Dear Editor,
Though 2022 was challenging in terms of market activity, there were many bright spots for the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation (GVCF). GVCF welcomed four new funds which include the Hillcrest Community Cemetery Association Fund, the Greenbrier Home Builders Scholarship Fund, Friends of THE Second Creek Fund, and The Janis Trent and Michael Clark Reed Memorial Scholarship Fund, and concluded 2022 with approximately $16.8 million in invested funds. GVCF welcomed over $1.4 million in fund contributions and awarded approximately $755,000 in grants and scholarships in Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas counties.
With great sorrow, GVCF also mourned the passing of Dr. Nathaniel “Nat” Harris, founding member of the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation and founder of The Moore Family Community Fund and The Moore Family Philanthropic Scholarship Fund Honoring Greenbrier Military School. Nat’s love for his community and commitment to philanthropy in the Greenbrier Valley will be forever cherished.
The GVCF Scholarship Committee, led by scholarship manager Elizabeth Spangler, helped to award nearly $200,000 in scholarship funds to students in Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas counties through our application process. This includes funding for scholarships not financially managed by GVCF, as well. Approximately $130,000 of those awards are from GVCF managed funds, an achievement of which we are incredibly proud. Any scholarship offered to students in our region can utilize the master application managed by GVCF, regardless of whether we manage the funds for that scholarship or not.
Applications are currently open and available to any student in Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas counties, as well as students at Meadow Bridge, Midland Trail and Summers County high schools and can be found at gvfoundation.org/scholarships. Deadline for applications is March 15, 2023.
In 2022, GVCF distributed $755,000 in grant awards and fund distributions in the Greenbrier Valley. This figure includes grants from the following application-based granting funds: GVCF Community Fund, Child and Youth Advocacy Center, Greenbrier County 4-H clubs, MountainHeart Community Services, North Central WV Community Action, Pocahontas County High School, Renick Community Center, WV Helping Hands, WVSOM, Yew Mountain Center;
Greenbrier Historical Society, Greenbrier East High School Band Boosters, GreenRiver Academy, White Sulphur Springs Public Library, GVCF STEM Education Fund, Greenbrier East InvenTeam, Alvin and Betty Gordon Fund for Arts Education, Greenbrier East Band Boosters, Covid Relief Fund,
United Methodist Emergency Food Pantry;
Monroe County Coalition, Alderson Ministerial Association, Pocahontas County Senior Citizens, Union United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Pocahontas County Family Resource Network, Lindside United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Pocahontas County Cooperative Ministries, Northern Pocahontas Food Pantry, First Baptist Church of Rainelle Food Pantry, Union United Methodist Church Community Food Pantry;
The Moore Family Community Fund, Greenbrier Valley Aquatic Center, Williamsburg Community Fund, Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church, Renick Community Center, Williamsburg Community Action Group, Greenbrier Valley Women’s Fund, Greenbrier County Family Resource Network, WV Helping Hands and Community Engagement.
GVCF continues to accept contributions and manage funds on behalf of Pocahontas Memorial Hospital’s Building Our Future Campaign. To expand and improve care, this $5 million campaign will help construct a 11,275squarefoot expansion. This additional space will include a rural health clinic, outpatient surgery center, increased physical and occupational therapy services, expanded emergency room department, updated radiology department and a new mammography department. To date, fundraising efforts through GVCF have secured approximately $225,000 in donations and grant awards.
GVCF is thrilled to serve as the fiscal partner for the Greenbrier Valley Family Activity Center, a project in development through a unique partnership between the Greenbrier Valley Family Activity Center, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and GVCF. Located in White Sulphur Springs, the 25,000 square foot facility, which will include a community gymnasium, will be a modern investment in the health of the community encompassing body, mind and spirit to make the Greenbrier Valley the healthiest region in West Virginia. To date, fundraising efforts through GVCF have secured approximately $625,000 in donations and grant awards.
One of GVCF’s favorite annual projects to support as a group is the Greenbrier Monroe Youth Livestock Association Youth Livestock sale. GVCF attended the auction at the State Fair of West Virginia and purchased a hog which was processed and donated to the Monroe County Coalition to distribute to Monroe County food banks. This partnership stands out because it is a great example of full circle philanthropy in a community which encompasses support of various organizations, needs and funds simultaneously.
Also in 2022, we announced the GVCF Children’s Savings Account Initiative. The goal of this program is to improve the educational outcomes of the children of the Greenbrier Valley by establishing a WV SMART529 account for every child entering kindergarten; and with the support of civic, business and faith groups, grow those savings for their use for further education after high school graduation. By increasing students’ access to postsecondary training, we expect this program to help build a workforce for the future that can strengthen our economy and communities. We are piloting the program at Frankford Elementary School in the fall of 2023 with hopes of securing enough funding to expand the program to every school in the three counties we serve. With the passion and leadership provided by GVCF board member Diane Browning, we look forward to kicking off this very special project.
For more information, please feel free to reach out. We appreciate your commitment to the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation and our community. For questions, visit gvfoundation.org, or call or email Anne at 3046455620 or info@gvfoundation.org.
Anne Bowling Tuckwiller
Executive Director
Greenbrier Valley
Community Foundation
