Press Releases

 

“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 2010 annual meeting and awards luncheon.

 

Over 340 people gathered at The Fountains Conference Center on Nov. 5th in Salisbury to celebrate the Foundation’s charitable leadership and accomplishments during the past year.  “Creating a Community Legacy” 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, “2010 was still a remarkable year with the Foundation awarding over $4.1 million in grants and scholarship, a new all-time high.”

 

Bell reported that since its founding in 1984, the Community Foundation has distributed over $37 million in grants and scholarships and has received gifts of $75 million from donors.  He also noted that as of the end of October the Foundation holds assets of $73.6 million.

 

Board chairman James Almand said in the annual report to the community that during the past fiscal year the Foundation distributed 951 grants to nonprofits and received $5.1 million in new gifts from donors.  The Foundation currently holds 484 charitable funds that benefit the community.

 

During the annual meeting three individuals were elected to serve three-year terms on the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.   Elected were: Stephanie Willey, local sales manager for Comcast Spotlight in Salisbury; Dwight “Duke” Marshall, Jr., a Nationwide Insurance and Financial Service representative and President of Marshall’s Insurance & Financial Services in Pocomoke, Maryland; and Doctor Julius Zant, physician with Peninsula Neurological Associates in Salisbury.

 

The highlight of the Foundation’s annual meeting is the presentation of honors and awards.  Almand presented the 2010 Chairman’s Award to Art Cooley, immediate past Chairperson of the Community Foundation Board of Directors.

 

Cooley served on the Foundation’s board from 1997 to 2009.  He also served on the Kresge Challenge Committee, Perdue-Kresge Steering Committee, Capital Campaign Committee, Membership Committee, Investment Committee, Asset Development Committee, and Executive Committee.  Cooley and his wife, Billie, have been consistent donors to the Foundation and the many charities they support.  They have established non endowed and endowed funds and have helped introduce others to the Foundation.

 

Three other major Foundation Awards were also announced at the meeting, the Award of Excellence honoring Richard A. Henson that recognizes an outstanding local nonprofit organization and the Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award for two individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the community.

 

The 2010 Henson Award of Excellence for the region’s outstanding nonprofit organization was awarded to Women Supporting Women, a nonprofit organization founded in 1993.  The only organization that exclusively serves breast cancer survivors on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, Women Supporting Women provides awareness, education and support for all of those affected with breast cancer—at no cost to them.

 

Women Supporting Women is a community leader and partner with each of the area hospitals, as well as leading area physicians, surgeons, plastic surgeons and oncologists.   By providing quality hands-on service, building professional collaborations and partnerships and providing up to date and timely education and information, Women Supporting Women made a difference in over 2000 people’s lives last year.  The Foundation presented Women Supporting Women with a check for $5,000 for receiving the 2010 Richard A. Henson Award.

 

The Community Foundation’s 2010 Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award was presented to two outstanding individuals:  Donna Clark and Celeste Savage.  This year’s recipients are devoted to providing the most fundamental needs and improving the lives of the community’s homeless population.

 

Donna Clark, who is known for her passion and energy, left a career in the traditional nurse setting when she recognized the need to reach out and help a population stymied by addiction, mental health and medical issues, unemployment and homelessness.

 

Help and Outreach Point of Entry or HOPE was established by Clark out of a sheer determination to help this population.  She currently coordinates with over 27 agencies and serves as the Co-Chair for the Tri-County Alliance for the Homeless and Vice-Chair for the Wicomico County Health Planning Board.  In 2009, she was recognized as the Outstanding Health Leader of the Year in Wicomico County.

 

Our second recipient of the Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award is Celeste Savage, a recognizable and highly respected woman in segments of our community where few of us often go.

 

As the creator of Hope and Life Outreach or HALO, Savage has made a significant impact on hundreds of lives here in community.  Whether she is serving in the cold weather shelter, feeding thousands in the HALO Café, or delivering food and supplies as part of “HALO on the Streets” her time, energy and passion to meet these people’s needs earns her the recognition that she so rightly deserves.

 

The Community Foundation makes grants and provides leadership in five key areas: arts and culture, health and human services, education, historical preservation, and the environment. For more information about the Foundation visit www.cfes.org, or phone 410-742-9911.