BAF’s Community Grant Program Awards $220,553.28 to Charitable Projects in Raleigh County

BAF's Community Grant Program awards annual 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.
 
Fifteen 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.
 
The BAF Board of Directors approved $220,553.28 to fund 44 projects between April 2023 and March 2024.
 
Areas of Interest Breakdown:
Health & Human Services - $129,040.47
Education - $36,401.61
Arts - $29,361.20
Public Recreation - $13,345.00
Civic Beautification - $7,405.00
Animal Services - $5,000.00

The Raleigh County Public Library's project in 2022 was a summer reading program called, "An Ocean of Stories" to help maintain the children’s reading levels between school sessions. Children 3-13 kept a reading log each week to show that they completed their book. The majority of children in the program read at least 8 books over the summer. Prizes and crafts were also incorporated into the program to help incentivize reading.

“In Summer 2022, the Raleigh County Public Library put on a summer reading program for close to 400 children per week at our Beckley location. Thanks to area donors and organizations, our staff can help to make reading fun all summer long. We hope to see you this summer where we invite you to — Read Beyond the Beaten Path.”
— Amy Stover | Director, Raleigh County Public Library

Full listing of funded projects:

• Active Southern WV | Getting Beckley Fit with REFIT - $1,345.00
• American Red Cross: Central Appalachia Region | Disaster Cycle Services - Direct Client Assistance - Raleigh County - $5,075.00
• Appalachian Reading Center, Inc. | Dyslexia Services for Low-Income Youth in Raleigh County - $6,000.00
• AWAY | The Rehoming Survivors Project - $7,000.00
• Beaver Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. | Swiftwater Rescue Equipment - $7,000.00
• Beckley Art Group, Inc. | Sustainable Facility Improvements - $5,632.20
• Beckley Health Right | Restorative Dental Project - $7,000.00
• Beckley Stratton Middle School | Taking 3D Printing to the Next Level of Creativity - $2,188.47
• BEX | 2023 Arts Week - $5,500.00
• BRCCC Foundation, Inc. | Piney Creek Gorge Public Art Mural - $7,000.00
• Bread of Life Outreach Center | Senior Citizen Utility Relief - $7,000.00
• Catholic Charities West Virginia | Basic Needs Assistance - $4,000.00
• Children's Home Society of WV | Exception Youth Family Support CHS Program - $4,500.00
• Coal City Volunteer Fire Department | Cascade System - $3,500.00
• Crab Orchard Baptist Church N.O.W. Program | Beyond Hunger - $7,000.00
• Crescent Elementary School | Chipmunk Storage - $1,200.00
• Glade-Pinch Creek Trout Association | Sustained Environmental Use for Wildlife and Fisheries - $4,850.00
• Harmony's Breath | Pregnancy and Infant Loss Resources - $1,000.00
• Helping Hands Community Resource Center, Inc | Food Distribution Program - $7,000.00
• Hope In the Mountains, Inc. | Freezer for Food Pantry - $3,745.00
• Hospice of Southern WV | Food for Body and Soul - $7,000.00
• The Humane Society of Raleigh County | "Everafter" - $5,000.00
• Lillian James Learning Center | Lighting - $650.26
• Piney Creek Watershed Association | Septic Repair of Low-Income Residents - $7,000.00
• Quota Club of Beckley, Inc. | Empty Bowls - $7,000.00
• Raleigh County Board of Education | Continental Carousel: Streaming through the World - $7,000.00
• Raleigh County Board of Education | Kindergarteners Under Construction - $6,189.18
• Raleigh County Commission on Aging | Elliptical Exercise Machine - $4,270.21
• Raleigh County Historical Society | Early County Transportation - $2,555.00
• Raleigh County Parks and Recreation | Outdoor Movie System - $5,000.00
• Raleigh County Public Library | Read Beyond the Beaten Path - $3,500.00
• Shady Spring Branch Library | Computer Upgrades - $1,832.00
• Southern Appalachian Labor School | Protecting the Family Home III - $7,000.00
• Southern WV Preparedness Partnership | Raleigh County Emergency Preparedness Fair - $1,500.00
• The Carpenter's Corner Inc. | Food and Supplies - $6,600.00
• The Marshall University Foundation, Inc. | Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - $7,000.00
• The Raleigh County 4-H Youth Camp, Inc. | Food Warming Cabinet - $6,000.00
• The Salvation Army | Food Pantry - $7,000.00
• United Methodist Temple F.O.L.K. Ministry | Feed Our Local Kids - $7,000.00
• United Way of Southern WV, Inc. | Read Across Raleigh County - $4,742.05
• WV Professional Dance Company | Continental Carousel: STREAMING the Globe - $4,229.00
• WVU Foundation, Inc. | Technology for Low-Income/Minorities/First Generation HSTA Students - $4,949.91
• WVU Foundation, Inc. | Children's Vision Rehabilitation Program - $3,000.00
• YMCA of Southern WV | CPR Training Equipment & Lifeguard Rescue/Training Equipment - $7,000.00

​Anyone interested in growing the pool of unrestricted funds that are used to address emerging needs and special projects can make donations in any amount to any unrestricted fund. Mail contributions to BAF, 1210 South Kanawha Street, Beckley, WV 25801, or donate by filling out the form below. If you are interested in starting a named unrestricted fund, call the foundation at 304-253-3806 or email [email protected].