George W. Shreckhise Memorial Scholarships Awarded

/in , /by

The George W. Shreckhise Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by Mrs. Judith Shreckhise Strickler in memory of her father. George Shreckhise spent a lifetime enjoying and working in agribusiness, with an emphasis, later in life, in the nursery business. Horticulture is plant science that includes the study of plant growth and plant interactions with the environment (soil, air, water) to improve human life through the cultivation of crops and the maintenance of a sustainable environment. This scholarship, named for Mr. Shreckhise, supports students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Horticulture. Consideration is given to academic standing, leadership qualities, and volunteer or work experience related to Horticulture.

 

The 2017 recipients of the George W. Shreckhise Memorial Scholarship are both students at Virginia Tech University:

Ella Reeves (Dublin, VA)

Rachael LaFlamme (Granby, CT)

 

Ella Reeves was also a 2016 recipient of this scholarship.

Philanthropy Celebrates One of its Own

/in /by

Hundreds of the most generous community leaders gathered at the JMU Festival Student and Conference Center to celebrate National Philanthropy Day on Monday, November 21, 2016.  This has become an annual event of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and an appropriate way to start the week of Thanksgiving.

Groups and Individuals were honored for gifts to the community, including Ted and Stephanne Byrd for their commitment to nonprofit organizations.  “This community was our home, (growing up), and being raised here and seeing the opportunities that were provided to us, gives us the ability in turn to make sure those opportunities exist for our kids and maybe their children,” said Ted. Ted’s first example of giving was to the church, followed by participating in trick-or-treat for Unicef.  Stephanne encouraged everyone to get involved by sharing with the crowd a favorite quote by Arthur Ash, “Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can.”

Ted and Stephanne have been involved with countless nonprofit organizations.  Unless they are on vacation and don’t have computer access, there is hardly a day that goes by when they are not working for an organization to make our community better.  They are a true living example of what giving and serving means.  Stephanne and Ted are visionary and dream big.  They utilize their time to work on those things that will have a lasting impact on our community.  Their commitment to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County is relentless and we are a richer, more vibrant community because of their gifts.

Both Ted and Stephanne have given to many nonprofit organizations, too many to list.  Ted was thanked for his leadership and gifts to the Salvation Army, as well as, the Massanutten Regional Library, and the American Frontier Culture Center.  Stephanne was recognized for her leadership and gifts to the Arts Council of the Valley, Shenandoah Valley Economic Education, both at the local and state level, and for the very breath and life she gave to The Community Foundation.

Giving isn’t about the donation but rather the difference it makes.  Congratulations to Ted and Stephanne Byrd, 2016 Individual Philanthropist Award honorees.

Karen Komara and The Scarf Factory was also recognized at the event, as Youth in Philanthropy honoree.  Karen, a fifth grade teacher at Pleasant Valley Elementary School, taught her students an economics lesson by making scarfs and selling them for $4. The students learned the importance of giving back and selected the Harrisonburg Rockingham Free Clinic as the recipient of their proceeds.

Chad Layman, Kathy Sizemore and Stacy Farley were honored as the Spirit of Philanthropy for their work on a new event, K9s for Warriors Adventure Race, which raised around $200,000. K9 for Warriors program rescues dogs and trains them to be service dogs for veterans who are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. chad-layman

LSC Communications, (known formerly as RR Donnelley) was honored as the Corporate Philanthropist.  LSC Communications have a culture of giving back to the community.  Often employees recommend supporting project in and around the community.

Janet Wendelken was recognized for her professional accomplishments as the Sandra S. Neff Fundraising Executive Award.  Janet has worked in the community for a long time, including work at MillerCoors, the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, Rockingham Education Foundation, James Madison University and the RMH Foundation.

Congratulations to everyone.

As we continue to celebrate this Thanksgiving Season, thank you all for your gifts to this community as we Dream.  Share.  Build. Our Community.

Eastham House Pre-Qualification for Bidders

/in /by

Eastham House

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County (TCFHR) will work with Blue Ridge Architects to pre-qualify potential bidders for the Eastham House renovation project. This historic Harrisonburg structure, located at 317 S. Main Street, will be the new home for TCFHR offices in 2017.

 

[pdf-embedder url=”https://tcf-stage.stage3.estlandhosting.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Eastham-House-Prequalifications-2016-11-07.pdf” title=”eastham-house-prequalifications-2016-11-07″]

Community Foundation Receives a $1.7M Gift to Benefit Area Students

/in , /by

Community Foundation To Fund Ag Scholarships


ERIN FLYNN Daily News-Record
PUBLICATION: Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg, VA)

