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 Community Foundation’s 2011 annual meeting and awards luncheon.

 

Over 300 people gathered at The Fountains Conference Center on November 4 to celebrate the Foundation’s charitable leadership and accomplishments during the past year.  “Changing Lives…one at a time” was the Foundation’s theme for the meeting.

 

The Foundation reported on its activities during the past year to promote and support philanthropy on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore.  Bell noted that despite a tough investment market during the past 12 months, “2011 was still a remarkable year with the Foundation awarding over $3.5 million in grants and scholarships.”

 

Bell reported that since its founding in 1984, the Community Foundation has distributed over $40 million in grants and scholarships and has received gifts of $78.8 million from donors.  He also noted that as of the end of the Fiscal year in June 2011, the Foundation held assets of $81.3 million.

 

Over the past year, the Foundation distributed 1,011 grants to nonprofits and received $3 million in new gifts from donors.  The Foundation currently holds 505 charitable funds that benefit the community.

 

During the annual meeting, two individuals were elected to serve three-year terms on the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.  Elected were Dr. Carolyn Johnston, a Supervisor for Reading at the Wicomico County Board of Education; and Mr. Michael Truitt CRPC, Vice President and a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.

 

The highlight of the Foundation’s annual meeting is the presentation of honors and awards.  Almand presented the 2011 Chairman’s Award to Karen Lischick, Community Foundation board member.  Lischick served on the Foundation’s board from 1999 to 2011 and served as chair of the Community Needs Committee for seven of those years.

 

Three other major Foundation Awards were also announced at the meeting: the 2011 Volunteer of the Year Award that recognizes an individual who has made outstanding, sustained, and unselfish contributions in the field of direct community service; the Henson Award of Nonprofit Excellence honoring the year’s most outstanding nonprofit organization; and the Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award honoring an individual for uncommon philanthropic service to the community.

 

The 2011 Volunteer of the Year Award, sponsored in part by the Maryland Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism, was awarded to Mary Gladys Jones, Founder of Fruitland Community Center.  For 28 years, Mrs. Jones has been the Center’s driving force, providing students much needed love, academic support, accountability, and discipline.  Mrs. Jones has kept the door and her arms open, welcoming over 1200 students who have passed through the door of the Fruitland Community Center. 

 

The Community Foundation’s 2011 Henson Award for Nonprofit Excellence, sponsored by PNC Bank, was presented to the Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services, Inc. (WYFCS) for providing essential mental health counseling, social education, advocacy, mentoring, and related services to underserved populations in Worcester County.  Founded in 1975, WYFCS provides services and resource networking to anyone regardless of their ability to pay.  WYFCS touches the lives of more than 2,000 individuals and families each year.  Over the past three decades, the organization’s services and innovative programs have served over 42,000 local community members.

 

Martin T. Neat, President and CEO of First Shore Federal Savings and Loan Association was awarded the 2011 Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award.  His lifetime commitment to community service, exemplary leadership, integrity, and generosity of time and talents reflects the humanitarian ideals and human values that epitomized Frank Morris’ life.  Mr. Neat has been a leader and participant in making this community a better place to be.

 

The Annual Report & Annual Meeting sponsors include PNC Bank, Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc., BB&T Bank, Calvin B. Taylor Bank, First Shore Federal Savings and Loan, Francis Scott Key Family Resort, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Raymond C. Shockley, and Pam and Macky Stansell.

About the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore: The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore (CFES) is the community foundation serving the Lower Shore of Maryland since 1984, granting more than $27 million over the past ten years.  Through the generosity and vision of our donors, CFES awarded grants totaling more than $3.5 million in fiscal year 2011.  CFES brings together donors and builds on community assets through scholarships, grants, advocacy, and leadership development.  By focusing on people, organizations, neighborhoods, and nonprofit capacity building, the Foundation addresses community needs in the areas of health, education, arts and culture, community development, and the environment.  In response to the economic downturn, CFES is currently focusing funding on safety net partner organizations.  The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore serves Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties.  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 call 410-742-9911.