by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Aug 3, 2026 | CFFC News
Photo courtesy of Mr. Arnold with Laurel Highlands School District
Last fall, three donor advised funds at the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) awarded over $25,000 to support education at Fayette County schools. CFFC is now accepting grant requests for the 2026-2027 school year, inviting teachers and administrators to apply online by September 15 at 5:00 p.m.
As donor advised funds, the fund creators of the Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund, Idea Fund, and Patricia and Robert Metz Educational Fund have ongoing involvement with how the funds’ charitable dollars support the community. “The lasting impact of these three funds speaks to the fund creators’ deep belief in the power of education,” said CFFC Chief Executive Officer Jessica Hajek-Bates. “We are grateful to see their passion continue to open doors for students and educators through this year’s fall grant cycle.”
The Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund is accepting grant requests from $750 up to $10,000 for reusable education items to enhance the classroom. Any teacher, school counselor, or administrator in the Laurel Highlands School District or Uniontown Area School District is encouraged to apply.
The Idea Fund was created by a donor who strives to help teachers to achieve a level of creativity in the classroom that allows all students to succeed. All school districts in Fayette County are eligible to apply for an Idea Fund grant in the amount of $2,500.
The Patricia and Robert Metz Educational Fund is accepting grant requests from Uniontown Area School District’s middle schools or high school to enhance STEM teaching and learning. An award of $500 is intended to support teacher or student activities or the purchase of classroom materials.
With last year’s grant award, elementary STEM teacher Daniel Arnold purchased robotics and STEM kits with computer-controlled motors, sensors, and lights. “This project is impacting roughly 300 students in 16 classes at our elementary schools in the Laurel Highlands School District. The students can build over 30 activated models and, in the future, can engineer their own designs,” said Arnold.
“We look forward to helping our donors support more amazing projects like this!” said Hajek-Bates. More details about the criteria and how to apply can be found on the “Nonprofits” page at www.cffayettepa.org.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Sep 12, 2024 | Building a Stronger Fayette
“Over the years, I’ve learned that students learn best when they are having fun and completely involved and engaged in their learning,” said Michelle Mowry, Kindergarten Teacher. Mowry teaches at Bullskin Elementary, part of Connellsville Area School District. In 2023, the school was awarded a grant from the Idea Fund, held at the Community Foundation of Fayette County, to enhance Mowry’s classroom.
The grant provided funds for felt story boards, puppets, and building blocks for hands-on learning experiences. Mowry quoted students saying “This is the best ever!” and “It’s real life Minecraft!” (in reference to the materials to build structures).
Donor advised funds, like the Idea Fund, provide flexibility and ongoing involvement for the donor to support charitable causes. As part of the foundation’s fall grant cycle, the Idea Fund accepts applications from all school districts in Fayette County to help teachers achieve a level of creativity in the classroom that allows students of all learning styles to thrive. Particular attention is paid to applicants who demonstrate that the funds will be used to address the needs of students in the classroom who may not be top grade earners, can show the sustainability of the program, and are willing to go beyond traditional teaching styles to reach students.
If you would like to learn more about how you can support causes close to your heart, contact the Community Foundation of Fayette County at 724-437-8600.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Apr 12, 2022 | Building a Stronger Fayette, Grants
Renee Couser, CFFC Executive Director; Randy Miller, LHSD Director of Curriculum & Instruction; Dr. Jesse Wallace III, LHSD Superintendent
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) awarded $12,855 to Laurel Highlands School District (LHSD) from the Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund in 2021. Teachers submitted requests to purchase reusable items to enhance their classrooms, and five projects were selected for grant awards.
April marks World Autism Month, and two of the awarded projects provided items to support students with autism throughout the whole year, and for years to come. With a grant for their autistic support/life skills sensory room, Marshall Elementary purchased a bubble fountain, light projections, chairs and cushions that enable movement for students, and more. “A sensory room helps students to develop their visual, auditory, and tactile processing as well as fine and gross motor skills,” explained Patricia Spurlin, an autistic support teacher at Marshall Elementary.
