Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation board member Phil McLaughlin presents a distribution check to Charlotte Baldwin for the Greenbrier County Public Schools Foundation at the 2013 Annual Reception
At a special reception held on Mar. 20, the Greater Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation (GVCF) disbursed 2013 annual reports and 2014 distribution checks to nonprofit organizations serving Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas Counties. Grants totaling over $170,000 were made to 31 different recipients including educational institutions, arts organizations, churches and groups assisting the needy.
Notable among the grantees that evening was a distribution from the Lambda fund to the “Friends of the Blue” project at the Greenbrier Historical Society to restore the spring house at the former Blue Sulphur Springs resort. Also noteworthy were grants from the Alvin and Betty Gordon Fund for Education and the Arts to the Greenbrier Valley Chorale and Trillium Performing Arts Collective; disbursements from the Ben Snyder Memorial Fund to Carnegie Hall, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, the Lewisburg/Fairlea Food Locker and the Shepherd’s Center of Greenbrier Valley; awards from the City National Bank Funds to area Snacks in Packs programs in Ronceverte, Rainelle and Meadow Bridge; the First Natonal Bank Fund’s grants to HospiceCare and Central Greenbrier Little League; a gift from the James H. Davis III Memorial Fund to the White Sulphur Springs Public Library; a contribution to the Greenbrier County Public Library and the Church of the Incarnation from the Theresa Thompson Fund for Education; and the Greenbrier Valley Women’s Fund distributions for projects to empower women to Homeless Inc., the Family Refuge Center and the Women on Wellness program.
The reception was held at Lewisburg Elks Club where over 100 attendees sampled food and wine from South Africa. The food was prepared by TLP of WV and included exotic dishes like Bobotie, a traditional South African dish made with ground beef and served with yellow rice and peaches, Pampoenkoekies (pumpkin fritters) and Hertzoggies (small jam tarts). Paired with these tasty treats were wines supplied by the Country Vintner and selected by sommelier Banks Jesser. The room was decorated to herald in the spring with a large number of especially beautiful shrubs and flowering plants provided by Tally Ho Landscaping. These plants were then donated to the City of Marlinton for beautification projects.
In addition to financial information about GVCF, the foundation’s annual report includes a 2014 community calendar that identifies major events from all three counties in the Greenbrier Valley. Photographs for the calendar featured picturesque scenes of the area and were donated by local photographers Jeanne Brenneman, Lori Ann Butler, Jeff Dillon, Alice Ferguson, Greg Johnson, Michael Johnston, Laura Legg, Ben Long, Kris Long, Connie Manchester, Diane Mitchell, Mary Beth O’Dell, Linda Shires, Rick Shires, Kim Walkup and Jamie Wykle. Free copies are available to the public at GVCF’s office on the second floor of the City National Bank building at 109 S. Jefferson Street, Lewisburg.
The Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation was incorporated in 1999. It is a collection of over 100 funds, each with a separate agreement, donors and philanthropic purpose. When appropriate, each fund makes an annual grant to the community. Additionally, this summer, the Foundation will be distributing over $35,000 in scholarships.
For more information about GVCF or to learn how to establish a fund to benefit one or more of your favorite charities, contact Courtney Smith, executive director, at 304-645-5620 or info @gvfoundation. org.