LKACF MAKES PROGRESS ON BABCOCK CHALLENGE

(03/31/2007)
Submitted by Sarah K. Holt
Program and Development Specialist
Parkersburg Area Community Foundation

The Board of the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation (LKACF) is in the midst of raising funds for its second cycle of their challenge grant awarded by the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation.

The challenge grant awarded to LKACF by the Babcock Foundation in 2005 stated that the LKACF Board must raise $10,000 in a year for its LK Area Grantmaking Fund in order to obtain $5,000 in matching monies.

Not only would the Board of LKACF build its unrestricted grant making fund by $10,000, the $5,000 awarded from the Babcock Foundation could be given out as grants to non profit organizations that served Calhoun and Wirt Counties.

This challenge grant was completed in March of 2006 and in the fall, LKACF held its first grants cycle and handed out $5,000 in grants.

A Fall Grants Reception was held on December 4, 2006 at the St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Elizabeth, W.V., to hand out the grant awards and to celebrate this milestone for LKACF.

The grants included:

$571 to the Town of Grantsville to purchase new playground equipment for the park; $625 to the Calhoun County 4-H Leaders' Association to support the 2007 Energy Express program; $625 to the Town of Elizabeth to provide matching monies to help replace the sidewalks in the downtown area; $553 to Creston Area Neighborhood Watch to purchase radios, aluminum road signs and window decals to help start a new Neighborhood Watch Program; $670 to the Grantsville VFD to purchase new radios; $615 to the Calhoun County FRN to purchase new car and booster seats to provide families in the area; $625 to Calhoun County Park to purchase new siding and windows to complete the renovation of community building; $692 to Minnie Hamilton Health Center to help purchase new Panacea Tender Plus mattresses for its Long Term Care Unit.

On July 1, 2006, the second cycle of the Babcock challenge grant opened for the LKACF Board.

Again, the Board must raise $10,000 for its LK Area Grantmaking Fund in order to obtain $5,000 in matching funds from the Babcock Foundation.

The funds must be raised by June 30, 2007. The $5,000 obtained from the Babcock Foundation can be again given out in the form of grants for non-profit organizations in Calhoun and Wirt Counties. So far, we have raised approximately $5,000 toward our goal.

We need your help! Please help the Board of LKACF meet this goal. By meeting this goal, we will be able to distribute funds back to the community to help support important projects that in turn supports all Calhoun and Wirt County citizens.

Click here for a printable donation form

Thank you for your support!

The LKACF is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports charitable activities in Calhoun and Wirt Counties. The LKACF is an affiliate of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF). The PACF was established in 1963, supports charitable activities in ten counties in WV and one in OH and holds approximately $22 million in assets. The goal of LKACF is to build permanent charitable funds (endowments) that will support charitable activities in Calhoun and Wirt Counties forever

For more information about LKACF, please contact Sarah K. Holt, LKACF Representative, by calling 304-428-4438 or 1-866-428-4438 (toll-free), or by e-mail at sarah.holt@pacfwv.com The 2007 Board members for LKACF include Jim Bennett, Chair; Fred Rader, Vice Chair; Nancy Bremar, Secretary; Pat Lydon, Karen Caltrider, Alvin Engelke, Diane Ludwig, Jim Bruce, Russell Cline, Dan McDonald, Daniel Metz, Sandy Osborne, Carrie Brainard, Dee Scritchfield and Jeff Himes.