by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jan 16, 2025 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Photo courtesy of Mary House, Inc. – Sister Edie Strong (Financial Advisor), Malory Spring MSW (Director), Robin Kemp (Administrative Assistant) and Sister Annette Frey (Community Builder)
“The extra grants we have received in the last two years have made such a difference to our staff and to the women we serve. To have up-to-date equipment these days is such a necessity and can make us so much more productive!” said Sr. Annette Frey.
Sr. Annette Frey is referring to capacity building grants that the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) awarded to Mary House, Inc. from the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund. Mary House, Inc. purchased a variety of computer equipment with the grants.
Photo courtesy of Mary House, Inc.
Mary House, Inc. provides a transitional residence for women who are homeless, have limited needs, or may struggle with mental health or substance use. The nonprofit was started with the collaboration of Roy Sarver, from Saint Vincent de Paul, and Father Bill Kiel and the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. Now, eight years after the initial opening of Mary House, the staff has grown and continues to provide a safe and secure environment to help the women through recovery and towards independence.
The foundation’s 2023 grant lined up well with the hiring of their administrative assistant, providing a computer for her, and the 2024 change in leadership from Sr. Annette to Malory Spring as the director.
“Computer equipment and systems are a ‘must’ for the day-to-day operations of an organization, so the foundation was happy to award these grants to strengthen Mary House’s capacity to do the good work that they do,” said Renee M. Couser, CFFC Executive Director.
The equipment is also used by the residents. “Our residents are very happy with their ability to use an up-to-date computer for all the forms they must fill out as well as attend AA/NA meetings by zoom when unable to find a ride to their daily meeting,” explained Sr. Annette.
Aside from grant awards, Mary House, Inc. is involved with CFFC through their five-year participation in Fayette Gives. They have fundraised over $93,000 through the “day of giving”.
CFFC is happy to support nonprofits like Mary House, Inc. through various efforts, thanks to the generosity of everyone who joins in charitable giving.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Oct 7, 2024 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Photo courtesy of DVSSP from their Board Training
Around each corner was a touch of purple and a smiling face during a site visit to Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA (DVSSP). Their signature purple color raises awareness of domestic violence, and their team provides safe housing, counseling, legal advocacy, and other critical services to those who are abused or being threatened with abuse. To support their impact in the community, the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) has awarded DVSSP two capacity building grants from the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund.
In 2023, the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund grant provided a half-day training for board members and a six-session training for the soon-to-be CEO. At the time of the grant, DVSSP was preparing for a transition of CEOs and was looking to provide additional education that would “position the organization for future growth and maturity”.
Megan Hegedus started her role as CEO in 2024, and her training was developed specifically for new or emerging Executive Directors and CEOs, addressing the various elements of being a nonprofit CEO. She explained that Nonprofit Sidekick, the facilitator of the trainings, also helped board members identify their strengths and how to use them to best support DVSSP’s work.
DVSSP staff members
In 2024, DVSSP was awarded a capacity building grant to update the office computers at their Fayette County Safe House. “It becomes problematic when we are trying to enter reporting information or complete time-sensitive tasks, and our outdated computers are running so slow that staff struggle to access the programs they need,” said Hegedus.
“The stronger our local nonprofits are, the stronger our entire community will be. CFFC is happy to provide funding for tools and resources that will help,” said Renee M. Couser, CFFC Executive Director.
Aside from competitive grant awards, DVSSP receives annual grants from CFFC’s Strawberry Patch Fund, a fund that was created through an estate gift to support designated charities in perpetuity. This endowment has granted over $21,000 to DVSSP through yearly distributions.
DVSSP is headquartered in Brownsville and serves Fayette, Greene, and Washington Counties. To raise money for their services to Fayette County, they have participated in Fayette Gives for the past fours years and have raised over $10,000.
CFFC is happy to support local nonprofits like DVSSP through various philanthropic efforts, thanks to the many people who join in charitable giving.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Aug 4, 2023 | CFFC News
The Community Foundation of Fayette County is hosting an Executive Director Bootcamp for Executive Directors of Fayette County and Greene County nonprofits. The registration fee is $100 per person. Lunch will be provided. Register here; payment instructions to follow.
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Fay-Penn Economic Development Council
1st Floor FNB Business Event Center
1040 Eberly Way
Lemont Furnace, PA 15456
The Executive Director Bootcamp is a full-day interactive training program developed by Nonprofit SideKick! that equips emerging, new, and experienced nonprofit leaders with the tools, knowledge, and methods to build community, increase donations, expand program impact, and improve relationships with the board, volunteers, and staff. It is a nuts and bolts training program that provides a foundation of knowledge and skills that every nonprofit leader needs in order to get on that path to more dollars and higher impact with way less stress. Learn about Nonprofit SideKick!
Course Outline:
- The Unique Balancing Act of Nonprofit Leadership
- The Importance of Governance and Board Relations
- How to Grow Your Community with Marketing and Fundraising
- Nonprofit Finance and Risk Management Basics
- How to Leverage the Bootcamp into Action
*After the full-day training, Nonprofit SideKick! will host three online huddles for the participants ($500 value). The huddles will be one hour of peer support and group coaching.
*Each attendee will also receive a complimentary one year membership ($125 value) in the Nonprofit SideKick! online community that includes weekly coaching sessions, an online book club, and other learning opportunities, as well as a community of peers to help leaders see that they are not alone.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Apr 18, 2023 | Building a Stronger Fayette
Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) purchased materials for a newly developed Equipment Resource Library with funding from the Jack and Diane Hughes Family Fund, held at the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC). “With the generous support of this grant, MWA is able to provide supplies and equipment for outdoor education and recreation within the Youghiogheny River watershed,” said Hannah Spencer, Program Development Manager.
MWA purchased items to create eight themed “activity backpacks” that contain a story book, guided activities, writing supplies, and other educational supplies based on four themes: winter ecology, trees, bugs, and nature fun. Each theme has a backpack with activities focused on ages 3 to 6, as well as a backpack with activities for ages 6 and up.
They also purchased detailed trail maps of the Laurel Highlands, field guides, binoculars for both adults and youth, and educational curriculum books for various environmental education topics. These materials and the activity backpacks are available to loan out, free of charge, as part of MWA’s Equipment Resource Library. They welcome local residents, visitors to the Laurel Highlands, and educators in the area to utilize these resources as part of their efforts for ecology education and outreach.
“We hosted one community workshop and participated in two well-attended community events with the resource library materials purchased through this grant,” explained Spencer, while sharing plans to continue promoting the Equipment Resource Library as a valuable asset to environmental education.
MWA’s mission is to protect, preserve, and restore the Youghiogheny River watershed and its broader communities through conservation, recreation, education, and advocacy. CFFC is happy to support their mission through philanthropy.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Nov 17, 2022 | CFFC News, Fayette Gives
The Community Foundation of Fayette County hosted the third annual Fayette Gives on Thursday, November 10, 2022. The preliminary total is $575,541, and we thank everyone who helped make this “day of giving” such a success! Your generosity will make an impact for Fayette County charities and the community as a whole. Preliminary results are displayed at www.fayettegives.org, but the summary and leaderboards do not include bonus pool dollars. Stay tuned for final numbers in the coming weeks, and thank you for joining us in building a stronger Fayette!
