Legacy Newsletter Spring/Summer 2022

egacy

Ge ing Creative: New Fund Options Provide Meaningful Scholarship Alternatives

The WCCF has administered post secondary scholarship funds for more than 20 years. During that time, we have seen the incredible impact made by nearly $2 million in post secondary scholarship awards. We have also seen tremendous changes in both the secondary and post secondary educational arenas. But one thing has remained the same: the cost of pursuing post secondary education is significant. With issues related to post secondary scholarship awards more prevalent, the Foundation has been exploring new and innovative ways to help students prepare for the future. Among them are: Academic Funds, Enrichment Funds, and Internship Funds.

The two profiles below speak to how each fund supports educational opportunities while honoring its namesake. And on page 6, readers can learn more about the success of the new Three Oaks Internship Fund. Although each of these funds may have a different purpose, they are all supporting local students in a meaningful way!

The Jacie Alexa Academic Fund was created earlier this year to memorialize Jacie Alexa Goudy. Jacie, and her brother Jorryn, were placed into the foster care system at a very young age. Despite the many challenges she faced, Jacie graduated a year early from Trinity High School and was accepted to Columbia University with a full scholarship.

In her quest to achieve higher education, Jacie faced numerous financial obstacles. Therefore, the Jacie Alexa Academic Fund will issue annual grants to Trinity School District to assist financially needy students of Trinity High School with preparing for, or gaining access to, post secondary education. This assistance may include: fees to take exams (SAT, ACT, or Advanced Placement) or fees to make application to a post secondary educational institution.

Alice Boone Main graduated from McGuffey High in 1969 and eventually returned to her beloved alma mater as a teacher. She served as principal in several area school districts, working last at Claysville Elementary School. Additionally, she served as the Federal Programs Coordinator for the McGuffey School District.

Family and friends created the Alice Boone Main Memorial Fund in 1999 to honor her work as an educator, and the focus of the fund was recently shifted to educational enrichment. Annually, the fund will issue a grant to support the purchase, loan, or repair of musical instruments owned by McGuffey School District and used in its instrumental programs, ensuring that McGuffey students will experience the many benefits of music education.

A Publication of the Washington County Community Foundation

Meet the New Officers & Trustees of the WCCF Board

CHAIRMAN

E. Alex Paris, III

VICE CHAIRMAN

Michael S. Anderson

SECRETARY

Barbara A. Graham

TREASURER

Richard L. White

TRUSTEES

Megan M. Chicone W. Taylor Frankovitch Sheila J. Gombita Chad A. Griffith Tammy L. Hardy Todd M. James Geraldine M. Jones Mary Ellen Jutca Debra E. Keefer Lars U. Lange Kim Marisco i James H. McCune Thomas P. Northrop Joseph M. Piszczor Kurt R. Salvatori Harlan G. Shober Jr. Amy Todd Joseph H. Young

President & CEO Betsie Trew

At its Annual Meeting this past June, the WCCF Board of Trustees approved the appointment of new officers, the return of a former Trustee, and the election of six new Trustees. They include:

E. Alex Paris III, Chairman, is a long time member of the WCCF Board and President of his family business, Alex E. Paris Contracting in Smith Township.

Michael S. Anderson, Vice Chairman, is a certified public accountant and cofounder of Imperial Tax South Hills. He previously served as the WCCF Treasurer.

Barbara A. Graham, Secretary, is the senior member of Peacock Keller’s School Law Group and a member of its Employment Law Group.

Sheila J. Gombita is newly elected to the Board. Since 2001, she has been the Executive Director of the Washington County Transportation Authority.

Tammy L. Hardy, a returning Trustee, the Vice President of Hardy Enterprises, which specializes in real estate and making investments in small businesses.

Todd M. James is newly elected to the Board. He was appointed to serve as EQT’s Chief Accounting Officer in November 2019.

Richard L. White, Treasurer, is the retired President of Washington Federal (now Washington Financial). He is also a former WCCF Chairman.

Mary Ellen Jutca is newly elected to the Board. She taught in the Trinity School District, retiring in 2018, and was involved in the Trinity Mock Trial Team.

