Press Releases

^{Over 300 people who care about helping improve the lives of fellow citizens on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore gathered to celebrate record levels of charitable giving at the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s (CFES) 23rd annual meeting and awards luncheon on Friday, Nov. 2nd at The Fountains Conference Center in Salisbury.}

^{The Foundation reported on its activities during the past year in support of nonprofit organizations, in providing scholarships, nonprofits support programs and other initiatives to improve the quality of life for citizens of Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties. Since its founding in 1984, the Community Foundation has distributed $28.9 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 955 grants to the community. Cooley also noted that during fiscal 2007 the Foundation’s assets had grown to $68.5 million, with $7.8 million being received in new gifts from donors. The Foundation currently holds 415 charitable funds that benefit the community.}

^{During the annual meeting, Don Taylor of Salisbury and Brian Shockley of Ocean City were nominated to a 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 2007 Chairman’s Award to Raymond C. Shockley of Ocean City. Shockley is a partner in the law firm of Williams, Moore, Shockley & Harrison, LLP and served on the}

^{Community Foundation Board of Directors for 12 years until 2005. He also served on several standing committees and was the secretary of the Foundation’s Executive Committee.}

^{Cooley praised Shockley for the support he continues to provide as an ambassador for the Foundation. "His advocacy has enabled the Community Foundation to establish relationships with many individuals that have subsequently established their own permanent legacies," Cooley said. He also noted Shockley has been responsible for creating over $2 million in Foundation endowment funds and is a member of the Community Foundation’s Legacy Society.}

^{Two other major Foundation Awards were also announced --- the Award of Excellence honoring Richard A. Henson that recognizes an outstanding local nonprofit organization, and the Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award for an individual who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to the community.}

^{Lower Shore Enterprises was honored as the Henson Award recipient for this year’s outstanding nonprofit organization in the region. They were recognized as an inspiring group of people who are dedicated to creating possibilities for adolescents and adults with physical, mental and emotional disabilities.}

^{Founded in 1967, Lower Shore Enterprises focuses on training persons with disabilities to work within our community. This organization provides their clients with not only work to earn a paycheck, but self esteem by providing an environment where they are rewarded for determination, creativity and applying the training they receive.}

^{Starting by serving just 12 individuals in their first year, Lower Shore Enterprises now serves 117 people on a daily basis either in their training facility or within the community. They also were chosen this year by the US Department of Labor to participate in the High School/High Tech program to train students with disabilities for high tech employment.}

^{Accepting the Award of Excellence for Lower Shore Enterprises were Jack Nichols, Founder; Mike Purkey, president; and Walt Moore, board president.}

^{The Community Foundation’s 2007 Morris Humanitarian Award was presented to Jack Lewis of Delmar, DE. For over 30 years Lewis has championed the cause of the Holly Community, Inc., the Eastern Shore’s resource for improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families.}

^{Lewis has been listed as among the top walkers in Walk America for the last 20 years in support of the Eastern Shore Division of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. This year’s Morris Humanitarian Award winner has also been an enthusiastic and effective supporter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and has served six times as Post Commander of VFW Post 194 in Salisbury.}

^{In these capacities with the local VFW Post, Lewis has been responsible for the distribution of over $180,000 annually to the charities that serve the needy in our community. In addition, Lewis volunteers as a member of the military Honor Guard that presides at military funerals.}

^{The purpose of The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore is to empower donors to make a profound difference in the quality of human and community life in Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore, today and tomorrow.}

^{As a community foundation, CFES makes grants and provides leadership in five key areas: arts and culture, health and human services, education, historical preservation, and the environment. The Foundation also provides community leadership through local initiatives, charitable partnerships and nonprofit support programs.}

^{CFES has been an effective steward of the community’s charitable resources since 1984, inspiring philanthropy in the Maryland counties of Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester. For more information about the Community Foundation visit the Foundation’s web site at www.cfes.org, or phone 410-742-9911.}