2024 Report to the Community

2024 report to the

community

For Good. For Ever.

We are a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life in Staunton, Waynesboro, and the counties of Augusta, Highland, and Nelson in Virginia. With the support of hundreds of local donors, we have stewarded an ever-growing number of individualized charitable funds to meet the needs of our neighbors and inspire philanthropy throughout our community since 1992.

Scholarships In 2024, we awarded over $250,000 to 150 high school seniors and adults seeking to continue their education.

Education Awards Through our Dawbarn Education Awards and the Smyth Education Awards, we distributed $110,000 in cash awards to twenty extraordinary local educators in 2024.

On the cover: Chris Lassiter and his dad Ron Lassiter share an unexpected connection.

See page 7 for the complete story. Photo by Kate Simon.

Strategic Investments

Grants By the end of 2024, we will have awarded $2.3 million in grants to 250 nonprofit organizations.

In 2024, generous contributions of unrestricted funds allowed us to commit $720,000 to address critical community needs. Presently we are focused on increasing housing affordability and case management for families experiencing a financial crisis.

Dear Friends, The single most important lesson that I have learned during my twelve-year tenure as CEO is that TRUST and RESPECT are our most essential assets, which we work every day to earn and steward.

Thanks to your support, we are poised to enter a new year with charitable funds totaling $50 million upon which we will continue to build as a permanent source of local philanthropy. With this growth comes opportunities to take on pivotal roles in our community. Our board of directors and staff take this responsibility seriously and are very deliberate in deciding when we should lead and when we should support the leadership of others.

As one example, nonprofit organizations need to adapt the traditional work of their boards of directors to the emergence of a new generation of community leaders. We saw this as both an opportunity and a responsibility to help chart a new course. Our Next Generation Governance Initiative, launched in early 2024, is nearing its midway point and already beginning to bear fruit.

At our 30th anniversary celebration in 2022, we shared our strategic commitment to address housing insecurity. As you will learn on the following pages, this effort has grown into a community-wide initiative that we are dedicated to sustaining for many years to come.

Thank you for your continued trust and respect for our work.

Dan Layman, CEO

This is Home Inspiring Action Two years after its debut, This is Home continues to stimulate dialogue and reflection about why hard-working residents struggle with housing. Our traveling exhibit of photographs by Kate Simon shares the stories of local housing instability, using art to keep the issue in focus while serving as a backdrop for future strategic investments. This first step has placed us in a trusted role of guiding and supporting meaningful change in our community.

In collaboration with key community partners, we hosted three Housing summits in 2023 and 2024. From these gatherings emerged two distinct working groups focused on the creation of affordable housing and improving local support systems for families experiencing housing insecurity.

With nearly 100 community partners involved and our newly established Housing Investment Fund, we are building the momentum needed to create lasting change. We invite you to join us in supporting this vital initiative and shaping its long-term success.

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Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge | www.cfcbr.org

2024 Report to the Community

The stories we share through This is Home resonate because they are deeply personal, like Emberly’s. A childcare worker, she balances work and family amid rising costs. Despite her partner’s income, they fall into the “benefits gap,” earning too much for aid but not enough to make ends meet. Though pushed to the edge, Emberly remains determined to break this cycle for her children. cfcbr.org/thisishome

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Our Youth Philanthropy Councils The Youth Philanthropy Council brings together high school students who design and administer their own grants program from beginning to end. This cultivates a socially aware and socially responsible society of citizens and leaders.

SAW Youth Philanthropy Council (from Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro schools)

2024 Grant Recipients ARROW Project Brain Injury Connections of the Shenandoah Valley Embrace Waynesboro The LIFEWorks Project Martha’s Meals on Wheels Mental Health America-Augusta The Neighbor Bridge New Directions Center Shenandoah LGBTQ Center Valley Children's Advocacy Center Valley Hope Counseling Center Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministry

Highland County Youth Philanthropy Council (In partnership with The Highland Center)

2024 Grant Recipients Dare to Dream Highland Childrens' House The Wayne Theatre Alliance

NEW IN 2023!!

