The faculty and staff of Alderson Elementary School have established a scholarship at the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation (GVCF) in memory of Opal Jones, a devoted teacher. Donations to this scholarship will be used to continue Jones’ legacy of educating, caring for, and inspiring children by providing tuition assistance for higher education to students in the Greenbrier Valley who graduated from Alderson Elementary School. Anyone wishing to honor Jones may contribute to the scholarship.
Jones was an important member of the community. She taught at Alderson Elementary School for 23 years where she was an excellent role model and mentor. She was also the Mother of the Church at Shiloh Baptist, a 4-H Leader for 25 years, Historian for Bolling Alumni Association, as well as Program Assistant for Carnegie Kid’s College for 23 years. In addition, Jones was recognized with many awards. She was a member of the 4-H All Stars and was inducted in the 4-H Hall of Fame, she was inducted into the WV All Black High School Academic and Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, and she received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012.
The scholarship that will be presented in her memory will be awarded to students like Opal Jones who are selfless and help others. The students selected to receive this honor shall be ones who enrich the community, either at their high school or the community at large. The award will be an annual onetime grant of $250. The first scholarship will be awarded in May 2015. GVCF will administer the scholarship as part of its Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation Scholarship.
Donations to the scholarship can be made in person or by mail to either Alderson Elementary School or GVCF in the office upstairs in the downtown Lewisburg branch of City National Bank or P.O. Box 1682, Lewisburg, WV 24901. Contributions may also be made through PayPal by visiting the GVCF website: www.gvfoundation.org.
The Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation is a collection of over 100 funds, each with its own charitable purpose. Established in 1999, GVCF has distributed over $2.1 million to the community. For more information about the Opal Jones Scholarship or GVCF, contact Courtney Smith, executive director, at 304-645-5620 or info@gvfoundation.org.
