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2009 Annual Meeting & Awards
November 09, 2009
“In spite of challenging times, the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore remains strong, pro-active and focused on the future,” said Spicer Bell, Foundation President, at the nonprofit organization’s 2009 annual meeting and awards luncheon.
Over 320 people gathered at The Fountains Conference Center on Nov. 6th in
Salisbury to celebrate the Foundation’s charitable leadership and accomplishments during the past year. “Giving Back to Our Community” was the Foundation’s theme for the meeting.
The Foundation reported on its activities during the past year in support of nonprofit organizations on
Maryland’s
Lower Eastern Shore.
Bell noted that despite a tough investment market during the past 12 months, “2009 was still a remarkable year with the Foundation awarding $3,319,000 in grants and scholarship, a new all-time high.”
Bell reported that since its founding in 1984, the Community Foundation has distributed over $36 million in grants and scholarships and has received gifts of $60 million from donors. He also noted that as of the end of October the Foundation has assets of $64.6 million.
Board chairman Arthur M. Cooley said in the annual report to the community that during the past fiscal year the Foundation distributed 884 grants to nonprofits and received $2.9 million in new gifts from donors. The Foundation currently holds 468 charitable funds that benefit the community.
During the annual meeting four individuals were elected to serve three-year terms on the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors. Elected were: John Allen, vice-president of Delmarva Power’s Bay Region Service Territory; John Barrett, co-owner of Barrett Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep in Berlin; Jim Thomas, president and CEO of George, Miles & Buhr, LLC, Engineers and Architects; and Dave Vorhis, a partner in the law firm of Webb, Burnett, Cornbrooks, Wilbur, Vorhis, Douse & Masson, LLP.
The highlight of the Foundation’s annual meeting is the presentation of honors and awards. Cooley presented the 2009 Chairman’s Award to the late Al Balfany, of
Salisbury, who passed away earlier this year and was a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
“When Al Bafany passed away the Foundation lost a truly loyal friend and advocate,” Cooley said. “Al was always there when we needed his advice and council. He enjoyed his work with the Foundation and seemed to take great pleasure in telling others about the Foundation’s good works.”
Balfany served on the Foundation’s board from 2000 to 2009. He also served on the Executive Committee, the Asset Development Committee, the Community Needs Grants Committee, the Investment Committee, the Excellence in Education Committee and the Perdue-Kresge Committee. Balfany also generously supported the Foundation with gifts to the Annual Appeal and Kresge Challenge.
Two other major Community Foundation Awards were also announced at the meeting, the Award of Excellence honoring Richard A. Henson that recognizes outstanding local nonprofit organizations and the Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award for an individual who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to the community.
The 2009 Henson Award of Excellence for the region’s outstanding nonprofit organization was awarded to “Kids of Honor”, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001. “Although relatively young, this year’s Henson Award Winning nonprofit has already made a significant impact on the lives of young people across the Lower Eastern Shore with a commitment to a focused mission to empower youth to stay in high school and graduate,” said Jan Perdue, who announced the award.
Kids of Honor works with 15 partner programs that assist youth in grades 4 through 12. By partnering with existing youth programs, Kids of Honor provides structure and opportunity to develop positive life skills that over time are engrained in the lives of students. The program has already had a positive impact, helping 47 students to graduate from high school. The Foundation presented Kids of Honor with a check for $5,000 for receiving the 2009 Henson Award.
The Community Foundation’s 2009 Morris Humanitarian Award was presented to Bill Gordy, of Salisbury, a citizen who is known for his passion and focus as a volunteer firefighter. Gordy has been on-call every other week, 24-hours a day as a volunteer fireman for 35 years. He currently serves as the deputy chief of the Salisbury Fire Department’s Volunteer Division.
Gordy also organized a highly successful scholarship program at
Salisbury
University to benefit the families of first responders who were victims of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on
New York City’s
World
Trade
Center in 2001. The 2009 Morris Award winner also organized a team of people to travel to the
Gulf
Coast town of
Slidell,
Louisiana to help the citizens recover from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In recognition of the 2009 Morris Humanitarian Award the Foundation will make a $1,000 gift to Gordy’s favorite charity.
2008 Annual Meeting Celebrates 25 Yrs. of Charitable Leadership
November 07, 2008
Over 300 people gathered to celebrate 25 years of charitable leadership at the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s (CFES) annual meeting and awards luncheon on Friday, Nov. 7th at The Fountains Conference Center in
Salisbury.
“We are faced with the most challenging economic times in the history of our Foundation and as a result of those challenges there is an increasing demand for services from the nonprofit sector to meet community needs,” said
Spicer Bell, CFES President. “The Community Foundation is here to help support the charitable organizations of today and looking forward to the next 25 years and beyond. Our support in the community remains strong and our commitment to our mission and resolve has never been stronger,”
Bell noted.
The Foundation reported on its activities during the past year in support of nonprofit organizations and reported record levels of scholarships, grants and other initiatives to benefit the citizens of the
Lower Eastern Shore. Since its founding in 1984, the Community Foundation has distributed $32 million in grants to support charitable programs in the region.
Board chairman Arthur M. Cooley presented the annual report to the community noting that during the past fiscal year the Foundation set a new record in grant making by distributing $3.2 million through 1095 grants to the community. Cooley also noted that during fiscal 2008 the Foundation’s assets reached $68.2 million, with $4.6 million received in new gifts from donors. The Foundation currently holds 455 charitable funds that benefit the community.
