Donations

 

 

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.