Harrison County Community Foundation celebrates first grants

CADIZ The Harrison County Community Foundation’s kick-off at Wallace Lodge at Sally Buffalo Park on Wednesday night was a resounding success. Guests gathered to learn more about this new opportunity to invest in the Harrison County community and to celebrate the Harrison County Community Foundation’s inaugural grants.

Managed and supported by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, the Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) was created by anonymous donors to provide grants to advance charitable projects of benefit to Harrison County residents, while also serving as a collective resource for all those looking to support Harrison County’s current and future opportunities through charitable giving. Wednesday night, the first investments in the HCCF transformed into grants for the community.

“Tonight was a landmark occasion for those of us who have been working to grow the Harrison County Community Foundation from the beginning,” Matt Puskarich, HCCF Committee Member. “We are excited to see the HCCF and the Harrison Hills City Schools District Fund provide our county’s students with such necessary experiences. It truly shows how the HCCF can make a difference.”

In partnership with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio and with support from the AT&T Foundation, one of the HCCF’s first two grants will send three Harrison County students to the Ohio Association of Student Councils’ leadership camp this summer. The HCCF will also provide every Harrison Hills City Schools K-3 student a book at the end of this school year. The Harrison Hills City School District Fund partnered with the HCCF to make such a significant number of books available.

The HCCF also was pleased to have special guest CEO and President of Gulfport Energy Mike Moore, in attendance. Moore, who had announced the opening of a new Gulfport Energy office in Saint Clairsville earlier in the day, joined the community dinner to announce the creation of the Gulfport Energy Fund at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.

“I was honored to join the Harrison County Community Foundation in their very first community dinner to celebrate their inaugural grants,” said Moore. “Through the creation of the Gulfport Energy Fund, we hope to support communities like Harrison County where Gulfport works.”

The Gulfport Energy Fund will support projects to enrich quality of life in Ohio counties where Gulfport is active, including Belmont, Guernsey, Harrison, and Monroe counties. More information on the Fund and the grant application process can be found on the Gulfport Energy Fund webpage on the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio's website, www.AppalachianOhio.org.

“Tonight’s dinner marks a landmark occasion for Harrison County,” said Cara Dingus Brook, president and CEO of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. “The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio is overjoyed to see the growth in philanthropy in Harrison County through the Harrison County Community Foundation and the new Gulfport Energy Fund. This is only the beginning of what philanthropy will do here.”

HCCF is guided by a local advisory committee, including Lori Milleson, Dr. Scott Pendleton, Bob Positano, Matt Puskarich, and John Tabacchi. Gifts to the Harrison County Community Foundation are tax deductible and can be made in many ways, including cash, bequests, and life insurance. To mail your donation, please designate the Harrison County Community Foundation and mail to Mike Sliva c/o 235 South Main Street, Cadiz, OH 43907 or to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, PO Box 456, Nelsonville, OH 45764. Gifts can also be made online at www.AppalachianOhio.org by selecting the Harrison County Community Foundation when donating.