2013 Growth Fund Awardees Announced

“The Growth Fund has been a tremendous support. Without such an organization willing to fund pre-development needs, several projects would have not moved forward at all.” ~ Tami Sealy, President of BARC.

Read the Herald-Standard news story for even more information.

L-R: Brad Clemensen, PA Environmental Council; Donna Holdorf, Nat’l Road Heritage Corridor; Valerie Bacharach, CFFC Board Chair; Kristina Haluska, Brownsville Free Public Library; Beth Reseter, Friendship Hill Association (Photo credit: Patty Yauger)

The Community Foundation of Fayette County presented four grants today to local nonprofit organizations working on economic development opportunities and revitalization efforts.

According to Marilyn J. McDaniel, Community Foundation CEO, “We are very excited to support these projects that emphasize collaborations.  We have seen excellent results from groups and communities overcoming barriers by working together.”

Awardees in this round include:

  • Brownsville Free Public Library ($8,000):  Landscape designs for the reuse of newly acquired adjacent property and a conservation plan for the slope to Dunlap Creek.  This is first phase of predevelopment toward an expansion of the library facility to relocate the children’s library and bathrooms to street level access in a wind adjacent to the historic existing building.  Kristina Haluska, Librarian, accepted for the Library.
  • Friendship Hill Association ($3,000):  Landscape design plans for the gateway entry to Point Marion Borough and entrance to Point Marion Community Park.  Welcome signs send an immediate message of pride in the community and offer that key first impression to visitors.  Beth Reseter, Secretary, accepted for the Friendship Hill Association.
  • National Road Heritage Corridor ($2,500): Best Practices Tour with municipal and civic leadership engaged in Brownsville’s historic district to experience first-hand successful redevelopment projects in comparable communities across in PA with similar downtown districts.  Donna Holdorf, Executive Director, accepted for the Nation Road Heritage Corridor.
  • Pennsylvania Environmental Council ($8,000): Feasibility study of the restoration of historic coke ovens near the Great Allegheny Passage rail trail just outside of Connellsville.  There are few tourism-ready sites of coke ovens from this significant period of local industrial history in Fayette County.  Brad Clemenson, Sr. Project Manager, accepted for the PA Environmental Council.

In 2008, the first of now nearly 40 Growth Fund grants began to be awarded in Fayette County.  Support has come from The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, an Anonymous Foundation, The Eberly Foundation, First Niagara Bank, PNC Wealth Management and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

According to Program Officer, Cathy McCollom, “Projects in five target communities have benefitted Brownsville, Connellsville, Ohiopyle, Point Marion and Uniontown.  Funding pre-development needs serves to move projects forward that would have either have been greatly delayed or not viable at all.” Over the years, after initial grants and ongoing technical assistance from the Community Foundation, many of the Growth Fund projects carried forward through leveraging millions of dollars in additional investment from private and public sources.

September 2012 Chevron Community Fund Awards Announced

Phillip J. Savini, Jr.

Philip J. Savini, Jr., has had a 17 year career in public education, and is currently Superintendent of Schools, Brownsville Area School District.  He has served in a number of roles in the Brownsville School District and in other school systems before becoming Superintendent.  He is an author, recipient of education and civic leadership awards, and active on boards and advisory groups of many of our leading community service organizations, including Rotary and Chamber of Commerce, and for local universities.


Beth Maruskin

Beth Maruskin, Dress for Success Branch Manager, has had 11 years of experience as a manager for a national retail chain before joining Dress for Success in 2010.  In addition to her current work with women to help them in their competitiveness for the world of work, she is active in the community with civic and professional organizations.


Debra Lynn Mason

Debra Lynn Mason is Education & Training Manager for Seton Hill University’s E-Magnify Program.  Her background includes 13 years of award-winning experience in human resources, sales with global, national, and multi-state organizations, diversity training, running her own consulting business, and as university adjunct faculty with a focus on workforce development.  Debra has been a speaker throughout the area on diversity and Sexual Harassment.


