2012-10-10
Two organizations that serve citizens in Taylor County have
been selected to receive the first-ever grants from the Taylor County Community
Funds (TCCF).
Grants will be distributed by TCCF to the Bread of Life
Mission and the Taylor County 4-H Robotics Program. Each will receive $250.
Bread of Life Mission will use its grant to purchase food
products served at free meals it provides seven days a week to an average of 25
men, women and children. "Most of our donations are canned goods," said Constance
Elsey, treasurer for the group. "This grant will be used to purchase ground
beef and chicken for our meals, which are served to any individual in the
county who needs assistance."
The 4-H Robotics program will use grant funds to enable
students with financial hardship to participate in the program, part of the
organization’s effort to foster interest in science, technology, engineering
and math among Taylor County students. "The grant will allow youths aged 9 to
14 to participate regardless of their financial situation," said Extension
Agent Jennifer Murray, who oversees the project.
"We are thrilled to be able to provide these grants – our
first – to two deserving organizations," said Sally Harman, president of the
TCCF Board of Advisors. "We have been working hard since our inception to
secure donors and build an endowment fund that will enable us to make annual
gifts to community organizations.
"We have successfully built our fund to the point that we are
now able to begin making these grants," she said. "We hope that the number and
amount of these grants will continue to grow as additional donations are added
to our fund."
TCCF was organized and chartered in 2008 as a charitable,
non-profit volunteer organization to improve the quality of life of Taylor
County. "Our mission is to support social, educational, economic and cultural programs
and organizations for the benefit of Taylor County citizens," Harman said. "We
do that by seeking and accepting donations from current and former residents of
Taylor County and from various businesses and organizations that want to help
us meet the needs of the community."
Donations to TCCF are used to maintain an endowment fund
managed by TCCF and invested to increase its value, with net income from those
investments used to distribute charitable gifts to deserving individuals and
groups.
TCCF operates as a part of Your Community Foundation (YCF), a
non-profit charitable organization formed in 2011 by the merger of the Greater
Morgantown Community Trust and the Community Foundation of North Central West
Virginia. YCF provides administrative and technical support, financial
reporting and auditing services and marketing assistance, while TCCF operates
with its own Board of Advisors that identifies, cultivates and assists
prospective donors who want to contribute to its long-term endowment fund.
"Oversight of the fund is handled by our own Board of Advisors and all funds raised in Taylor County stay in Taylor County," Harman said.
Tax-deductible contributions in any amount can be made to the Taylor County Community Funds, Rt. 3, Box 480, Grafton, WV 26354.