Nelson County Youth Philanthropy Council (In partnership with the Nelson County Community Fund)

2024 Grant Recipients Nelson County Community Development Fund & The Bridge Ministry

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Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge | www.cfcbr.org

2024 Report to the Community

A New Generation of Philanthropists An innovative initiative in Augusta County is now in its second year transforming the way young students view their role in the community. The Youth Philanthropy Council Junior program, launched by the Community Foundation in partnership with Augusta County Public Schools, invites every fifth grader in Augusta County to become a philanthropist.

The concept is simple: each of the 33 classrooms act as a mini grants committee tasked with deciding how to allocate $100 (totaling $3300) from the Community Foundation to a local nonprofit organization. Through this experience, students learn not just about generosity, but also the practical aspects of research, advocacy, and decision-making. The program begins with an introduction to the social sector and a handful of local nonprofit organizations that represent a variety of causes showcasing the diverse needs within the community.

Miriam Burrows, the Foundation’s Director of Educational Programs, explains the purpose behind YPC Jr: “This is about more than giving money.

It’s about showing our future citizens and neighbors how to practice making the world a better place because practice makes perfect!”

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The 30th Annual Dawbarn Education Awards

By Chris Lassiter, the Foundation's Director of Engagement and Inclusion The Dawbarn Education Awards just turned 30 years old. My dad, Ron Lassiter, was one of the first recipients.

This is something that has always amused our family because, in our household, my mom was the educator.

Linda Lassiter spent nearly three decades as a special education teacher in Staunton City Schools, and my sister, Katrina, has carried that legacy forward as an assistant principal at Waynesboro High School.

Dad, on the other hand, wasn’t a teacher. For 43 years, he worked as a probation officer in the Court Service Unit. As a teenager, I didn’t fully appreciate what Dad did or why he received the award. I knew he had won it, but I never really knew why. Only recently did I learn that Dad was part of a program supporting “at-risk” students, and it was for his unwavering belief in the power of education through that work in the schools that he won the award.

Now, every year, I get to honor others like him, whose dedication to education changes lives – sometimes in ways we don’t immediately see.

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Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge | www.cfcbr.org

2024 Report to the Community

The 2024 Dawbarn Education Award Recipients: Seated (left to right): Brandy Johnson, seventh grade language arts teacher at Shelburne Middle School April Smith, lead special education teacher and mentor, Riverheads Elementary School Pam Hewitt, instructional aide, special education, Riverheads High School Jill Williams, instructional assistant, Stuarts Draft Elementary School Elizabeth Benbow, reading specialist, Stuarts Draft Elementary School Standing (left to right): Melissa Dull, choral and theater director at Fort Defiance High School Jo-El Nelson, AP environmental science, geospatial information system teacher, Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School Eddie Santiago, teen program director at Staunton-Augusta Family YMCA Lindsey Britt, special education teacher, William Perry Elementary School Amber Gibson, third grade teacher, William Perry Elementary School

The Dawbarn Education Awards, established in 1992 by H. Dunlop "Buz" Dawbarn through the Community Foundation, honor individuals in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County who go above and beyond their job descriptions to enable students to see and reach their personal potential. We award $10,000 to each recipient and collectively have awarded over $2 million since the program’s inception. Learn more at cfcbr.org/dawbarn.

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Annie Frazier - Bridgewater Retirement Community

Tools for Nonprofit Success In 2024, we offered a rich array of programs to strengthen our nonprofit community, and we’re excited to continue these into 2025. From workshops on Artificial Intelligence, community engagement, and volunteer management to networking events like the Goodtimes, Goodvibes, Goodwill Gathering, we provided spaces for learning, collaboration, and growth.

Sarah Mendonca - Caravanserai Music

Our Executive Director Discussion Groups tackled pressing topics such as board engagement, creativity, and leveraging community resources. Coffee Talks inspired fresh ideas with sessions on going green, financial courage for arts leaders, and better board recruitment. Hands-on trainings focused on budget building, marketing for fundraising, and volunteer management.

