Funds totaling $9,525 were recently awarded to seven Greenbrier County organizations for tourism marketing through the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Cooperative Advertising Grant Program. Each year, the CVB sets aside a portion of its budget to assist local organizations with their tourism marketing efforts. A requirement of the applicant’s marketing plan must be to reach visitors outside of a 50-mile radius, with a focus on getting event attendees to spend the night. Groups, including two or more businesses, organizations and nonprofits operating in Greenbrier County may apply for funding. One such recipient of this year’s funding is the United Way of Greenbrier Valley for the promotion of their inaugural Run United Half Marathon and 5K scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26. The first event of its kind in the Greenbrier Valley, event coordinators are hoping to entice runners to take part in the 13.1-mile route through the scenic hills of the Greenbrier Valley. Runners interested in a shorter route may run the 5K around downtown Lewisburg. With CVB grant dollars supporting United Way’s print and billboard advertising in Charleston, event coordinators are hopeful that the inaugural event will be met with much success and grow in popularity and participation. Since July of 2002, the Greenbrier County CVB has reached a pinnacle in helping groups and organizations market their events. Since that time, the CVB has funded more than $328,000 in direct marketing grants to many of the county’s fairs, festivals and non-profit organizations. Applications for the CVB’s mini grants are reviewed by the organization’s Grants and Research Committee twice each year, in January and July. Requests can be made up to $2,000. The next deadline is Monday, January 6, 2014. The recipients from the July application period include: American Heritage Music Hall, Edgewood Presbyterian Church, City of Lewisburg, Friends of the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery, Lewisburg Downtown Business Association, Trillium Collective and United Way of Greenbrier Valley. For more information about the CVB’s Cooperative Advertising Grant Program, visit www.greenbrierwv.com or call 304-645-1000.
