LOW MOOR, Va. (VR) – Members of the Class of 2023 at Alleghany High School, Covington High School and Boys Home of Virginia raised $3,600 for the Give Local Alleghany Highlands campaign.
Sponsored by the Alleghany Foundation, Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and Ingevity, Give Local Alleghany Highlands campaign generated $501,674 that will be distributed among 33 participating nonprofits. The 24-hour online campaign was held on May 23, and it raised $498,074.
High school seniors participated in Give Local through a Senior Giving opportunity. The Senior Giving allowed the students to contribute $50 to a nonprofit at no cost to them. The students simply clicked the nonprofit they wished to support, and the Alleghany Foundation contributed $50. Since 2021, the Alleghany Foundation has partnered with Alleghany Highlands Public Schools on Senior Giving to teach graduating seniors civic responsibility while also encouraging them to give back to their community.
“We are so happy to participate in Give Local each year, and it is quite an honor for the Alleghany Foundation to help our seniors mark their graduation in such a special way,” said Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS. “We are privileged to have many wonderful nonprofits supporting children, families and our full community in our area, and we are very pleased to support this project.”
This year, 72 seniors participated in the program with the Alleghany Humane Society, Valley View Animal Rescue, the Clifton Forge School of the Arts, and the Alleghany Highlands YMCA receiving the most support.
Students also chose to send donations to Alleghany County 4-H, the Alleghany Highlands Trail Club, the Alleghany Highlands Historical Society, Boys Home of Virginia, the C&O Historical Society, the Clifton Forge All-Abilities Playground Project, the Clifton Forge High School Alumni Association, Cora Dance Alleghany, Helping other People Excel (HOPE), the Mountain Gateway Community College Educational Foundation, the Mountaineer Athletic Club, Safehome Systems, the Shawn M. Dunkin Scholarship Fund, Special Olympics, the Salvation Army and Total Action for Progress (TAP).
“It is exciting to see our students support such a diversity of organizations, and we know many of them faced tough choices selecting their organization because they believe passionately in different causes that support quality of life in our area,” said Halterman and Snead-Johnson.
According to the Alleghany Foundation, the top five large nonprofits that raised the most money in the overall Give Local Alleghany Highlands were Boys Home of Virginia, the Mountain Gateway Community College Educational Foundation, the Clifton Forge School of the Arts, the Alleghany Highlands YMCA and the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center. The top five small nonprofits that raised the most money were the Alleghany Highlands Arts Council, the Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society, The General Federation of Women’s Clubs Covington, the Alleghany Historical Society and Clifton Forge Main Street Inc.
More information about the Give Local project is available at www.givelocalah.org/giving-events/ah23/home.