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We also hosted our second annual Nonprofit Conference to elevate leadership through panels by expert keynote speakers on the roles and responsibilities of boards of directors, shared leadership, and building a fundraising pipeline. One-on-one executive coaching and virtual office hours rounded out our capacity building programs. Join us in 2025 to make our social sector even stronger as we care for our community together!

Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge | www.cfcbr.org

2024 Report to the Community

Foundation Funds

We welcomed the following new funds into the Community Foundation since our last report: Blue and Gray Fund Bojangles Promise of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund BradyStrong Fund Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Fund Housing Investment Fund Kiger-Obaugh Scholarship Fund Tiderman-Metz Fund Montebello/Nelson County Fund

Montebello/North Branch School Fund Patricia R. Opie Charitable Fund Peterson Scholarship Fund Peterson Business Venture Fund Shea House Restoration Fund Shenandoah LGBTQ Center Fund Staunton Music Festival Legacy Fund WARM Foundation Fund

AGENCY FUNDS Created by nonprofit organizations as a source of annual income or a reserve fund for their future Allegheny Mountain Institute Fund Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley Fund The Arc of Augusta Fund Augusta County Historical Society Fund Augusta County Public Schools Endowment Fund Augusta Regional Clinic - Loesch Endowment Fund Augusta Regional Dental Clinic-Oral Surgery Fund Beverley Street Studio School Fund Carl Rosberg Creative Classroom Grant Fund The Center for Nonprofit Excellence Fund Central Shenandoah EMS Council, Inc. Fund The Citizen Soldiers Education Foundation Fund EVACE International Fund Friends of the Augusta County Library Foundation Fund

Greater Augusta Regional Chamber Fund The Highland County Public Library Fund The Jacquelyn Zehring Legacy Fund Rockingham Feeder Cattle Association Fund The Scottie Lu Parker Brandt Founders’ Fund Samuel Matthew Lucente Memorial Endowment Fund Shenandoah Valley Art Center Endowment Fund Shenandoah Valley Conservancy Conservation Easement Stewardship & Defense Fund Staunton Augusta Art Center Fund Staunton Music Festival Legacy Fund Staunton Public Schools Endowment Fund The Talking Book Center Fund

Valley Alliance for Education Endowment Fund Valley Children's Advocacy Center Fund Valley Concerts Foundation Piano Maintenance Fund Valley Pastoral Counseling Center Endowment Fund Valley Program for Aging Services Endowment Fund The van Vliet Endowment for SACRA Fund Valley Career & Technical Center Foundation Fund The WARM Foundation Fund Wayne Theatre Fund Waynesboro Family YMCA Endowment Fund Waynesboro First Aid Crew, Inc. Fund Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra Fund Weyers Cave Voluntary Fire Company Fund Wintergreen Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. Fund

AWARD FUNDS

Rewarding individuals for their extraordinary contributions to our community H. Dunlop 'Buz' Dawbarn Award Fund

Smyth Educational Award Fund

Restoring the Shea House In 2021, the Staunton-Augusta County African-American Research Society (SACAARS) began a campaign to install historical markers at key sites, preserving local AfricanAmerican history. Fairview Cemetery, Staunton's largest African-American cemetery, located across from the city’s post office, was among these sites. There, the Shea House a small 19th-century caretaker’s cottage - has been in great need of restoration. Built in 1855, this historic home is now receiving the attention and support that it deserves.

The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge is administering the Shea House Restoration Fund on behalf of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Augusta Street United Methodist Church, and SACAARS. To support this initiative, you may send contributions made payable to the Community Foundation (P.O. Box 815, Staunton, VA 24402). Please note 'Shea House' in the memo line of your check. For inquiries, contact info@cfcbr.org or 540-213-2150.

