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!”
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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.
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by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Apr 13, 2021 | CFFC News, Grants, News Releases
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) received a $15,000 gift from the EQT Foundation for the Building a Stronger Fayette Endowment. This endowment was created in 2020 to support CFFC’s general grantmaking program.
The Building a Stronger Fayette Endowment is an important part of the CFFC’s annual competitive grantmaking, accepting grant requests from nonprofits for the following funding priorities: arts and culture; education; community and economic development; health and human services.
Left to right: Renee Couser – CFFC Executive Director; Joy G. Huston – CFFC Grantmaking Committee Chair; Ellen Rossi – EQT Foundation President
The EQT Foundation’s generous donation to the Building a Stronger Fayette Endowment will have a direct impact on local nonprofits and, in turn, the Fayette County residents they serve. Established in 2003, the EQT Foundation is a dedicated resource for financial, in-kind, and volunteer support for communities touched by EQT’s business. They prioritize the following categories for their funding: community enrichment; education and workforce; environment.
“We value meaningful engagement with the communities where EQT operates. Fayette County is one of those important communities, so the EQT Foundation is happy to support the CFFC’s Building a Stronger Fayette Endowment,” said Ellen Rossi, President of the EQT Foundation.
The Building a Stronger Fayette Endowment will help Fayette County in a variety of ways for years to come. “This endowment was created to support our nonprofit community in perpetuity, and will award grants each year. The promise of lasting impact, and the CFFC’s ability to support a variety of causes, makes this a unique opportunity to continue ‘building a stronger Fayette’,” said Renee Couser, Executive Director of CFFC.
The entire community can help ‘build a stronger Fayette’ by making a donation to the Building a Stronger Fayette Endowment. Checks can be made payable to CFFC and mailed to 5 South Mt. Vernon Avenue, Uniontown, PA 15401. Please write BASF on the memo line. Online donations can also be made at www.cffayettepa.org. If you have any questions on how CFFC can assist you with your charitable giving, please call 724-437-8000 x1.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Feb 19, 2021 | Building a Stronger Fayette
The CFFC’s Burchinal Family Endowment Fund focuses on health and medical care. Throughout the covid-19 pandemic, our need for front line workers who provide those services has been strongly reaffirmed.
Fayette Emergency Medical Services (Fayette EMS) is one of the local organizations who has put themselves at risk, worked extra hours, and continued to respond to calls day in and day out. They were awarded a $6,000 grant from the Burchinal Family Endowment Fund in 2020 to support general operations.
“While this has been an exceptionally challenging year for Fayette EMS, we are extremely proud of the continuous level of care we have been able to provide to the residents of Fayette County during the covid-19 pandemic,” stated Beth Burd, Director of Finance & HR Coordinator.
The grant application provides the option to request funding for a project/program or for operating support. Requests to support operations were popular in 2020, especially since the pandemic affected organizations’ typical programming, decreased revenue as a result of cancelled fundraisers, and added costs for personal protective equipment and sanitization.
“We are grateful to have been awarded the 2020 Burchinal grant to help us with the costs of PPE and other supplies needed to keep our staff safe and healthy so we can better serve our community, as well as the generous mask donations through the CFFC Mask Initiative,” added Burd. The CFFC has provided a total of 12,000 masks to Fayette EMS, and Mask Initiative requests are still being accepted on a rolling basis at www.cffayettepa.org.
Thank you to all first response and healthcare organizations who continue to serve the Fayette County community. We invite you to visit www.cffayettepa.org to review eligibility and apply for the 2021 Burchinal Family Endowment Fund.