Sheila J. Gombita

Todd M. James

Tammy L. Hardy

Michael S. Anderson

Barbara A. Graham

Mary Ellen Jutca

E. Alex Paris, III

Lars U. Lange is newly elected to the Board. A native of Berlin, Germany, Lars is an a orney and a West Bethlehem Township supervisor.

Kim A. Marisco i is newly elected to the Board. She and her husband own Marisco i Funeral Home, Marisco i Insurance, as well as several rental properties.

Amy L. Todd is newly elected to the Board. An experienced accountant, she recently assumed a position with the Intermediate Unit I.

Amy L. Todd

We are very grateful for all the community members who share their time and talents as a member of our Board.

WCCF Trustees serve a three year term and may be elected to serve three consecutive terms. The primary criterion in the selection of Trustees is the skillset of the individual.

Acorn to Oak Trustee Reception

It was an event years in the making!

This past June, on a perfect summer’s day at the Brownlee House, we celebrated Trustees past and present with our inaugural Acorn to Oak Trustee Reception.

The current Trustees in a endance reflected on outgoing Chairman Jim McCune's invaluable contributions to the WCCF over the past 25 years, from his guidance as the Board's founding Chairman to his inspiring leadership during his recent term.

remarks of gratitude to outgoing Trustees and a symbolic “passing of the gravel” to

Chairman Alex Paris.

above: Members of the Board of Trustees take turns recognizing the incredible service of Jim McCune.

below: Reception a endees mix and mingle around the Brownlee House a most charming se ing!

To view detailed biographies of all the current WCCF Trustees, please visit www.wccf.net.

Lars U. Lange

Kim A. Marisco i

Americans love animals, and the support of animal related causes through charitable giving and service is evident in Washington County, especially during its annual day of giving, WCCF Gives. Last year alone, a total of nearly 850 donations were made to the six participating animal welfare organizations!

Financial contributions are a critical component of any charity’s ability to provide its programs and services, and animal lovers are particularly passionate about helping their furry friends.

But when there are so many options and there is only so much to give, sometimes it can be difficult to choose where to direct a charitable gift. For those who

would like the opportunity to broadly help local animals of all stripes, the WCCF has a solution: the Animal Fund.

The fund was created to support programs that provide for the care and protection of both domesticated and undomesticated animals in Washington County. As a pooled fund, contributions are welcome from anyone at any time, and the gifts are combined to result in more impactful grant making.

But before it can make any awards, the Animal Fund

Will You Rise to the Challenge?

Pet lovers Bill and Sandy Stout are passionate about helping animals Washington County. Knowing the deep and loving bonds that can exist between animals and humans, they, and their perky pup Ms. Lucy Van Pelt, are challenging the WCCF's supporters to help the Animal Fund

The Stouts have generously agreed to match every contribution made via the Stout Animal Fund Challenge, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000! With your gift, you can honor a special animal lover in your life or even a favorite pet that has forever touched your heart. Gifts may be made by check or online at www.wccf.net.

Stout Animal Fund Challenge.

L

E

Waller Humanitarian Award Reception

Honors Lesley A. Brock & James “Cookie” McDonald

This past May, friends and family of two extraordinary individuals gathered together at the historic Brownlee House for a very special presentation. The evening was dedicated to Louis E. Waller Humanitarian Award recipients "Cookie" McDonald and Lesley A. Brock (pictured below).

The award recognizes a local individual or organization who is devoted to the promotion of human welfare and/or the advancement of social reforms as evidenced by humanitarian deeds in the community, whether local, national or international.

Cookie, a lifelong resident of Washington County has advocated for peaceful social justice reforms in the name of civil rights, fought for equal rights in the workplace and integration of the Washington School system, and served as President of Washington's NAACP branch from 1966-1970.

Lesley, also a lifelong resident of Washington County, has dedicated more than 36 extraordinary years to serving the community and helping to create a brighter future for its children. In recent years, much of her time and energy has been devoted to the LeMoyne Community Center.

Fantastic profiles about the humanitarian efforts of Cookie and Lesley are available on www.wccf.net.