As part of their 25th Anniversary celebration, the Foundation announced they will award a 25th Anniversary Community Partnership Prize. The prize, to be awarded at the Foundation’s 25th birthday celebration in May, will recognize nonprofit organizations that initiate innovative partnerships and collaborative efforts that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the local nonprofit community.
During the annual meeting, Kathleen McLain of Salisbury, Lauren Taylor of Ocean City, and Ernie Satchell of Princess Anne, were nominated to serve three-year terms on the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.
The highlight of the annual meeting is the presentation of honors and awards. Cooley presented the 2008 Chairman’s Award to Jeff Turner of the
Somerset
County community of Chance. Turner is serving his fourth three-year term as a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Cooley praised Turner for the support he has provided and continues to provide on several Foundation committees.
Cooley said, “It is my pleasure to present the Chairman’s award to someone who generously gives his time to serve on several standing Committees including the Investment Committee, the Richard Henson Award of Excellence Committee, and as the current chair for the Membership Committee.”
For the first time the Foundation honored two nonprofit organizations as recipients of the Henson Award of Excellence as the region’s outstanding nonprofit organizations. Receiving the Henson Award were The Village of Hope and Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County. Both organizations were founded in
Salisbury and have just celebrated their 20th anniversaries.
The
Village of
Hope provides safe transitional housing for homeless women with and without dependent children. The organization also provides primary medical care for uninsured women over the age of 18. In just the last couple of years, the
Village
Medical
Center has rendered patient care to over 8,000 poor and uninsured individuals.
The nonprofit organization serves
Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties and has a rich tradition of working with other local organizations to maximize the impact of its services. During the last year The Village of Hope provided 8,203 bed nights for 20 previously homeless women and their 29 children.
Homeless women in residence at The Village of Hope benefit from a structured, supervised facility, and are assisted in exploring educational and vocational opportunities that will lead them to self-sufficiency. Residents at The Village of Hope are required to be drug-free, employed or attending school. Residents in the transitional living facility may stay in the program for up to two years.
The second Henson Award of Excellence recipient, Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County provides an opportunity for decent, affordable housing through interest-free mortgage.
Fifty Habitat homes have been completed in
Wicomico
County serving about 150 individuals. Applicants for Habitat homes must attend Financial Fitness Classes and a Home Ownership workshop, save about $2,000 for closing costs and complete 300 sweat equity hours either in their home or another Habitat home under construction.
Habitat for Humanity’s success has been demonstrated through its strong leadership in neighborhood revitalization efforts in
Salisbury. Habitat provides the means for a wide spectrum of individuals and organizations to re-invest in rebuilding the
Church Street neighborhood that is only a short walk from downtown.
The Community Foundation’s 2008 Morris Humanitarian Award was presented to John “Jay” Tawes, of Crisfield, who has spent a lifetime supporting the residents and organizations of his community with a special level of passion and commitment. Tawes has been an active volunteer for over 30 years and is known for his kindness and professional leadership in the community.
Tawes is well known for his uncommonly dedicated volunteer service to the Crisfield area. Events which he has supported as a volunteer includes the annual J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake, the National Hard Crab Derby, the Scorchy Tawes Pro-Am Fishing Tournament, and the Terrapin Fish Fry. Jay Tawes has served as president of the Crisfield Chamber of Commerce and is currently a board member and Finance Committee Chair for the Chamber.
Tawes has participated in the Crisfield Volunteer Fire Department, Crisfield Lions Club, the Crisfield Yacht Club, the Crisfield Salvation Army and the Crisfield Kiwanis Club. He has also been a member and leader of the Somerset County Economic Development Commission, the Tri-County Council Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee, the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance and served on the Wor-Wic Community College Foundation board of directors. Tawes is currently serving as the chair of the McCready Foundation’s Nursing Home Capital Campaign.
A video recording courtesy of Pac14 is available here.
Celebrating 25 Years!
July 15, 2008
You will be seeing that a lot over the next year as the Community Foundation celebrates its twenty-fifth year of charitable leadership on the
Eastern Shore. From humble beginnings, the Foundation has grown to have a major impact on the quality of life for thousands of local citizens each year.
We now find ourselves in challenging economic times that place great stress on many local families and our communities – times that make the work done by the Foundation and other local charities even more important than ever. Each day, we seem to be bombarded by negative economic news. In this environment it is natural to hold back and be reluctant to give away what we have. But, now is when our generosity is needed most. Take time now to look into your heart, count your blessings and seek ways to share those blessings with those less fortunate. It is in these tough economic times that we all need to reach out.
Over the last twenty-five years the community has generously supported the growth of the Community Foundation. In the coming months, we will be digging into those resources to reach out to our community in this time of need, but we and the charitable organizations we support need your help. Act now. Find a charity or faith-based organization that is doing good and important work in the community and reach out to them. Now is no time to hold back. Our community needs us and is counting on us.
As the Community Foundation begins our celebration of twenty-five years of charitable work, join us in our celebration and help us energize the philanthropic spirit of our community. Now is the time for us to continue the tradition of generosity and charitable giving that the
Eastern Shore is known for. Please find a way to help.
A television commercial featuring the Community Foundation is available for viewing here.
2007 Annual Meeting & Awards
November 02, 2007
Record Community Needs Grants
October 16, 2007
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