A designated fund is established by a donor to benefit a specific charity, or program for a charity. Since the first designated fund was established in 1986, BAF has had the honor of helping donors support the organizations they are most passionate about. To date, over seven million dollars has been distributed from designated funds.

BAF distributed $551,354 to 76 organizations from designated funds for the 2024 distribution cycle.

The grant awards are as follows:

• American Red Cross – Raleigh County, WV $3,103
  

“Red Cross responds to disasters every 8 minutes and these generous donations will help those impacted.”
— Angela Akers | Disaster Program Manager, Central and Southern Chapter

• Animal Control and Welfare Project $2,165
• Appalachian Bible College $6,623
• AWAY $26,408
• BAF - Green River Garden Center $1,444
• Beckley Art Group, Inc. $2,825
• Beckley Babe Ruth League, Inc. $757
• Beckley Concert Association $14,106
• Beckley Dream Center $85
• Beckley Little League, Inc. $3,805
• Beckley Presbyterian Church $62,468
• Beckley-Stratton Middle School $627
• Black Diamond Girl Scout Council $2,148
• Bluefield State University $500
• Bluestone Baptist Church $2,051
• Bradley-Prosperity Volunteer Fire Department $2,246
• Buckskin Council of Boy Scouts of America $3,023
• Burlington United Methodist Family Services $409
• Carpenter’s Corner $547
• Children’s Home Society of West Virginia $2,166
• City of Beckley $18,216
• Concord University $1,385
• Cranberry Baptist Church $1,266
• Davis Stuart, Inc. $870
• Family Crisis Center, Inc. $2,166
• Fayette County Public Library $7,334
• First Baptist Church $6,910
• First Christian Church $2,838
• First United Methodist Church $922
• Friends of the Beckley Library $1,656
• Fuller Center for Housing of Beckley, WV $3,999
• Harrah Cemetery Improvement Association $461
• Helping Hands Resource Center $22,271
• Hospice of Southern West Virginia, Inc. $33,962
• Humane Society of Raleigh County $57,958
• Just for Kids $18,648

“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of BAF in supporting our efforts at Just for Kids Child Advocacy Center. These funds will help provide comfort and support to child abuse victims.”
— Dr. Deanee' Johnson, Ph.D. | Executive Director, Just for Kids Child Advocacy Center

• Lillian James Learning Center $538
• Mac’s Toy Fund $35,000
• Marshall Baseball $131
• Mountain Heart Foundation $2,500
• New River Humane Society, Inc. $2,033
• Operation Underdog $456
• Philanthropy WV $237
• Piney Creek Watershed Association $1,291
• Princeton Public Library $631
• Raleigh County Board of Education $7,358
• Raleigh County Commission on Aging $3,302

“BAF has been a godsend to this community for many years. They have supported the RCCOA’s efforts to serve the senior citizens of Raleigh County and southern W. Va. by directing much needed financial awards to us on numerous occasions. Equally important, BAF has provided the means and the opportunities for our residents to create their own funds to financially support agencies and causes so very important to them. The designated funds established at BAF by supporters of our agency are so essential to our mission of helping our senior citizens keep the most valuable thing they own, their independence. Thank you, BAF.”
— Jack Tanner | Executive Director, RCCOA

• Raleigh County Emergency Housing Center $225
• Raleigh County Historical Society $680
• Raleigh County NAACP $1,360
• Raleigh County Public Library $7,342
• Raleigh County Special Olympics $556
• Richard A. Rice Fund – Building Fund $18,874
• Southern WV Fellowship Home $2,189
• St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church $550
• St. Francis De Sales Catholic School $6,847
• St. Matthews AME Church $751
• St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church $6,748
• Storm Haven Inc $952
• Temple Beth El $2,095
• The First Tee of West Virginia $2,279
• The Salvation Army $15,526

