Tucker County Rotarians gather around Tucker Community Foundation Development Director Diane Hinkle to hear of the many accomplishments and goals of the Foundation Wednesday in Davis.
Not your typical community foundation
DAVIS – A local leader of a community foundation shared where her group had been, one of its goals and what lies ahead on the horizon. Diane Hinkle, Development Director of the Tucker Community Foundation, said she googled the strategic plan of Rotary and found it was similar to that of the Foundation.
“Your strategic plan says you plan that your future is as strong as your past,” Hinkle said. “That fits right into the mission statement of Tucker Community Foundation which is creating opportunities for the communities we serve.”
Hinkle said 2014 was the 25th anniversary of Tucker Community Foundation. She said the Foundation started in 1989 on the heels of the 1985 flood. “We started in Tucker County and we now serve eight counties.”
“In 2014 the number of people and the amount of money invested in our community exceeded anything we have done in any previous year,” Hinkle said. “In looking back, in our first annual report, our contributions and income was just a little less than $10,000. We moved ahead 10 years to 2000. Our income and our contributions were just under $60,000. We were thrilled with that.”
Hinkle said in 2010, the Foundation income and contributions had grown to just under $400,000.
“In 2014, I am happy to report that we are a little over $700,000 for income and contributions,” Hinkle said. “My hats off to all of you because it is the community that makes the foundation, not vice versa. You all have done a terrific job of building this foundation and it enables us to create opportunities for the communities we serve.”
Hinkle said the major partners in addition to their donors include the Bernard McDonough Foundation out of Parkersburg, Dominion Foundation, USDA and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
“Last year was the first year we granted out more than $1 million,” Hinkle said. “We never imagined that day would come. A lot of that was due to the finance committee capturing the capital gains on the William M. Harman Memorial Fund which benefits Parsons.”
The Tucker Community Foundation manages more than 100 endowed funds. “I think it’s important to note how these funds were initiated. I think many people think endowments are funded at the time you do estate planning or it’s only for us old grey haired folks who are getting up in years.”
Hinkle said endowed funds can be created by anyone. “You are creating your legacy because that fund will be there forever. You can name it whatever you want and you can determine how it is distributed. It sets your place in stone in the community.”
Hinkle said last year the Brad Ramsey Fund was established by his daughter through an employer match program. “Within a year, she was able to endow a scholarship fund.”
The TED Fund is what Hinkle said she wanted to hone in on.
“The Tucker County Economic & Community Development Fund was seeded with a challenge match from our Foundation,” Hinkle said.
The TED Fund supports activities related to job creation, job retention and general improvements to the business climate of Tucker County. Annual grants will be awarded based on the recommendation of the TED Grants Committee and upon approval by the Board of Directors of TCF. Grants from the fund may be used for community development activities such as real estate acquisition, relocation, demolition, rehabilitation of housing and commercial buildings; construction of public facilities and improvements such as water, sewer and other utilities, street paving and sidewalks; construction and maintenance of community centers, and the conversion of school buildings, public services and economic development and job creation and retention services. TED funds can be used for preservation and restoration of historic properties in underserved neighborhoods.
“We can’t issue any grant from this fund until we meet the minimum fund requirement,” Hinkle said. “The Foundation is offering a dollar for dollar match for any donation to this fund for the first three years in its existence.”
Hinkle said the TED Endowment needs $5,000 more to get the fund established with the dollar for dollar match. “We need $2,500 to $3,000 in donations to get the fund established. If every business donated $50, we would be there in three days. I am confident Tucker County will meet the match and looking forward to announcing that the fund has been established.”
Hinkle showed a video that will be launched on the Foundation’s new website in March. She said Patrick McKay, a student in Elkins, did all of the music for the video in his bedroom and put it all together. “He is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.”
“Our theme going forward will be not your typical foundation because that is how we are evolving,” Hinkle said. “Throughout the state, people look to us because we are not a typical foundation. We are pretty proud of that. We do what we need to do for our community and you all support that. So we will continue to be not your typical community foundation.”
The Tucker Community Foundation has offices in Parsons and Davis. Additional information about the Tucker Community Foundation is available by calling 304-478-2930 or 304-259-5008 or online at www.tuckerfoundation.net.