then chances are you’ve recently looked into the animals available for adoption at Fayette Friends of Animals (FFOA). This no-kill shelter provides temporary shelter to stray, abandoned, or surrendered animals with a goal of finding permanent homes. Their community support was showcased during Fayette Gives 2020, a “day of giving” hosted by CFFC to support local charities. FFOA placed second on the leaderboard for number of donors.
Photos of animals available for adoption from the Fayette Friends of Animals website
“Fayette Gives supplemented a large portion of what we could not generate through normal fundraising events in 2020 due to covid-19,” said Dakota Bocan, FFOA Marketing and Programming Director. FFOA used this opportunity to raise money, share their mission, and engage with their passionate donors.
“Luckily, people turned to animals for comfort and companionship during the pandemic, so we were still able to find fur-ever homes for the dogs and cats in our care,” said Bocan as she explained that the need to care for animals is a consistent one. “We are forever grateful to our amazing community for still remaining so active even with the new health and safety procedures in place,” Bocan added.
Photo of Marge Dugan and Mollie Wilcosky with the Fayette Gives check
Alongside their pet adoption services, FFOA focuses on educating the public about spaying and neutering animals to ease the problem of pet overpopulation. They listed this in their Fayette Gives profile on the website, which is displayed when you click on a charity’s name before donation.
FFOA is already registered and listed on the website for Fayette Gives 2021, which will take place on November 16. Bocan said, “Fayette Friends of Animals is looking to get even more engagement this upcoming year, since our community base is continuously growing. We cannot wait to see what this year brings!”
#BuildingAStrongerFayette
#FayetteGives
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | May 14, 2021 | CFFC News, Grants, News Releases
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) awarded over $22,000 in Spring 2021 grants to nonprofits that address a variety of causes in Fayette County.
Building a Stronger Fayette General Grantmaking awards support Arts and Culture, Education, Community and Economic Development, Health and Human Services, and other areas of interest. The following nonprofits received grant awards: Alternatives.Yes Pregnancy Support Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region, Christian Layman Corps., East End United Community Center, German-Masontown Public Library, State Theatre Center for the Arts, Historic Church of St. Peter, Jacobs Creek Watershed Association, and Uniontown Public Library.
The Burchinal Family Endowment Fund supports nonprofits that provide health and medical care for Fayette County residents. Fayette Emergency Medical Service and Redstone Foundation, on behalf of McClellandtown Volunteer Fire Company, were awarded funding.
The Jack and Diane Hughes Family Fund supports projects/programs related to community gardens and/or science/environmental education. Albert Gallatin Human Services/Masontown Senior Center, City Mission- Living Stones, Inc., and Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc. were awarded funding.
The Mary and John J. Depcrymski Memorial Fund supports nonprofits that provide transportation for Fayette County senior citizens. LaFayette Manor Inc. was awarded funding.
CFFC will also award $5,000 in Emergency Relief Fund grants to local health and human service organizations.
“As a community foundation, CFFC has a unique ability to address multiple categories of community need. We were happy to travel around the county to hand-deliver grant checks to nonprofits for this Spring 2021 grant cycle and hear about their projects and programs that impact Fayette County in a variety of ways,” said Renee Couser, CFFC Executive Director.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Apr 13, 2021 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Many people are familiar with the one-to-one mentoring program Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Laurel Region branch provides those programs right here in Fayette County to help youth achieve their full potential. To support their local work, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region (BBBSLR) participated in Fayette Gives 2020 and placed in the top five charities for amount fundraised.
“Fayette Gives allowed for donors to find which missions were most inspiring to them and which ones lined up with their goals and beliefs,” said Stephanie Babich Mihleder, BBBSLR Executive Director. She noted that the “day of giving” was beneficial in increasing awareness of local charities and helping donors make a bigger impact with the bonus pool enhancement (thanks to the generous Fayette Gives sponsors).
Aubrey Marquis, Mentoring Coordinator and Stephanie Babich Mihleder, Executive Director
Like many charities during the covid-19 pandemic, BBBSLR had to cancel fundraising events and adjust their programming. Safety precautions affected the way that mentors (Bigs) and children (Littles) could meet, especially during school closures or limited access to facilities. “Our Bigs have stepped up and many of them are doing weekly tutoring and even Read to Succeed sessions over video chat,” said Mihleder.
BBBSLR Bigs and Littles
During a challenging year of new school guidelines and limited socialization for children, mentors were a source of support and encouragement. Mentors are volunteers who are vetted and strategically matched with children based on specific qualities or interests, and BBBSLR is always happy to welcome more.
BBBSLR is already registered for Fayette Gives 2021, which will take place on November 16. This will be another opportunity for them to rally their supporters around one special day to support the charity and share their mission. Charities can learn more and register now at http://www.fayettegives.org, and businesses who wish to become a sponsor can download the 2021 Sponsorship Form.
#FayetteGives