The new YouthBuild-Loren Fortney Memorial Fund will provide perpetual funding to support a program that teaches young adults valuable construction skills while building affordable housing and other community assets to make our communities stronger.
The YouthBuild-Loren Fortney Memorial Fund is named in honor of Loren Fortney, a great man and inspired teacher who taught hundreds of crew members from 2003-2015 and again as a tutor in 2017-2018. The Fund will provide scholarships to YouthBuild graduates and provide program support to protect them from federal funding uncertainty.
Loren Dow Fortney suddenly passed on April 12, 2020. He was on his way to feed his horses, doing what he loved. Until 2015, Loren was employed by the Randolph County Housing Authority as a teacher/education coordinator/principal and all-around youth-wrangler at the YouthBuild North Central program.
Since 1995, YouthBuild North Central WV has helped young adults from West Virginia become self-sufficient, responsible members of their communities. It provides young adults the tools they need to get a good job and keep it. YouthBuild also helps its participants plan for the future. This may involve career counseling, advice on applying to colleges, finding advanced vocational training, or other support.
To donate to the YouthBuild-Loren Fortney Memorial Fund, make checks payable to TCF – YouthBuild-Loren Fortney Memorial Fund, and mail to the Tucker Community Foundation, P.O. Box 491, Parsons, WV 26287. Online donations can be made at www.tuckerfoundation.net.
The Tucker Community Foundation manages more than 130 endowed funds providing annual scholarships and grants to nonprofits and charitable causes throughout the eight-county service area. Inspired by the flood of 1985, the mission of the Foundation is to create opportunities for the communities we serve. For more information on how to set-up an endowed fund or to learn about the foundation, call 304-478-2930.
