December 2024 brought big celebrations for the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation. It was an honor to celebrate our 25th anniversary with our fund holders, donors, and community partners in Greenbrier, Monroe, and Pocahontas counties. To show our partners the appreciation they deserve, we hosted an event in each county in early December.
Since 1999, the Community Foundation has distributed approximately $10.5 million in grants and fund distributions in scholarships, disaster relief, arts and culture, community development, recreation, basic needs assistance, and food security programs. GVCF has graciously accepted over $23.4 million in fund donations and holds 215 funds in partnership with organizations on our service area. GVCF served as the fiscal partner for special projects including Homes for White Sulphur Springs, Hope Village, Covid Relief Fund, Greenbrier Valley Family Activity Center, and Pocahontas County Memorial Hospital, among others. In partnership with local county school systems, GVCF created and manages the master scholarship application available for use by all students in our three counties. Awards from this application surpass $200,000 annually. In 2024, GVCF passed the long-held goal of $20 million in invested funds – a fitting celebration for the special occasion.
Children’s Savings Account
Established in 2023, Our Future Fund was created with a mission to provide every public school student in Greenbrier, Monroe, and Pocahontas counties with a college/trade school savings account. With help from the James F. B. Peyton Fund and the H. B. Werhle Foundation, the program was piloted at Frankford Elementary and expanded to Peterstown Elementary in 2024.
Our Future Fund’s goal is to provide every child entering kindergarten with a savings account in their name; and with the support of civic, businesses, and faith groups, grow those savings for their use for further education after high school graduation. The research has demonstrated that children with a savings account are six times more likely to go to college or trade school than children who don’t have a savings account. Investment in this program is an investment into our future workforce.
Food Security Support
In 2024, GVCF continued to focus attention on food service support in Monroe County. To support various community partners, GVCF purchased two pigs from the Greenbrier Monroe Youth Livestock Association Youth Auction at the State Fair of West Virginia. The meat was processed locally and donated to Monroe County Coalition to distribute among Monroe County food pantries and assistance programs.
Additionally, GVCF provided grants to Monroe County Outreach and Lindside United Methodist Church Food Pantry to increase their capacity for service to those in Monroe County. Monroe County Outreach has been active since 1980 to provide basic needs assistance to residents in Monroe County in need of help with food, utilities, shelter, clothing, etc. They work in partnership with other local organizations to identify additional resources in emergency situations.
Scholarships
In 2024, over $200,000 in scholarship funds were distributed from the application system administered by GVCF in partnership with our regional high schools. Of that amount, over $130,000 were funded by scholarships managed by GVCF. As always, it was a joy to attend area high schools to present certificates to these hardworking students. Scholarships are a wonderful way to remember loved ones into perpetuity and we welcome the opportunity to discuss starting scholarship funds with individuals or organizations. The 2025 application is open at all students at gvfoundation.org/scholarships and due on March 15.
As we reflect on 25 years, we feel immensely grateful for the community we serve. We thank you for the continued support and look forward to helping however we can in the next 25.
Overall numbers reported by the GVCF for 2024 are as follows:
- 15.74% gain
- $21.5 million in invested assets
- $1.53 million received in fund contributions
- $1.1 million funded in grant awards, scholarships, and fund distributions
- $130,000 in scholarships held by GVCF
They also announced support for eight new funds: Catherine Brooke McGraw Memorial Scholarship Fund, Lindsey Raines Memorial Scholarship Fund, The Renaissance Corporation Legacy Fund, Roy D. Patterson Memorial Scholarship Fund, Carmel Cemetery Fund, Union Area Chamber of Commerce Fund, GBC Long-term Disaster Resilience Fund, and the Greenbrier Valley Emergency Food Fund.
