By Stephen Baldwin
RealWV, www.therealwv.com
“My dad was very passionate about the Hollowell Foundation because it truly helped so many people in our community,” says Amy Criddle. Her father, Allen Carson, recently retired after 28 years on board of the foundation. “He always believed in giving back and supporting causes that made a real difference.”
Which is exactly how the Hollowell family envisioned it when they established the philanthropic fund 50 years ago.
Otto Hollowell & Margaret Ford
In the late 1930s, a real estate and mortgage broker named Otto Hollowell came to visit Lewisburg, West Virginia. It was only supposed to be a short trip away from his home of Norfolk, Virginia, but that all changed when he met a local woman named Margaret Ford. They soon married, and Otto worked with Margaret’s family to grow their family business, Bluegrass Electric Company, into a national company.
Then in 1975, as a means of thanking the community in which they had lived and done business for more than three decades, Otto and Margaret established the Hollowell-Ford Foundation. Their intent was to provide funding for community projects in arts, culture, education, and recreation. In addition to the contributions made by the Hollowells, a successful local cattleman named John Dawkins contributed a substantial portion of his estate to the foundation in 1999. This led to a name change, as the foundation would become known as the Hollowell Dawkins Foundation.
Almost $14 million in grants
Over the last 50 years, the Hollowell Dawkins Foundation has supported community projects “that sustain and advance educational, scientific, literary, parts and recreation, or cultural endeavors.” They do so by making annual grants to 501c3 nonprofits in the Greenbrier Valley.
According to Sherry Ferrell, Executive Director of the Hollowell Foundation, “Nearly $14 million has been granted to the community since the Foundation’s inception and the assets originally gifted in the amount of $14.5 million are now valued at over $17 million.”
Ferrell says strong community leadership has allowed the foundation to remain strong.
Board leadership over the years passed from Otto Hollowell to Margaret Ford Hollowell to Dr. Thomas Potterfield to Jesse Guills. In 1997, local businessman Allen Carson began serving as a board member before being elected as President in 2007. He held that position for 18 years before retiring in early 2025. Alyson Dotson, a local attorney and business owner, now serves as President.
Carson retires after serving 18 years as President
“The impact of Allen‘s leadership and dedication to the Hollowell Dawkins Foundation has been felt throughout Greenbrier County for nearly three decades,” says Dotson. “Allen guided our board with wisdom and compassion, always understanding our community’s needs and the mission of our Foundation. I will be forever grateful for my time serving on the Hollowell Dawkins board with Allen.”
As the foundation celebrates 50 years, 28 of which included Carson, Ferrell credits his leadership for their ability to remain relevant.
“Under Allen’s leadership and with the help of dedicated board members, there is a great emphasis on providing educational, cultural and athletic opportunities to our youth,” she says.
For example, the foundation established an endowment fund for community college students to ensure they will have affordable access to quality higher education.
In addition to an emphasis on youth, the foundation prioritizes quality of life. To that end, they regularly grant funds to community centers, libraries, parks, fire departments, festivals, senior citizen programs, and programs for low-income residents.
“Allen dedicated hundreds and hundreds of hours to the vision of the Hollowell Dawkins Foundation,” Ferrell continues. “He was always available to handle all of the administrative duties that were called for. All of this was done because of his love for the community.”
“Allen once said that if could choose to live anywhere in the world, it would be right here in the Greenbrier Valley,” she adds.
On behalf of the board, Dotson and Ferrell thank Carson for his 28 years of service and credit him for allowing the foundation to fulfill the mission for which it was created.
For more information on the Hollowell Dawkins Foundation, visit www.hollowelldawkinsfoundation.org.