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Funds, continued DESIGNATED FUNDS

Providing ongoing support for our donors' favorite nonprofit organizations

The Arc of Augusta-Bill and Kitty Davenport Fund Augusta Regional SPCA-Bill and Kitty Davenport Fund The Blackley Family Fund Blue and Gray Fund Boys & Girls Club of Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County Endowment Fund The BradyStrong Fund Caroline E. Roberts Memorial Flower Garden Fund Charles Huffman Memorial Fund Community Foundation Administrative Endowment Fund Council of Organizations Legacy Fund Croushorn Endowment Fund Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Fund The Ethel M. Smeak Fund Gene Wood Memorial Waynesboro Family YMCA Youth Fund J. B. "Gus" Stombock Memorial Youth Baseball Fund Jack Guynn Fund James and Joyce A. McDonald Fund Jim and Pam Huggins Fund John B. Davis Historic Records Fund John M. & Katherine F. LaVigne Memorial Designated Fund John Moore Memorial Fund

Linda Ebert Thompson Memorial Fund Loesch Augusta Regional Clinic Fund Long Family Charitable Fund The MaDee Project Fund Mary T. Echols Fund Maurice H. and Wilma C. Baylor Fund Montebello/North Branch School Fund Paul and Doris Flanagan Memorial Fund Richard P. & Caroline P. Coon Fund Robert E. and Barbara B. Cox Charitable Fund Roy B. Martin Memorial Endowment Fund Shea House Restoration Fund ShenanArts Endowment Fund Shenandoah LGBTQ Center Fund Staunton High School Student Activities Fund Staunton Music Festival P. Donald Moses Memorial Education Fund Staunton Public Schools Fund for Bessie Weller Elementary School Stuarts Draft High School Parent Advisory Council Fund SVGS Director's Fund in honor of Linda N. Cauley Sweet Family Farm Endowment Fund Valley Program for Aging Services Endowment Fund Vector Industries-Bill and Kitty Davenport Fund Waynesboro Public Schools Foundation Welcome to Stuarts Draft Beautification Fund WWRC Foundation Legacy Fund

Giving Spidey a Leg Up! Staunton’s friendly neighborhood Spiderman has become a beloved figure in our community.

This masked marvel swoops into action wherever help is needed.

From patching up scrapes with his trusty first aid kit to lending a hand at local events, Spidey is a symbol of selfless service and community spirit. While his true identity remains a mystery, the Wall Crawler’s impact is anything but hidden.

Thanks to a scholarship from the Community Foundation, Spiderman is now taking his mission to new heights. He’s been accepted into the Emergency Medical Technician program at Stuarts Draft Rescue Squad, where he’ll gain the skills to officially become one of the everyday heroes he admires.

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS Distributing grants to nonprofit organizations upon annual advisement by our donors Amy Laser Kiger Charitable Fund Berman Family Fund Bell Family Fund Carl and Arnesa Lind Fund Cauley/Richardson Fund Chris and Becky Earhart Fund Chuck and Boopsy Paros Memorial Fund Cochran Family Foundation The David and Lucinda Fuller Fund Dennis and Bonnie Fontenot Nielson Fund Douglas Guynn Charitable Fund F&M Bank Community Fund Gerhart Family Fund Herring-Jones Donor Advised Fund The Jamin Fund John W. and Anne C. Sills Fund Kline's Ice Cream Community Fund

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Leonard and Elsie Chittum Memorial Fund The Lumos Foundation Lynn and David Diveley Fund Michael Clay and Mary James Moore Quillen Family Advised Fund Moyers Family Fund NTELOS Wireless Foundation Pamela Fox and Dan Layman Charitable Fund Patricia R. Opie Charitable Fund Proteus Fund The Red Beech Foundation Fund The S and J Plumbley Fund Shenandoah Valley Kiwanis Club Fund Theodore G. & Elizabeth Kennon Shuey Charitable Fund Waynesboro Kiwanis Club Fund William K. & Lois Glover Orr Charitable Fund WISE Fund

Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge | www.cfcbr.org

2024 Report to the Community

Funds, continued FIELD OF INTEREST FUNDS Supporting specific types of charitable work of interest to our donors A.P. Boxley, Jr. & Rachel Barksdale Boxley Memorial Fund Ann and Anthony Morse Fund Charles & Jacqueline Frankfort Fund The Cheerful Giver Fund Coyner Endowment for the Elderly Fund

