Community

July, 2007

 

Allegany County Area Foundation Announces New Landscaping Fund for the Village of Andover

 

Belmont, NY – July 23, 2007 – Allegany County Area Foundation, a not-for-profit organization which seeks to encourage educational, social, cultural and civic projects benefiting the residents of Allegany County, New York, is pleased to announce the establishment of a new endowment fund entitled the Conrad and Kathryn Church Landscaping Fund.

 

     In 2001, the Village of Andover received a gift of some 400 trees of various species from Conrad and Kathryn Church. Mr. Church, who passed away the following year, hoped to restore the canopy of trees he recalled from his boyhood in the village. A former owner of Genesee Valley Nurseries, Inc. in Belmont, trees were how he had made his living for years, and he saw them as an important part of the community’s landscape.

     Many of the trees planted in 2001 are flourishing, but like so many small towns, Andover has a limited budget available for the care and replacement of its trees, and it has been able to do little more than take down older trees that have become unsafe.

     Most people would agree with Mr. Church that trees beautify a community and contribute to its quality of life. In an era of escalating climate change, trees provide cooling in summer, resulting in energy savings, and the reduction of glare, noise and pollutants like ground-level ozone. Kathryn Church wishes to ensure that village residents and visitors alike can enjoy in perpetuity the trees she and her husband donated six years ago.

     Through a gift of $100,000 from Mrs. Church to the Allegany County Area Foundation, Inc., the Conrad and Kathryn Church Landscaping Fund has been established for the purpose of maintaining Andover’s trees. Beginning in 2008 the village will be able to draw upon the fund’s earnings for tasks such as pruning, fertilizing, disease control and evaluation by an arborist.

     It is Mrs. Church’s wish that the fund will provide care for Andover’s trees for the enjoyment of future generations. “I’m glad that the Foundation was able to accept this gift and that others who appreciate the value of landscaping will contribute to the fund over the years, “ says Mrs. Church.

     “Hopefully, Andover can become known for its beautiful landscaping. I can’t think of a more fitting way for my parents to be honored and remembered,” says daughter Susan Church-Jamesson.

 

       If you would like to make a difference in your community by Leaving a Legacy as Conrad and Kathryn Church have here in Allegany County, contact the Allegany County Area Foundation today. The Foundation welcomes tax-deductible gifts in any amount, including memorials to friends and loved ones. County residents are encouraged to remember the Foundation in their wills by making a specific bequest. In the 2007/08 fiscal year the Foundation will award over $220,000 in grants, including over 100 scholarships to county students and grants to local not-for-profit agencies that benefit all residents of Allegany County.

 

 

Declared

Allegany County Area Foundation Month

Belmont, NY - April 23, 2007 - The Allegany County Board of Legislators passed a proclamation decreeing the month of May, 2007 as the "Allegany County Area Foundation Month".

     The proclamation reads as follows;

WHEREAS, Allegany County recognizes the importance of support for the educators and youth of our communities, and

WHEREAS, The Allegany County Area Foundation strives to encourage and support our educational institutions through meaningful efforts like the annual Educator of the Year Program, and

WHEREAS, The Allegany County Area Foundation and its volunteers have donated many hours to planning and implementing the 9th annual Educator of the Year Banquet to honor educators, and

WHEREAS, The Allegany County Area Foundation and its volunteers have donated many hours to the selection of over 100 annual scholarship winners in Allegany County,

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Curtis W. Crandall, Chairman, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Allegany County, do hereby proclaim the month of May 2007 as Allegany County Area Foundation Month in Allegany County and encourage the public to support the Educator of the Year Program and banquet where the educators and scholarship winners will be announced.

Allegany County Area Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce the establishment of a new scholarship fund entitled “Fund for Training and Certification from Non-Traditional Educational Courses”.

Belmont, NY – October 19, 2006 – The Allegany County Area Foundation, a not-for-profit organization which seeks to encourage educational, social, cultural and civic projects benefiting the residents of Allegany County, New York, is pleased to announce the establishment of a new scholarship fund entitled “Fund for Training and Certification from Non-Traditional Educational Courses”. Earnings from the scholarship fund will be used to award scholarships annually to young people of Allegany County who have finished their regular high school studies, whether by graduation or otherwise, and who may be able to benefit themselves with any kind of specialized training which will improve their current skills for gainful employment or train in a new skill. The donor of this scholarship fund wishes to remain anonymous, but others are encouraged to add to the endowment fund in order to benefit even more residents of Allegany County. Information regarding this scholarship will be made available to all local schools and agencies providing appropriate services. “Your Community Foundation”, The Allegany County Area Foundation welcomes tax-deductible gifts in any amount, including memorials to friends and loved ones. County residents are encouraged to remember the Foundation in their wills by making a specific bequest, thus using their resources to benefit Allegany County residents for years to come. In the 2006 fiscal year the Foundation will award over $160,000 in local grants, including over100 scholarships to county students and grants to local not-for-profit agencies that benefit all residents of Allegany County.