SECTION: Harrisonburg
DATE: October 4, 2016
HARRISONBURG — A couple’s love for agriculture is being passed on to future generations.
The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County announced Thursday that it received a $1.7 million gift from the estate of Thelma Phillips. The gift will be used to create up to 11 scholarships for Valley students interested in pursuing careers in agriculture. It also preserves the legacy of the late Thelma and Bill Phillips.
For nearly 30 years, Bill and Thelma “Curly” Phillips of New Market rose before dawn to milk the cows, harvest vegetables and work their 285 acres in Shenandoah County. Bill Phillips was known for his willingness to help others. “He was the kind of person that, when it snowed, he was always out,” said Chuck Mathias, a friend of the couple. “He would open up our driveway and other people’s driveways.” And Thelma Phillips could often be found in the kitchen making treats.In addition to their generosity, the Phillipses are remembered for their love of farming. “They were just hardworking, good people,” Mathias said.
Thelma Phillips would help her husband in any way possible, whether making meals for the farm hand or drive Bill Phillips around on Sundays so he could see check in on other farms. “Their whole life was around farming, and anything she could do to assist him, she enjoyed doing,” said Revlan Hill, The Community Foundation‘s executive director.
In 1980, Bill Phillips died from a heart attack. Twenty-three years later, his wife established a fund at The Community Foundation to honor him. The foundation acts as a conduit between donors and charitable groups by managing property and money. In 2015, Thelma Phillips died at 86 years old.
Memory Lives On
The couple’s interest in agriculture isn’t being forgotten, however. In fact, their legacy could spark interest in future farmers. Through the scholarship fund, The Community Foundation will award $1,500 scholarships to seniors at Broadway, Harrisonburg and Stonewall Jackson high schools. “She always wanted to do a scholarship for those schools,” Hill said. “Her love for the area, her love for students, her love for farming — that’s what she wanted to support.
“Students can renew the scholarships every year for four years, said Ann Siciliano, the foundation‘s director of program services. Offering a renewable scholarship, Siciliano said, could encourage students who might not be interested in a career in agriculture to reconsider the field.Siciliano said students interested in applying for the scholarship must submit an online application, information about their involvement in agriculture, and a transcript. Applicants will be interviewed. A link to the application can be found on The Community Foundation‘s website, https://tcf-stage.stage3.estlandhosting.com/ and must be completed by March 30, Siciliano said. The foundation will present the scholarships to the recipients during each high school’s spring ceremony.
Contact Erin Flynn at 574-6293 or eflynn@dnronline.com

 

Hildred Neff Memorial Fund – 2016 Grant Recipients Announced

/in , /by

Hildred Neff 2016In August, grants totaling over $9,500 were distributed to three local nonprofit organizations from the Hildred Neff Memorial Fund. The 2016 grant recipients are all nonprofit organizations that care for domestic animals.

2016 Hildred Neff Memorial Fund Grants:

The grants distributed will fully fund the project requests from the Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA and Cat’s Cradle of the Shenandoah Valley, Inc. The grant award to Anicira Veterinary Center will partially fund their $9,000 project request. Anicira’s Targeted Community Cat Project is still in need of $6,176 to be fully funded.

During her lifetime, Hildred Neff was a business woman who raised livestock and fruits and vegetables, and was co-owner of J.E. Plecker Florists. Hildred had a special love of animals and she contributed generously to organizations that promote their welfare. She left her estate to create the Hildred Neff Memorial Fund, which benefits agencies that provide for the needs of both domestic and wild animals. The fund was established at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County in 2014.

Next year’s Hildred Neff Memorial Fund grant application will be available in early 2017. Please visit our website for more information if you wish to apply. Grant applications are reviewed in August each year.

If you are interested in contributing to the Hildred Neff Memorial Fund to benefit the care of domestic and wild animals, please contact The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County at 540-432-3863, or visit our website.

Letter to the Washington Post

/in /by

Last week, the Washington Post published a misinformed article about donor-advised funds. The Council on Foundations, with support of community foundations, immediately responded by penning a letter to the editor. The full text of the letter is below.

We hope the Post will consider publishing this letter, but in the meantime we wish to share it with you.

___

To the Editor:

Tuesday’s article on donor-advised funds (DAFs) (“Wall Street is sitting on billions meant for American charities,” June 21) provides a laundry list of damaging and inaccurate assertions about DAFs, specifically those created by financial institutions. Community foundations, leading stewards of positive change at the local level, also sponsor DAFs which offer the benefit of being an efficient and less administratively burdensome option for many donors who want to establish philanthropic vehicles.

When donors create DAFs at community foundations, they ensure support for nonprofits and leverage the foundation’s programs, collective giving efforts, and civic leadership to further advance local causes. They are able to address immediate needs and, importantly, long-term efforts.

For more than 100 years, community foundations have partnered with philanthropists to support communities. This includes helping donors identify their giving goals and strategy. DAFs factor into these conversations because of their many benefits. For example, DAFs:

  • Provide flexibility. DAFs allow community foundations to quickly respond to local needs including emergency response efforts.
  • Democratize giving. DAFs require modest financial contributions, making them within the reach of most charitable givers.
  • Connect donors to purpose. DAFs empower individuals to support long-term solutions for tough community issues with the benefit of guidance from professionals.

The real threat to charitable giving is not DAFs but one-sided, mischaracterizations of an important philanthropic vehicle that encourages civic engagement.

Rather than narrowing the breadth of tools available, we should focus on expanding and protecting giving options that help citizens to advance the common good in their communities.