David Feline Medical Assistance Fund Housing Investment Fund J.B. "Gus" Stombock Family Fund Lucy Coyner Endowment Fund Maryanne Moffett Memorial Fund Meadows Fund for the Intellectually Disabled

Peggy and Lloyd Gochenour Endowment Fund Peterson Business Venture Fund Tiderman-Metz Fund United Nursery Fund for Early Child Care and Education

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS Supporting a wide range of educational pursuits for learners of all ages A. Gordon Houff Memorial Scholarship Fund Augusta Cook Markley Scholarship Fund Barbara Hunter Grant Memorial Scholarship Fund Betty Coiner Burkart Memorial Scholarship Fund Bojangles Promise of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund Christopher DeWitt "Chris" Rockwell Memorial Scholarship Fund Clyde Diacont Memorial Scholarship Fund Coach Gary Kessler Scholarship Fund Community Scholarship for Excellence Fund Dawn Field Memorial Scholarship Fund Diana Beam Scholarship Fund Doyle O. and Lelia Jane Bateman Scholarship Fund Dr. Richard Bolstein and Sharon Adams Scholarship Fund Dr. Valerie Weiss Memorial Scholarship Fund Ethel Driver Memorial Scholarship Fund Faculty & Staff Memorial Scholarship Fund (Robert E. Lee High School 1926-2019 & Staunton High School)

The Frances Bell Rolston Scholarship Fund Fritz and Mary Rogers Stout Memorial Scholarship Fund Ganelle Hargrove Cook Scholarship Fund Hailey Green Memorial Scholarship Fund Harlow Family Scholarship Fund Headwaters Soil & Water Conservation District Scholarship Fund Jewel Heard Scholarship Fund John W. Greene Memorial Scholarship Fund Kiger-Obaugh Scholarship Fund Kivlighan Family Scholarship Fund Linda C. Blehm Memorial Scholarship Fund Lindsay Ree Hyson Memorial Scholarship Fund Louis & Emily M. Spilman Scholarship Fund Lt. Larry W. McDowell Fund MaDee Nicole Boxler Scholarship Fund Mark Tinsley Scholarship Fund Martin Lightsey Scholarship for Technical Education Fund Michael E. Ruckman, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund Montebello Scholarship Fund Mustoe-Seybert Family Scholarship Fund

N. Carroll & Grace B. Guynn Scholarship Fund Norman St. Laurent Scholarship Fund Paul and Judy Hatcher Memorial Scholarship Fund Peter Veglahn Memorial Scholarship Fund Peterson Scholarship Fund R.S. Yeago, Jr. Scholarship Fund Richard A. Hobbs Scholarship Fund Richard P. Coon Memorial STEM Scholarship Fund Rita S. Wilson Memorial Scholarship The Rose S. Thompson and Boyd W. Thompson Jr. Endowment Scholarship Fund Roxanne Harsh Staufer Memorial Scholarship Fund Saunders Brothers, Inc. Scholarship Fund Scholarship to Change Lives Fund Steven W. Short Memorial Scholarship Fund Teresa Blum Memorial Scholarship Fund TREK-VUE Scholarship Fund V. Francis & Susan S. Reynolds Scholarship Fund Verna Newsome Memorial Scholarship Fund Waynesboro High School Alumni Endowment Fund William Henry Sheppard Scholarship

UNRESTRICTED FUNDS Unrestricted Funds give us the flexibility needed to address the community's changing and most pressing needs. These funds also allow us to make strategic investments in needs such as affordable housing, child care, and emergency relief assistance.