A student in motion in the sensory room (submitted by Patricia Spurlin)
“In the past six years, I’ve raised over $8,000 for our sensory room,” said Spurlin. She has run t-shirt drives and “penny wars”, a competition between homerooms to collect pennies in a jar for prizes – but these fundraisers were paused during the pandemic the past two years. An additional sensory room was added at Marshall Elementary, and the reusable items purchased through this grant will also benefit students who use the space for physical therapy and occupational therapy sessions. “Sensory rooms help to teach students with autism and other behavioral deficits to challenge their bodies in a way that helps them achieve success in the classroom. These students all deserve a chance to be independent, self-functioning members of our school population, and improving our sensory room is a great tool to help us help them succeed in that goal!” said Spurlin.
Hutchinson Elementary received a grant to purchase items like sensory water beads, activity books, an alphabet puzzle, and a squeeze and scoop ice cream set – all activities to help students with fine motor skills and sensory input. “In the past couple of years, the [Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund] grants have changed the lives of so many of my students and enhanced and improved my classroom beyond belief,” said Tia Wadworth, an autistic support teacher at Hutchinson Elementary.
LHMS reading teachers Kara Hixson and Jill John at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Inchy the Bookworm
CFFC’s Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund also enabled the purchase of a creative reading-related item at Laurel Highlands Middle School – Inchy the Bookworm. This book vending machine is part of the school’s PRIDE program (Positive, Respectful, Integrity, Discipline, Excellence). Students earn golden coins for their positive behaviors and can use their coins to select books from the vending machine. “We look forward to an increase in reading and positive behaviors in the near future. Inchy the Bookworm Vending Machine will be an asset to Laurel Highlands Middle School for years to come,” said Jill John, a reading teacher at LHMS.
Students using the flight simulator (submitted by MSgt. Daniel Cervone)
Turning to STEM education, Laurel Highlands Senior High School received a grant for a flight simulator for their Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program (AF JROTC). The simulator allows them to “fly” indoors when they are unable to use their drone outside, and it creates the effects of weather during takeoff, in flight, and landings. The flight simulator also shows different emergency situations and how the pilot must react quickly and calmly. “Since placing the simulator into our classroom, the students have been able to fly multiple aircrafts and see how they are all the same, but different at the same time…. Overall the students have definitely become more interested in our flight simulator/drone/rocket program,” said Master Sergeant Daniel Cervone.
Joy Frederick, a 4th grade math, science, and social studies teacher at Marshall Elementary, used grant funds for a variety of educational games. “I love how games excite a student to learn, and how they think they are playing but they are learning,” said Frederick. Purchased items include math flash cards, multiplication dominoes, states geography board game, a time-telling clock, and more to support the Common Core Standards she teaches.
CFFC is proud to support a variety of educational topics, and the Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund is a great example building a stronger Fayette through charitable giving. “We created this annual grant program to help bring innovative and interesting new teaching tools into the classrooms at Laurel Highlands and Uniontown schools,” said Ron Gabriel, creator of the Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Legacy Fund. Teachers, school counselors, and administrators at Laurel Highlands School District and Uniontown Area School District are encouraged to apply for this funding opportunity during CFFC’s annual fall grant cycle.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Apr 1, 2019 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Both the Community Foundation of Fayette County and the Chevron Community Fund awarded the Uniontown Public Library with spring 2018 grants for the Summer Quest Program. The “Libraries Rock” theme set the tone for the program which ran from June until early August. Grouped by their ability to read on their own or not, children were given reading and activity logs to earn points for prizes.
The Summer Quest Program was available to all children up to age 14 without cost, and parents were included for activities. Dianne McFeaters, the Children’s Librarian who has been at the library for 15 years, personalizes the program each year. In addition to reading incentives, there was a treasure hunt, art contest, math contest and make-and-take craft table. The Uniontown Public Library also included STEM-related activities for the first time in 2018, including 3-D printing, astronomy, robotics, botany and acoustics.
Special Thursday Programs included visits from the Carnegie Science Center, The National Aviary, the Pittsburgh Zoo and the WQED Inquire Within program. Children learned about first aid kits, wildlife noises, seeds and more. The Children’s Scholastic Book Fair was held the last two weeks of the program, and 177 children received a $10 certificate as a prize to spend on books.
Christy Fusco, Library Director, expressed the value of involving the family with educational activities to help children explore their interests and help parents discover new ways to extend learning experiences at home. Beyond childhood, the library provides a middle school reading competition, public access computers, educational online courses, digital literacy information and more.
2019 is the Uniontown Public Library’s 90th anniversary. To learn more about the Uniontown Public Library, visit their website at uniontownlib.org. All photos were provided by the Uniontown Public Library.