by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Oct 26, 2022 | CFFC News, Grants
EQT Foundation awarded the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) a $15,000 grant for the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund. This fund is an endowment to support CFFC’s general grantmaking program in perpetuity. CFFC accepts applications for this fund in the spring grant cycle, evaluating requests from local nonprofits and strategically selecting grant awards.
The Building a Stronger Fayette Fund supports arts and culture; education; community and economic development; health and human services; and other areas of interest. In CFFC’s spring 2022 cycle, grants were awarded for a library program, household and hygiene items, musical productions, a junior firefighter boot camp, a program to provide beds to families, a free community lunch program, software, and a program to support grandparents as caretakers.
Ellen Rossi, EQT Foundation President; Renee Couser, CFFC Executive Director; Kaitlyn Magyar, EQT Corporation Public Relations Intern
EQT Foundation’s $15,000 grant will be added to the fund and will help strengthen CFFC’s general grantmaking program. “Working with local community foundations has been an essential part of our strategy to be engaged corporate citizens in the areas where EQT operates,” said Ellen Rossi, EQT Foundation President. “We are thankful for the partnership we have created through the CFFC’s Building a Stronger Fayette Fund to help nonprofits in the community thrive,” said Rossi.
“CFFC thanks EQT Foundation for their support. This fund has been a focus for our fundraising, since supporting local nonprofits is such a big part of what we do,” said Renee M. Couser, CFFC Executive Director. To raise additional money for the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund, CFFC is participating in Fayette Gives on November 10 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at www.fayettegives.org.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Sep 14, 2022 | Building a Stronger Fayette
There’s a saying “all dressed up with nowhere to go,” but sometimes there’s somewhere to go and no way to get there. Transportation can be a challenge for a variety of residents. The Mary and John J. Depcrymski Memorial Fund, held at the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC), supports transportation for Fayette County senior citizens and awarded a grant to Lafayette Manor, an assisted living residence. “We were able to use the grant money to fuel our wheelchair van to have transportation accessible to our residents that otherwise would not have been available,” said Director of Social Services Shari Viano.
Lafayette Manor’s van was used for group outings such as seeing fall foliage, trips to the mountains, ice cream outings, and group lunches. In addition to these fun group outings, this grant enabled transportation for important family functions, such as a resident attending her granddaughter’s wedding. “Without the use of the van, she would not have been able to do so, and it meant so much to her to be able to share in the special day. And the family was grateful, especially since that was the last family event that they were able to share with her,” explained Viano. Another resident was transported to her husband’s funeral, which she otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend.
The van was also used for those who didn’t have or couldn’t afford transportation for home assessments, a vital part of planning for safe discharge from the residence. Alternate transportation options, like wheelchair van services or ambulance, can be costly and sometimes unavailable, and not all residents have family members who are able to arrange transportation with them.
Lafayette Manor assisted 60+ residents through this grant. “CFFC is an asset to Fayette County and our community. Through their hard work and dedication, projects can be completed and services can be provided to members of our community that would not otherwise be available,” said Viano.
(Viano pictured at the Spring 2022 Grants Presentation, when Lafayette Manor was awarded another grant for senior transportation.)
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Aug 8, 2022 | CFFC News
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) launched the Mask Initiative in April of 2020 to provide disposable masks to local organizations during the covid-19 pandemic. The initiative wrapped up in July 2022, donating nearly 300,000 masks to over 140 organizations. Online mask requests were open to first response organizations, healthcare organizations, human service agencies, churches, and other nonprofits serving Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties.
Thanks to a $30,000 grant from The Heinz Endowments and a $25,000 grant from the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation, CFFC purchased masks from local manufacturer DCG Supplies.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we would review requests and have them picked up at our office every week. There were times when over thirty organizations would be picking up masks in one cycle,” explained CFFC Executive Director Renee Couser.
Fayette EMS
The Mask Initiative provided masks at no cost to organizations and became a reliable resource to help protect staff, clients, and residents as organizations continued to serve the community. Some of the organizations that received multiple mask donations include: Brownsville Ambulance Service, Centerville Clinics, Fayette County Drug & Alcohol Commission, Fayette EMS, German-Masontown Public Library, Greensburg YMCA, John Wesley A M E Zion Church, Mt. Macrina Manor, Salvation Army Uniontown, St. Florian Church, Verland, and Washington Christian Outreach.
“The Mask Initiative is a great example of our flexibility as a community foundation,” said CFFC Chair J.D. Ewing. “CFFC was able to create a new initiative to address the urgent needs of the community at the outset of the pandemic, all through philanthropy and while staying true to our mission,” explained Ewing.