Bill and Lisa Moore Unrestricted Fund Cauley/Richardson Staunton/Augusta County Endowment Fund Community Foundation Board Directed Fund H.E. Coiner Trust Fund J. B. "Gus" Stombock Memorial Unrestricted Fund James P. Whitworth Fund Kelling Unrestricted Endowment Fund L. Dal and Jane F. Simmons Unrestricted Fund

Leonard and Jane Penland Unrestricted Fund Lewis M. Coiner Unrestricted Endowment Fund McKee Foods Corporation Unrestricted Fund Montebello/Nelson County Fund Penland Endowment Fund Walter and Marelia Dixon Memorial Fund Warren and Jean Mundy Unrestricted Fund White Family Fund

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2023 Financial Report AT-A-GLANCE

For our fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 we are pleased to provide you with an annual accounting of your Community Foundation's assets, gifts received, and distributions made.

Assets

Contributions $3.5 Million

Distributions $3.2 Million

$45.9 Million*

*SOURCE: 12/31/23 AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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available at cfcbr.org/publications

Donors

Nonprofit Grants: $2.8 Million to 273 Nonprofits Scholarships: $270,212.37 to 146 Students Education Awards: $110,000 to 20 Educators The MaDee Project: $54,000 to 21 Families

2023 DISTRIBUTIONS: COMMUNITY IMPACT 15% - Health Services

Health Services 15%

Ensuring access to the physical, mental and emotional health services and other support systems needed by our community members to enjoy healthy lives.

16% - Household Sustainability Helping struggling families with their routine expenses, such as rent, food, childcare and clothing, as well as unexpected expenses, such as car repairs and other critical needs that place them in great financial peril.

Crisis Support 14%

Household

14% - Crisis Support

Education 33%

Sustainability

16%

33% - Education

Local Culture & Our Environment 22%

22% - Local Culture & Our Environment Contributing to our culture and the environment by supporting access to a diverse range of artistic programming and investing in historic preservation, museums, community beautification, environmental preservation, recreational activities, and animal rescue.

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Supporting community members in their times of personal crisis, including victims of domestic abuse, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, those in need of legal aid, justice-involved individuals, and others.

Investing in personal growth and education by ensuring access to quality preschool, academic enrichment programs and special education, scholarships for postsecondary education, as well as career and life skills development programs.

Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge | www.cfcbr.org

2024 Report to the Community

Giving Solutions

Designed Around You We greatly appreciate the generous contributions of our donors, many of whom have created highly-personalized charitable funds within the Community Foundation. We welcome the opportunity to learn about your charitable intentions and to explore how we can help you fulfill them.

Lifetime Gifts A gift made during your lifetime can offer useful tax advantages and the opportunity to create a charitable legacy. Contributing appreciated securities is a particularly beneficial form of a lifetime gift.

Deferred Gifts We can work closely with you and your advisors to incorporate a thoughtfully designed gift through your will, personal trust, retirement plan or life insurance policy.

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)

If you are 70½ or older, you can transfer funds from your IRA directly to qualified charities.

QCDs are excluded from taxable income, and after age 73, count toward required minimum distributions.

IT ALL BEGINS WITH A CONVERSATION. CONTACT US AT 540-213-2150 OR INFO@CFCBR.ORG. OUR MISSION To enrich the quality of life by responding to needs and inspiring philanthropy in our community.

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK Mid Valley Press, Kate Simon (photography), and our incredible community that makes our collective work possible.

Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge | P.O. Box 815, Staunton, Virginia 24402-0815 Employer Identification Number (EIN): 54-1647385 www.cfcbr.org

NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID STAUNTON, VA PERMIT 80

P.O. Box 815 Staunton, Virginia 24402-0815

For good. For ever. M T

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION STAFF Dan Layman,

Menieka Garber,

Lora Hamp, J.D.,

Chris Lassiter,

Miriam Burrows,

President & CEO

Chief Operating Officer

Legal Counsel and Director of Nonprofit Relations

Director of Engagement and Inclusion

Director of Educational Programs

2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Diana Williams chair

Tony Davenport

Sara Berry

vice chair

secretary/treasurer

Charles “Mick” Andersen

Abby Arey

Boyce Brannock

Bradley Bryant

Linnea Harris

Ashlie Howell

Safiya Mahmoodian Jarvis

Priscilla Piñeiro Jenkins

Richard Kane

Elsa Kiser