Kristen Tunney

Kristen Tunney is Theater Manager of the Geyer Performing Arts Center.  With educational and professional experience in film and theater, she has been performing for over 12 years, frequently at the Geyer, in addition to overseeing many of the administrative and operational aspects of running the Center.

 


Erica Miller

Erica Miller of the State Theater Center for the Arts has worked her way up over 15 years from starting on technical crew when she was just out of college to theater management to her recent promotion as the Interim Executive Directive.  She has been developing programming at the Center for the past several years, including for its 90th Anniversary Season.


Richard D. Watson, Ph.D.

Richard D. Watson, Ph.D.  Director of ScienceWISE at St. Vincent’s College, has been associated with this college-public school partnership project for a number of years.  He was formerly an educator in public schools in the Norwin School District, including serving as Superintendent before coming to St. Vincent’s.


Marilyn Weaver

Marilyn Weaver, Executive Director of the Wesley Health Center, returned to Connellsville in 2002.  She previously was employed at a NASA facility overseeing a multi-million dollar budget and a 100 person staff.  She wanted to give back to her hometown in her retirement which she has been doing as a member of City Council, Lions Club, local authorities and organizations, and as the volunteer executive providing oversight for our region’s only Methodist-church affiliated, free primary care health facility for the uninsured.

CFFC Announces First Idea Fund Award

Catherine Poninsky, a first grade teacher at St. John the Evangelist Grade School, has been selected as the first recipient of a newly-established Idea Fund through the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC).

The Idea Fund was created by a local donor to foster teacher creativity in the Catholic Schools. Applicants must demonstrate a willingness to move outside the box to enrich the learning experience, engage students actively and use the materials to impact a significant number of students.

Poninsky received $798 for her application, “Creative Play and Puppet Theater.” According to Poninsky, “This grant has given us the opportunity to add a new dimension to our Fine Arts program. It will enhance the creativity of our students by using their imagination in its various forms.”

The project will involve students in Pre-K through 6th grade in writing and presenting puppet shows for their classmates and the entire student body.

The Community Foundation of Fayette County was founded in 1999 to enrich the quality of life for all residents of Fayette County. The CFFC is a public charity that focuses on helping donors with charitable giving, supporting nonprofit organizations through training and grantmaking, and responding to the needs of Fayette County. For additional information about the Community Foundation, call the CFFC office at 724-437-8600.

 

CFFC Announces Tax Credit Tuition Assistance to Seven Local Schools

For the 2012-13 school year, through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, CFFC supported 39 children to attend local private and parochial pre-schools through 12th grade.

Schools include:

  • All Saints Regional School
  • Chestnut Ridge Christian Academy
  • Conn Area Catholic School
  • Geibel Catholic Middle-High School
  • Mt. Moriah Christian School
  • St. John the Evangelist Grade School
  • St. Sebastian Regional School

Since 2007, CFFC has been an approved EITC Scholarship Program through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development. Educational opportunities for eligible families are provided through this state program with the generous philanthropic support of business partners. Businesses receive a tax credit for a portion of their EITC contribution to CFFC.

Requests continue to outnumber EITC capacity in Fayette County. In 2012, CFFC received 102 applications for support from area families, all within the designated income criteria. CFFC was able to provide tuition assistance to one third of the families that applied.

According to Cecilia Solan, Principal of Conn Area Catholic, “We are so thankful for the Community Foundation. The children they help with tuition assistance couldn’t attend our school otherwise.”

With tuition for private and parochial schools averaging between $2700-$4500 per student/per school year, an increase in contributions to the EITC Program is needed to enable more awards to more families. Businesses that pay PA income tax may donate to the EITC scholarship program and name the Community Foundation of Fayette County as a designated organization.

The Community Foundation of Fayette County was founded in 1999 to enrich the quality of life for all residents of Fayette County. The CFFC is a public charity that focuses on advising and serving donors with their charitable giving, supporting nonprofit organizations through training and grantmaking, and responding to the needs of Fayette County.

For additional information about the Community Foundation and EITC, call the CFFC office at 724-437-8600.