Vikki Spruill, Javier Soto, Randall Royster
Tony Mestres, Hazle Hamilton, Richard Ober
Steve Seleznow, Lorie A. Slutsky, Debbie Wilkerson, Revlan Hill

Ms. Spruill is president and chief executive officer of the Council on Foundations.

Mr. Soto is vice chair of the Council on Foundations’ board of directors and president and chief executive officer of The Miami Foundation.

Mr. Royster is a Council on Foundations’ board of directors member and current past president of the Community Foundations National Standards Board and president and chief executive officer of the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

Mr. Mestres is a Council on Foundations’ board of directors member and president and chief executive officer of The Seattle Foundation.

Ms. Hamilton is president of the Community Foundations National Standards Board and executive vice president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

Mr. Ober is president and chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Mr. Seleznow is president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Community Foundation.

Ms. Slutsky is president of the New York Community Trust.

Ms. Wilkerson is president and chief executive officer of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

Ms. Revlan Hill is president and chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County

2016 Community Endowment Grant Recipient Announced

/in /by

The Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) was selected as the 2016 grant recipient of the Community Endowment Fund, a permanent endowed fund at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County (TCFHR). Over $5,000 will be directed for the NENA Community Garden project.  According to the association’s grant application, the organization seeks start-up costs to create a “shared space where members of the community can sign up to grow vegetables, fruits and flowers.”

Karen Thomas, NENA’s President, explains the start-up costs for the Community Garden project include, “the purchase of tools, seeds, starter plants, and other garden necessities as well as stipends for local gardening experts to give workshops.” This project will specifically serve 25 households and the larger Northeast neighborhood community in general.

As stated on their website, the Northeast Neighborhood Association’s mission is to ensure that our neighborhood is safe, attractive and a strong community. Working hard to reduce crime and improve the appearance of the neighborhood. Partnering with city government, the community and non-governmental agencies to revitalize the Northeast Neighborhood and to address the needs of its residents.

48 community nonprofit organizations applied for the Community Endowment Fund grant this year, all with worthwhile projects designed to benefit our community. The grant is awarded on an annual basis to a local nonprofit organization through the Community Needs grant application process. Grant applications are available twice a year (spring and fall) and a nonprofit organization may apply once per calendar year.

The Community Endowment Fund is a pool of unrestricted endowed funds established for the greatest flexibility and benefit for the local community. This permanent fund helps finance projects of greatest benefit to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County as determined by community leaders. The Community Endowment accepts gifts of any size and is the perfect vehicle for individuals or businesses who simply want to give back to this community without designating a specific need.

The Community Endowment Fund was established in 2008 and its creation was guided by the TCFHR’s underlying vision to structure a permanent fund that would harness the power of many individuals giving together for the benefit of our community. Gifts to this fund receive a 25% match by a local donor. All gifts to the Community Endowment Fund will continue to be matched 25 cents per dollar until the fund balance reaches $100,000.

To learn more about the Community Endowment Fund, or to contribute to this permanent fund, contact the staff at The Community Foundation at 540-432-3863, or visit www.tcfhr.org.

The Community Foundation announces the Valley Arts & Culture Fund Grant

/in /by

The Virginia Quilt Museum was selected as the 2016 grant recipient of the Valley Arts & Culture Fund, a permanent endowed fund at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County. Funds will be directed for the museum’s exhibit construction project. The museum plans to construct two permanent exhibits – an Orientation/Welcome Exhibit and a Warren-Sipe House History Exhibit.

Executive Director, Kimberly McCray, explains the need for an Orientation/Welcome Exhibit as essential, “because about half of our Museum’s visitors are not quilters and about 95% of our visitors go through the Museum and its exhibits by way of a self-guided tour. Without a tour guide to provide an introduction of the basics of quilt history, techniques, and culture, patrons cannot possibly understand or appreciate our exhibits fully without the context of an introductory exhibit.”

McCray describes the importance of a Warren-Sipe House History exhibit, “as one of the few remaining antebellum structures in downtown Harrisonburg, our building’s rich history and architecture deserves telling…… we hope to encourage an interest in the building that will lead to monetary contributions for maintaining and preserving the structure, which is a constant financial challenge for the Museum.”

Six community nonprofit organizations applied for the Valley Arts & Culture grant this year, each with projects worthy of consideration. The grant is awarded on an annual basis to a local nonprofit organization through the Community Needs grant application process.

The Valley Arts and Culture Fund provides program, project and seed funds to small and medium sized organizations promoting performing and visual arts and interpreting the culture and traditions of and in the Shenandoah Valley.

The Valley Arts and Culture Fund was established in 2000 by Larry and Pat Hoover.  Anyone may contribute to this permanent fund to provide on-going support for arts and culture in our community.  To learn more contact Ann Siciliano at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County at 540-432-3863, or visit www.tcfhr.org.

2015 Annual Report

/in /by

2015 Annual Report[pdf-embedder url=”https://tcf-stage.stage3.estlandhosting.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2015-Annual-Report.pdf”]