“The Salvation Army is so thankful for the synergy of our community members and BAF. Meeting human need is foundational to our mission wherever need is found — food insecurity, utility assistance, after-school programing or summer camps. These funds will meet needs for families and individuals as we seek to continue to ‘Do the Most Good’ for those whose need us most.”
— Liz Blusiewicz | Captain, The Salvation Army Beckley Corps

• Theatre West Virginia, Inc. $2,872

“I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to BAF for their unwavering support of Theatre WV. Their generous contributions have played a vital role in empowering our community's artists. With their support, TWV has been able to provide essential resources, educational programs, and initiatives that have made a significant impact on the lives of countless artists in our area. I extend my deepest gratitude to BAF for their continued support. Together, we can create a world where every artist’s voice is heard, valued, and celebrated.” — Gayle Oaks | General Manager, Theatre WV

• Three Rivers Avian Center $1,848
• United Methodist Temple $2,485
• United Way $29,253
• University of Charleston – Beckley $26,778
• West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc. $7,867
• Wildwood Cemetery Preservation Association $8,500
• Woman’s Club of Beckley $1,162
• Woodrow Wilson High School $300
• Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1960 Scholarship Fund $375
• Wyoming County Paw Patrol, Inc. $8,500
• Wyoming County Toy Fund Inc $1,238
• YMCA of Southern West Virginia $18,935
• Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia $2,427

“The Youth Museum extends its heartfelt gratitude to the visionary donors who established our endowment with BAF. Their ongoing generosity allows us to deliver impactful programs that align with our mission of serving children throughout the area.”
— Leslie Baker | Director of Parks and Rec, City of Beckley

​Anyone interested in donating to a designated fund may mail contributions with the name of the fund in the memo to BAF, 1210 S. Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV 25801 or click the button below to donate online. If you are interested in starting a designated fund or leaving a legacy gift, call BAF at 304-253-3806 or email [email protected].

Dr. Charles A. Beasley was born in Summerlee, WV, in 1934, to Emerson McKinley and Maude (Gwinn) Beasley. Like his father and grandfathers, Charles enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the minerals industry. His achievements spanned the worlds of advanced education, engineering, corporate leadership, the federal government, environmentalism, volunteerism, advocacy, theology, poetry, and loyal friendship. Charles received undergraduate and graduate degrees summa cum laude in Mining & Minerals Engineering from Ohio State University, a Doctorate of Minerals Engineering with a minor in Law from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Theology from Colgate Rochester Seminary. He was elected to the Engineering Honorary Tau Beta Pi at OSU and was a Phi Sigma Kappa member.
 
Dr. Beasley held faculty positions at Ohio State, Virginia Tech, the University of Alaska, McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and was an adjunct professor at the Colorado School of Mines. He served as Professor and Chair of Mining Engineering at the Missouri School of Mines, where he was also Acting Director of the Explosives Research Laboratory. Notably, Dr. Beasley was Professor and Chair of five combined Engineering, Technology, and Education programs at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo. He served concurrently as Director of the Center of Environmental Research and Education and as Director of the off campus Industrial Effectiveness Program for Manufacturing. While at SUNY, he was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to build a water research station on Lake Erie. His corporate involvements include mining engineering duties at Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. in PA, OH, and WV; Senior Engineer for Dravo Corporation in Denver; Director of Mining for Law Engineering in Atlanta; and Manager of Eastern Mining Operations for Nuclear Utility Services. As a charter member of the Federal Government's Senior Executive Service (SES), Charles helped establish the Office of Surface Mining within the U.S. Department of the Interior, under the Carter and Reagan administrations, to regulate the environmental effects of mining in the United States. As such, Dr. Beasley served as Regional Director for WV, PA, MD, & VA; as Assistant Director in Washington to implement the abandoned mine land reclamation program; and as Special Assistant to the Director, Conservation Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA. Dr. Beasley co-founded two corporations: Geonomics Associates in Fairbanks, Alaska, to provide consultation concerning the petroliferous potential of the North Slope, and Resource Recovery and Reclamation (3R Corp) in Denver to provide mining services. He authored more than 50 publications and presentations and served as a consultant for more than 60 energy, mining, and manufacturing interests. He proudly consulted for the Crow Nation in Montana, the World Bank project in association with Oklahoma State in Jordan, lectured on Engineering Ethics in Germany, and served Spanish business interests.
 