To learn more about the Community Foundation of Fayette County’s mission, visit www.cffayettepa.org.
Uniontown Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center
“Everyone at our Fayette County home really appreciates receiving these masks from the Community Foundation of Fayette County!” said Verland’s Kathy Kacvinsky.
“We are grateful for the donation of these much-needed supplies. Your gift makes it possible for us to safely provide essential programs such as child care to the many families who rely on us,” said Greensburg YMCA’s Suzanne Printz.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | May 18, 2022 | CFFC News, Grants
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) hosted the Spring 2022 Grants Presentation on May 17, 2022 at the Connellsville Canteen and announced $36,333 in grant awards. The fifteen (15) selected nonprofits received their grant check and spoke about their awarded project or program. From healthcare and environmental science to musicals and food assistance, CFFC is proud to fund a variety of community needs through these grant awards – thanks to the generosity of donors who create and support these charitable funds.
Renee Couser, CFFC Executive Director, welcomed the group and highlighted the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund, an endowment that CFFC created in 2020 to provide general grantmaking in perpetuity. EQT Foundation is one of the supporters of the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund, donating $15,000 in 2021. Ellen Rossi, EQT Foundation President, spoke to the group about EQT’s presence in the region and their engagement with Fayette County.
To learn more about CFFC’s grantmaking program to or donate, visit www.cffayettepa.org.
Building a Stronger Fayette Grants
Support arts and culture; education; community and economic development; health and human services; and other areas of interest. These awards are made with the combined funding from: Building a Stronger Fayette Fund; Fayette County Charities Endowment; Franklin K. and Jean Smith Family Fund; Thompson Fund.
- Alternatives.Yes Pregnancy Support Center: GrandFamily Program
- CASA of Fayette County: Operating – Software
- Christian Church of Connellsville: Community Lunch Program – Lunches Plus
- Christian Layman Corps.: Fayette County Emergency Beds Program
- Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center: Junior Firefighter Boot Camp
- State Theatre Center for the Arts: Summer at the State 2022
- The Salvation Army: Sally’s Café Household & Hygiene Pantry
- Uniontown Public Library: 2022 Summer Quest Program
Burchinal Family Endowment Fund
Supports charities that provide health and medical care for Fayette County residents.
- Fayette Emergency Medical Service: PPE Gloves
- Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc.: Breastfeeding Support in Fayette County
- Ohiopyle-Stewart Volunteer Fire Company: AED and Enhanced Medical Response
Community Beautification Fund
Supports landscape improvements (including but not limited to planting of trees, shrubs, and flowers) for community beautification projects.
- Fayette County Cultural Trust: Downtown Connellsville Beautification Project 2022
Mary and John J. Depcrymski Memorial Fund
Supports organizations that provide transportation for Fayette County senior citizens.
- Lafayette Manor: Senior Transportation
Jack and Diane Hughes Family Fund
Supports projects and programs in the areas of community gardens and/or science/environmental education.
- Great Meadows Garden Club: Blue Star Memorial – Landscape Renovation & Maintenance
- Mountain Watershed Association: Ecology Education & Outreach in the Yough River Watershed
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Mar 18, 2022 | Building a Stronger Fayette
As spring approaches, we look forward to blooming begonias and varying vegetables in our gardens. Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc. (FCCAA) supports multiple gardens here in Fayette County to involve community members in growing fresh produce. In 2021, the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) awarded a Jack and Diane Hughes Family Fund grant to support FCCAA’s gardening efforts.
“Through our grant we were able to provide 60 gardeners with tools of their own to use while gardening, such as hand tillers, shovels, and gloves,” said FCCAA’s Rita Masi. They worked on raised beds in Uniontown, Lemont Furnace, and Connellsville.
FCCAA partners with organizations such as East End United Community Center, and provided materials and tools for a rain water collection barrel to be used at the gardens across the street from the Center. They also provided water hoses to some sites, adding to the necessary tools to keep these gardens going for multiple seasons.
“The experiences throughout the spring, summer and early fall were firsts for many of the participants and they are looking forward to the 2022 growing season. Many have shared their desire to return and help in these beds again,” said Masi. “But we feel the greatest accomplishment of this grant is the community-building and positive changes in mental health. The gentlemen who worked in the gardens [at FCCAA’s permanent housing sites] loved doing this and took such pride in their achievements,” she explained.
In addition to community garden projects, FCCAA addresses nutrition through the SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Program, the Republic Food Enterprise Center (RFEC), the FCCAA Food Bank, and more. CFFC is happy to support organizations and programs, like these, that are building a stronger Fayette.
Photo submitted by FCCAA