by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Mar 28, 2023 | Building a Stronger Fayette
The Community Foundation of Fayette County’s Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund awarded a grant to Hatfield Elementary School for a book vending machine. CFFC was happy to join students, faculty, and PTO members at the ribbon cutting on March 10, 2023. Students used tokens to select the first books from the vending machine.
“Students will have the opportunity to earn vending tokens based on the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program. Now, all Hatfield students will have the opportunity to grow their own personal libraries, foster a love of reading, and improve test scores.” – Heidi Mears, Principal
The Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund awards grants for the puchase of reusable items to enhance classrooms, both for Laurel Highlands School District and Uniontown Area School District.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Mar 17, 2023 | CFFC News
The foundation created the Educate Fayette Scholarship Fund to award scholarships to students pursuing higher education. Donors who wish to support post-secondary students can contribute to this fund, as an alternative to creating a named scholarship fund. Donors will be recognized as Silver ($100 – $4,999), Gold ($5,000 – $14,999), and Platinum ($15,000 +) Sponsors.
You can donate by check or online through CFFC’s PayPal donation portal. If you have questions, please contact Renee M. Couser, CFFC Executive Director, at 724-437-8600 x1.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Mar 17, 2023 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Students in the Brownsville Area, Laurel Highlands, and Uniontown Area School Districts benefited from a $12,000 grant for the STEM and Computer Science Initiative. The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) partners with Penn State Extension’s Fayette County 4-H for this initiative, led by 4-H Educator Jennifer Deichert. The foundation’s grant was used for the 2022 Race Day workshop and competition, where students learned how to program robots to navigate a bowtie-shaped race track and play table-top dodgeball.
A group of students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade participated in Race Day. SPIKE™ Prime sets were provided for students to use drag-and-drop coding language to maneuver their robots around the race track and dodgeball table. Each set includes a programmable Hub with built-in gyro to determine direction, three sensors (distance, force, and color), one large motor, two medium motors, wheels, and over 500 LEGO® Technic™ elements.
“Teams modified their robot’s design and used a variety of the programming skills acquired throughout the school workshop to upgrade their robot’s performance,” explained Deichert.
Members of the 4-H Robotics Club served as teen leaders to share their knowledge in robot design and programming. These particular students are members of FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Team #16011. They compete with other FTC teams in the state, and they design and manage robotics workshops and competitions for Fayette County youth.
CFFC awarded an additional grant of $26,665 to Albert Gallatin Area, Brownsville Area, Frazier, Laurel Highlands, and Uniontown Area School Districts for the STEM and Computer Science Initiative to continue the program in 2023.
This grant opportunity is made possible through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED) Educational Improvement Organization (EIO) Program. Eligible businesses are encouraged to participate in this tax credit program. More information can be found at https://dced.pa.gov.
“This is a special program that incentivizes businesses to support education through philanthropy. CFFC is an approved EIO Organization and we’re grateful to award grants for exciting learning opportunities like the STEM and Computer Science Initiative,” said Renee M. Couser, CFFC Executive Director.
Watch the video!
*All photos included in this feature were submitted by Penn State Extension’s Fayette County 4-H.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jun 16, 2022 | CFFC News, Scholarships
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) is awarding over $195,000 in post-secondary scholarships to local students. “On behalf of the CFFC Board of Directors, congratulations to the scholarship recipients! We wish you well as you continue your education and contribute to the future of Fayette County,” said Angela Braun, CFFC Scholarship Committee Chair.
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. CFFC works with donors to determine criteria for each scholarship fund, including qualifications related to academic achievement, community service, financial need, extracurricular participation, area of study, or school preference.
CFFC extends thanks to the generous donors who support students through these funds, the guidance counselors who help promote these opportunities to students, and the volunteer CFFC Scholarship Committee members who review hundreds of applications to recommend selections.
Through the CFFC’s partnership with the Pennsylvania Access to Higher Education Program, qualifying students may have their scholarship awards matched by the state.
Visit www.cffayettepa.org and follow @cffayettepa on social media for more information.
Scroll down for a full list of awards, sorted by scholarship fund.
CFFC visited Albert Gallatin, Uniontown, Connellsville, and Laurel Highlands High Schools to congratulate the senior scholarship recipients. Students from Geibel Catholic, Frazier, Charleroi, and Brownsville High Schools also received scholarships, in addition to current post-secondary students from various institutions.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jun 13, 2022 | CFFC News, Grants
The Sturge Hughes Memorial Fund, held at the Community Foundation of Fayette County, granted $2,000 to Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center (CACTC) for their masonry and carpentry programs. Regina Hughes created the fund to honor the memory of her husband and to support local students pursuing the trades. Graduating seniors from CACTC’s masonry and carpentry programs were recognized at a memorial luncheon in May.
Jeff Butela, Jerry Matthews, Renee Couser, Jeff Puskar, and Ryan Butela
graduating seniors from CACTC’s masonry and carpentry programs