Dr. Beasley established several funds at Beckley Area Foundation, to fund WV students' educational needs, and expressed so much appreciation for his life-long friendships within the very talented Woodrow Wilson Class of 1952. In retirement, Charles served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Abused and Neglected Children (CASA) and enjoyed writing 'really bad verse' for family, friends, and special events. The Mining Industry Hall of Fame named him Poet Laureate of the Mining Industry for 2002.
​
Anyone interested in donating to this fund may mail contributions with “Beasley Choir Fund” in the memo to BAF, 1210 S. Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV 25801 or click the button below to donate online. If you are interested in starting a fund or leaving a legacy gift, call BAF at 304-253-3806 or email [email protected].

BAF celebrated a successful year of charitable grantmaking by recognizing unrestricted donors, and the most recent Community Grant Program recipients. 

The Community Grant Program awards discretionary grants to charitable organizations serving Raleigh County in the areas of animal services, the arts, civic beautification, education, health & human services, and public recreation.

BAF has 84 unrestricted funds that award over $300,000 each year to charitable organizations that benefit Raleigh County. Over time, these funds have awarded over $4.2 million to support Raleigh County projects.

During the event, Beth Jarrell, Chair of the Empty Bowls project at Quota Club of Beckley, gave an inspiring speech on what it means to work together as a community. The Empty Bowls fundraiser will be held at the United Methodist Temple, The Place on April 13th from noon to 2pm.

​Sixteen volunteers representing a cross section of our community spent hours reading every grant proposal, scoring them, and discussing them to recommend grant awards. The BAF Board of Directors reviewed the committee grant recommendations for final approval.

BAF was joined by over 35 local organizations who were recognized for their project and grant award. The BAF Board of Directors approved a total of $286,633 in Community Grant Awards to support 46 organizations — The most grant dollars BAF has ever awarded at one time from this program.

BAF would like to thank everyone who helped make this dinner a success.

Thank you to our Donors. The vision you have to support organizations now, and leave a lasting legacy for the future is inspiring. BAF is honored to help facilitate charitable giving that advances our community.

Thank you to our local organizations. Each of you are critical to the success of Raleigh County. The impact you have on the community is unmeasurable, and BAF is honored to support your efforts.

Thank you to the many volunteers, committee members and board members who continue to support BAF, we are immensely grateful for your contributions.​

Thank you Karen Akers for being our photographer for this event, and many others in the past.

Anyone interested in donating to our unrestricted funds may mail contributions with “Power of Community” in the memo to BAF, 1210 S. Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV 25801 or click the button below to donate online. If you are interested in starting a fund or leaving a legacy gift, call BAF at 304-253-3806 or email [email protected].

To build a legacy of helping others, contribute to the community, and instill the value of education, the Shady Spring High School Class of 1969 recently established the “SSHS Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund”. This scholarship will support matriculating seniors from SSHS attending a college, technical or vocational school in West Virginia.

The SSHS Class of 1969 was diverse, but filled with comradery, as evidenced by the commitment to establishing a scholarship of posterity during their 50th year reunion. The foundational funding was realized within a short three years when they celebrated together in their 53rd year.  Their very first annual $500 scholarship was awarded this past school year (2023) during Shady Spring High School’s 100th year! The Class of 1969 were so proud to launch this representation of their legacy!

​Anyone interested in donating to this fund may mail contributions with “SSHS 1969” in the memo to BAF, 1210 South Kanawha St., Beckley, WV 25801 or click the button below to donate online. If you are interested in starting a fund or leaving a legacy gift, call BAF at 304-253-3806 or email [email protected].