Inspiring Future Community Leaders

The Waller Award Reception was certainly an evening focused on service. But it was also a special opportunity to celebrate family. Both Cookie and Lesley were proud to have their beloved grandchildren with them to mark the occasion.

With their families so deeply rooted in the community, it will not surprise us to soon see these bright young faces following in the footsteps of their extraordinary role models!

ARC Human completed the second phase of its headquarters renovation. In addition to offices, the new space in downtown Canonsburg also includes an art gallery, coffee shop, and versatile community meeting areas.

According to Chief Administrative Officer Joseph Scrip, allowed ARC Human Services to create a space that fosters inclusivity by showcasing the array of ability, culture, and diversity in our communiPictured at left: Darrilyn McCrerey and Joseph Scrip of ARC stand in a wonderful space in the new facility.

the outdoor learning space with chalk art.

Library Director Peggy Tseng reports that “Patrons have been vocal to our staff about how much they enjoy the space. They now have someplace to socialize outside in good or bad weather.”

Both Students & Small Non-profits Benefit from Internship Grants

During its inaugural cycle, the Three Oaks Internship Fund awarded grants of $2,500 each to the Peters Township Chamber of Commerce and Strive for a Be er Tomorrow, both of which are very small nonprofits. Strive for a Be er Tomorrow’s student intern Dezah Thomas (pictured at the right) is enrolled at Eastern Gateway Community College for IT/software engineering. She is 2021 graduate of Ringgold High School and a former participant of Strive’s Summer Program. In the role of Site Supervisor, Dezah gained hands on experience in nonprofit management and helped to implement educational programming. “We are honored to have Dezah and the opportunity to help guide her on her road to success!” said Strive Director Chantal Bey.

Peters Township Chamber of Commerce intern Mackenzie Schwerzler (pictured at the left) is a recent graduate of Peters Township High School. During her internship, she managed the Chamber’s marketing, which allowed the rest of the small staff to concentrate on other important work. Mackenzie’s key contribution was organizing the Women’s Tea, which sourced most of the food and desserts from women owned small businesses. Dress for Success was featured with a clothing drive and a self defense class was hosted for the a endees after the tea. Executive Director Brian Schill said that it was a wonderful event and praised Mackenzie’s invaluable assistance in the Chamber’s office.

Positive Outcomes Highlighting the Success of Recent Grants

“Visit Us Online”

Two local libraries recently launched new websites as a result of capacity building support. The sites allow each library to showcase its programs and services as well as make important updates as necessary.

Charlo e Carpenter, acting director of the Bentleyville Public Library, explained that “This project will help us to be able to share the love of reading to a whole new generation.”

“An updated and user friendly website is key to making our services more accessible to new visitors,” said Heritage Public Library Board President Kathleen Farmer. “We can help keep patrons aware of our programs and services in a timely manner and reach out to younger people with this new website.”

The grants of $25,000 each also enabled the libraries to purchase needed technology and enhance programming.

(formerly Washington Communities Human Services) initiated a complete rebranding campaign. In addition to the name change, the campaign included a new website, tagline, and logo. The grant also funded two new staff positions, including a chief operating officer and a marketing and development We have been building momentum for some time, so we are thrilled to finally make our debut as Healing Bridges,” said Natalie Ross, CEO. “A great deal of planning and consideration went into this rebrand and we are grateful for ongoing support from our board of directors, staff members, and the Washington County Community Foundation for their roles in the development of the campaign.”

Room to Grow

Mon Valley Youth & Teen Association’s $20,000 building grant was used to renovate its historic building (the Ohav Shalom Synagogue built in 1911). Time and heavy weather took its toll on the roof and ceiling, compromising both safety and aesthetics.

Executive Director Mary Anne Bandalo explained, Because of the funds provided to us for this project, we are now in a position to remain an effective leader in food distribution for people and families in need, not only in Donora but in the surrounding communities . . . The space that was renovated originally was used in our after school and youth programs . . . Now that the space is safe and usable, we can explore opportunities to utisupervised programming with our youth for activities such as story time, guest speakers, Pictured above: Mon Valley Youth & Teen representatives prepare for a distribution.

This

of

sponsored by: