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JMU three-pointers score a donation from Lantz Construction to the Imagination Library

Lantz Construction representatives join staff from Massanutten Regional Library  and The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham (TCFHR) at the Feb. 28 James Madison University women’s basketball game. From left: Cynthia Prieto, TCFHR board member; Jeff Deavers, chief preconstruction officer for Lantz Construction; Lauren Jefferson, director of programs and marketing at TCFHR; Zach Elder, director of Massanutten Regional Libraries; and Arianna Williams, director of communications and marketing at Lantz.

Every time James Madison University women’s basketball players hit a three-point shot this season, they scored some cash to support literacy initiatives. Carrying on a strong tradition of coporate philanthropy, Lantz Construction partnered with JMU Athletics this winter for a charitable campaign to promote early childhood literacy and development.

The donation of $1,000 benefitted Massanutten Regional Library and the local branch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a monthly book gifting program that is free for all children under the age of five in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The program, which is operated in a partnership between The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham and The Dollywood Foundation, serves more than 3,300 children in the area.

A state bill aids in 50 percent of the cost, but the other half, about $7,000, is covered each month by TCFHR. Funds come from donations such as that given generously by Lantz, as well as limited grant funding from Rockingham County and other sources.

“To keep Dolly’s dream of books for children alive in our area, we depend on generous citizens and businesses who want to support literacy initiatives,” said Lauren Jefferson, who heads the Dolly program at TCFHR. “These funds enable us to continue reaching babies and toddlers in families that might not be able to afford a new book each month. We’re grateful to Lantz Construction for their contribution to this worthy cause and for their investment in the future of our little readers.”

Lantz Construction Company is a “Class A” general contractor licensed in Virginia and West Virginia specializing in commercial design-build construction.

 

TCF opens scholarship applications, with almost $1 million in funding available

From left: Vincent Tran (Virginia Tech), Kerrigan Bauserman (North Carolina State), and Ashlyn Smiley (Mary Baldwin University) were among the local recipients of scholarships to fund their studies in fall 2024. The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham offers nearly $1 million in funding to area students in vocational and academic programs each year.

Students seeking funding to pursue academic or vocational studies in fall 2025 can now apply for scholarship opportunities with The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham (TCFHR).

Nearly $1 million in funding is available, with additional funds for vocational studies available through the VAReady program.

The application cycle closes April 24.

Learn more about all scholarships.

Apply for a scholarship.

Awards range from $500 to $10,000. Approximately 80 committee members determine the awardees, which are announced in the late spring.

TCFHR’s website includes more information and eligibility criteria about the 26 scholarships offered. Adult students and high school students from most counties in the Shenandoah Valley and many adjoining areas are eligible to apply.

“Not all of the 26 scholarship funds are for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County students. We work with donors who want to support students up and down the Shenandoah Valley,” said Senior Director of Scholarships and Grants Ann Siciliano. “We encourage students, parents and guidance counselors to visit our website and take a look at what is offered, including some new opportunities this year.”

Scholarships offer general support to those pursuing trade skills, professional certifications, and general academic studies, as well as to those pursuing specific academic fields, such as music, kinesiology, education, and agriculture.

Some scholarships are limited to applicants from specific high schools. Others support students who want to pursue their education in a certain vocation or career path.

Siciliano urges students and parents to spend a few minutes reading about the scholarships. “I think people will be surprised about the number of opportunities,” she said. “Donors come to us with connections to geographic areas or certain high schools or fields of study and we work with them to help meet their philanthropic goals.”

About half of the scholarships funded by donors commemorate or memorialize a family member. The newest scholarship remembers Captain Anderson “Andy” King and is open to graduating seniors from public high schools in a 13-county area who will pursue agricultural studies.

The Mark Price and Kimberly Jo Price Lapsley Memorial Scholarship is also new this year and celebrates the lives of these two graduates of Turner Ashby High School by supporting fellow TA grads pursuing vocational education.

Introducing new board members Casey Armstrong, Becca Miller and Sarah Von Schuch

Photos by Jon Styer,  At Ease: Design & Consulting

Three new members have joined the Board of Directors of The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham.

“At our November board meeting, we welcomed Casey Armstrong, Becca Miller and Sarah Von Schuch,” said Revlan Hill, executive director. “All three bring knowledge of the foundation and its broader mission, as well as expertise and networks that benefit our ongoing work. We’re glad to have them aboard!”

TCF’s board of 16 is comprised of professionals from a range of backgrounds. To view all board members, click here.

Casey Armstrong

Casey Armstrong serves as Rockingham County’s administrator, a role he’s held since January 2025. He entered county employment in 2006 as an environmental inspector. In 2012, he became director of community development and in 2016, assistant county administrator for economic development. In this role, he supervised community development, economic development, parks and recreation, and engineering departments.

Casey is a 2006 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University with a degree in environmental science. The Gainesville, Virginia, native lives with his family in Rockingham County.

Becca Miller

Becca Miller owns the local Domino’s franchise, which includes 18 stores in the Shenandoah Valley, Charlottesville, and central Virginia. For the past four years, she and her team have earned the company’s prestigious Gold Franny Award, earned by only the top 2 percent of franchisees around the world, in recognition of operational excellence, team member morale and community involvement.

Becca and Domino’s have been involved with the Great Community Give since its first year. “Seeing the power of bringing our community together to help support local nonprofits has been so inspiring,” she said. “I look forward to getting to know more about the vast number of nonprofits in our community and how to help them raise money and awareness for their cause.”

Becca is a member of the Domino’s National Marketing Advisory Council. She brings marketing, fundraising and community engagement experience from 27 years with the Domino’s brand.

She and husband Eric, an assistant principal in Harrisonburg City Schools, enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities.  Their son Tyler, is a senior at Rocktown High. Their daughter Hannah earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Elon University and lives in North Carolina.

Sarah Von Schuch

Sarah Von Schuch is a genetic counselor with 18 years of experience responding to public inquiries for the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, National Institutes of Health. She helps patients and their families as they seek to better understand their condition and build the medical teams they need to live well with their disease. She and her husband support the Great Community Give, Boys and Girls Club, Kingsway Ministry, Blue Ridge Legal Aid, and youth sports. She has served on the advisory board of James Madison University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. She and her husband chose to move to Harrisonburg 13 years ago, recognizing it as a wonderful place to raise their sons and their valley roots were quick to take hold.

 

Executive director honored as Paul Harris Fellow

Revlan Hill, executive director of The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, became a Rotary International Honorary Paul Harris Fellow in December 2024.

Revlan Hill, executive director of The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, with nominator Michael Neupauer, secretary of Rotary Club of Harrisonburg, at the Dec. 16, 2024, meeting.

The recognition is among the organization’s highest honors, awarded to members and non-members “whose lives exemplify Rotary’s ideals of service, leadership, and positive influence on the world,” said Harrisonburg Rotary president Shannon Porter at the Dec. 16 regular meeting.

Hill was recognized for “her outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to our community,” Porter said.

Hill joined the Community Foundation in 2006 and has been in the director’s role since 2013. The organization celebrated its 25th anniversary of philanthropic leadership last year — over the years, it has aided community benefactors in pouring more than $75 million back to area nonprofits.

The award honors Rotary founder Paul Harris, who with three colleagues in business, started the club in 1903. The fellowship began in 1957 to both express appreciation to significant community contributors and to help fund the club’s scholarship program enabling professionals to study peace and conflict resolution.

Looking to donate or volunteer? TCF’s Giving Back Guide 2024 is “the” resource

For those looking to donate or volunteer with Harrisonburg and Rockingham County nonprofits, look no further than the 2024-25 Giving Back Guide.

The newest edition, which was distributed in the Daily News-Record and at locations around the county in late November, is an annual publication of The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham.

The guide, also available online at TCF’s website, offers eligible 501(c)(3) organizations free publicity and the opportunity to share funding needs with prospective donors.

Copies are also distributed to the foundation’s Professional Partners in Philanthropy, other area financial advisors and those in wealth management services.

“Reading through this guide reminds us all that the smallest monetary gift can still make a difference,” said Senior Director of Grants and Scholarships Ann Siciliano. “We really try hard to get this resource into the hands of the many people in this community who value philanthropy and who are looking for ways to give back.”

The guides are also used throughout the year in the foundation office to inform  fundholders and those who call in with inquiries about local need.

View or download the online Giving Back Guide.

Find the guide at our office at 317 South Main Street in Harrisonburg, at Massanutten Regional Library locations in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, the Daily News-Record office, and the Dayton Farmer’s Market.

Each one-page profile includes a brief history of the organization, a mission statement, contact information, and a specific project with line-item dollar amounts. Organizations can also list other funding needs.

The Giving Back Guide is an outgrowth of the foundation’s annual grants cycle, which opens from July 1-Sept. 1.

“This publication grew from the realization several years ago that organizations were doing a lot of work to fill out these applications and that the information they provided could be a valuable directory for the community,” Siciliano said. “We’re constantly adapting our processes to meet community needs, and are already making plans to simplify next year’s application process.”

Sixty-eight nonprofits are featured in the guide this year.

Community Grants award more than $159,600 to 14 area nonprofits

 

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham announces that a total of $159,620 will be awarded to 14 area nonprofit organizations for the 2024 Community Grants cycle.

The organizations are focused on a range of areas, including arts and culture, health care, animal welfare, education, and mental health.

For more information, view 2024 project summaries.

More than 75 organizations submitted applications, said Ann Siciliano, senior director of grants and scholarships.

Grant awards are made by committees who meet to review applications and community need.

Grantee organizations will receive their funding by the end of the year and are required to file impact reports by late summer 2025. The next Community Grant cycle begins in the summer.

 

Fund Grantee Project and Award Amount
Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts Arts Council of the Valley  2025 Arts For All

$45,239
Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative Sound paneling

$8,000
Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts OASIS Fine Art & Craft Scholarship Program

$3,850
Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival  Event support

$7,500

 
Alvin V. Baird, Jr. Endowed Fund Adagio House Compassion Fund (free and reduced fee psychotherapy)

$5,000
Alvin V. Baird, Jr. Endowed Fund Family Life Resource Center Scholarship Fund (sliding fees to cover mental health sessions)

$ 2,935
Alvin V. Baird, Jr. Endowed Fund F.R.E.E. of Harrisonburg Mobility needs for low-income residents

$ 25,000

 
Alvin V. Baird, Jr. Endowed Fund Harrisonburg Community Health Center Infant bilirubin monitoring equipment

$ 16,100
Valley Arts & Culture Fund Silk Moth Stage Arts events

$ 1,400
Mary Spitzer Etter Endowed Fund

Valley Arts & Culture Fund

 Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley Barefoot Puppet Theater performances for 1500+ second graders

$6,365 total
HR Food Pantry Endowment Corner Cupboard Food Pantry Babies to Boomers Program

$ 2,000
Sean Warner Memorial Fund Family Life Resource Center  Resources for play therapy and children’s waiting area

$ 1,097
Hildred Neff Memorial Fund Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA Community Cat Program

$ 11,695
Hildred Neff Memorial Fund Wildlife Center of Virginia Wildlife care (earmarked for local animals)

$ 11,695
Janet Sohn Endowed Fund Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentorship program

$ 13,220

 

Fifteen Highland County nonprofits awarded grants from Little Swiss Fund

The 2024 Little Swiss Fund grant awards will distribute a total of $553,629 to 15 nonprofit organizations serving Highland County.

The fund began in 2018 with a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor. Monies from the permanently endowed fund are annually invested and distributed to eligible 501 (c)(3) organizations through a competitive grant process managed by The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham.

Organizations must be physically located in Highland County, Va., and the project or program to be funded must serve the Highland County area. Religious organizations are welcome to apply. Nonprofit organizations must have annual revenues in excess of $25,000 to be eligible.

All grants will be awarded in late November 2024.

The next Little Swiss Grant cycle begins in the summer of 2025.

For more information, view 2024 project summaries.

 

Organization Project Award Amount
Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance James River Headwaters Protection  $12,000
Blue Grass Resource Center Highland Inn Revitalization Project $50,000
Bolar Volunteer Fire Department Water purification units for firehouse and turnout gear $15,000
Bolar Volunteer Rescue Squad Operating costs  

$11,379

 
Dare To Dream Therapeutic Horsemanship Center Operating costs $15,000
Elegius Mini Equine Sanctuary Operating costs $11,000
Highland Children’s House Operating costs $99,472

 
Highland County Arts Council Operating costs $20,000
Highland County Fair Association Operating costs $55,000
Highland County Humane Society, Inc. Pet Retention and Foster Care programs $35,000
Highland County Volunteer Fire Department New building at Blue Grass firehouse $30,000
Highland Historical Society Maple Museum Renovation; Staffing $15,000
Highland Medical Center Equipment Upgrades and Replacement $80,000
Highland Center Operating Costs $50,000
McDowell Volunteer Fire Department Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus equipment $54,788

Organizations must be tax-exempt public charities under IRS Section 501(c)3 or other nonprofit status. Organizations must be physically located in Highland County, Va., and the project or program to be funded must serve the Highland County area. Religious organizations are welcome to apply. Nonprofit organizations must have annual revenues in excess of $25,000 to be eligible. Local clubs (civic and otherwise), and recreational facilities are NOT eligible to apply.

‘Bernie’s Purse’ now an endowed fund for Blue Ridge Free Clinic patients in need

 

The all-volunteer staff at the Blue Ridge Free Clinic are expert readers of body language. Perhaps it’s a slight shift of posture or a glance to the side when a prescription is handed over or the suggestion is made to purchase special food or formula.

“They’ll look away and you can tell,” said Donna Reilly, a registered nurse. “And when we come back with some money, the tears flow. They are so thankful.”

For many years, that money came from an informal petty cash fund called “Bernie’s Purse,” named after the generous social worker who often dipped into her own purse to help patients in need.

Bernie Mathis, who died in 2012, is such a part of the fabric of the clinic that her portrait hangs in the hallway.

“Even our staff who didn’t know Bernie know what we’re talking about when we say, ‘Let’s use Bernie’s purse,” said Susan Adamson, a family nurse practitioner and the clinic’s volunteer director.

Gifts average between $10-15 dollars, with staff disbursing a monthly total between $500 and $700, she said.

Now, however, staff won’t need to ask donors to contribute to Bernie’s Purse, but can target fundraising towards other operational needs. An anonymous donor has established the “Bernie’s Purse Endowment” at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham.

Supporting patients and staff

The fund will provide a monthly distribution, which will increase over time. Donations are tax-deductible and most welcome; the larger the fund, the more the distribution will be — and the more patients Blue Ridge Free Clinic can help.

The endowment is as much a gift to the hardworking clinic staff as it is to patients, said community foundation executive director Revlan Hill.

“Setting up a fund like this is a creative and smart way to address a financial need of our community, and to save time and energy of the people doing the valuable work of providing services,” said Hill. “It really allows the staff to focus on doing what they do best, which is providing the best health care possible to the patients, even if that requires some small financial support on their wellness journey.”

In many cases, these small donations are life-saving – recently, Bernie’s Purse helped a patient who couldn’t afford to buy gas to travel to a specialist in Charlottesville. (Making that effort to visit a specialist, Adamson said, has saved the lives of eight patients, all of whom were diagnosed with cancer that was caught early enough to treat.)

“There’s a warmth and a level of care here that is unusual, which is really why we all volunteer,” Reilly said. “We see patients for sometimes 45 minutes, rather than just 15, and that’s how we get to know their needs. They often want to keep seeing us and we wish we could offer that but that’s not what we do.”

The clinic’s goal is to be “a bridge to health,” addressing short-term medical needs while connecting the patient to longer-term care. But its holistic approach also informs and educates patients and caregivers on the journey to wellness.

Identifying needs

Social worker Lisa Hawkins, who did not know Bernie but fulfills a similar role at the Blue Ridge Free Clinic, meets with patients for intake sessions which help to identify social determinants of health such as access to education, economic stability, mental health and trauma response, and cultural challenges.

She and other staff are often able to identify a financial need that gets in the way of further treatment or recovery. That’s where Bernie’s Purse comes in – helping with a quick, one-time fix that might help clear the way forward for the patient or in classic Bernie style, buy some time so that staff can problem-solve for a better solution.

Mathis was devoted to her work, and was at the free clinic on the day of her diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor. She died just seven weeks later, leaving behind a husband, two daughters, her community at Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalist (read two beautiful eulogies still posted on their website) and countless patients she touched with her compassion and generosity.

When the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic closed in 2021, Adamson asked that the portrait come to the new building.

“When I saw that alcove there, I knew that’s where her photo should go,” Adamson said.

Like a guardian angel right in the middle of the pain, the suffering, the care and the love.

And what did Bernie’s purse look like? It was red leather with textured tooling, Adamson recalled. “And it was big. She used it to haul around lots of clinic paperwork.”

Make a donation to “Bernie’s Purse.”

 

Save time and energy – and give more – with our new easy QCD Program

A new giving option with The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham offers an efficient way for donors to benefit from Qualified Charitable Distributions and help our local nonprofits.

By allowing TCF to do the work, donors save time and energy, and experience the rewards of hassle-free giving.

How does it work?

  1. Donors or their financial advisors send the Community Foundation
    • one check
    • a list of charities and designated amounts.
  1. We forward the funds to the charity on the donor’s behalf.
  2. The donor receives one receipt.

What’s the fee?

Working with The Community Foundation, even the fee benefits the community!

A flat fee of $100 and 5% of the total gift (a minimum of $500) is charged for non-fundholders.

    • The $100 covers administrative costs to process the gift, therefore supporting the work of the foundation.
    • The 5% helps support one of four endowments, donor’s choice: The Harrisonburg/Rockingham Food Pantry Endowment; Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Endowment, a preK literacy initiative; our Vocational Education Endowment supporting adults seeking vocational education; or the Community Endowment, benefiting a variety of needs of our community, including arts, culture, human services, youth services, and healthcare.

Please contact us for specific fee information for TCF fundholders.

Download our flier.

Director of accounting shares best practices at national conference

In early September, Anna Wagner found herself putting in some long days in a two-week stretch.

Wagner, director of accounting at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, finished a major phase of the annual audit and turned immediately towards prepping for the Finance, Administration, and Operations Group (FAOG) national conference.

On Sept. 10, she co-presented a session on “Continual Improvement and Best Practices” with Michael Bankert, controller for The San Francisco Foundation, and Jen Tingley, principal at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Wagner, a member of FAOG’s accounting practices committee, said networking with and learning from peers is always a highlight. “Community foundations are very supportive of each other and openly share what they’ve learned with suggestions for ways to serve our donors and communities better,” she added. “Speaking at the conference was a great honor and joy to give back to the community by sharing what I’ve learned over the years on the hot topic of best practices to safeguard the assets we are entrusted with and improve processes in a constantly changing environment so that we can focus on our mission to give back to our community.”

The conference drew professionals working in the community foundation context from around the United States.  Among the keynote speakers was Catherine Bessant, CEO of Foundation for The Carolinas, the fifth-largest community foundation in the U.S. with nearly 3,000 charitable funds and more than $4 billion in funds.

FAOG hosted professional development sessions for administrators and staff working in all sizes of community foundations, and some geared specifically for certain sizes. The organization categorizes by size of endowment, so, for example, The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg Rockingham falls into the group of those with $250 million or less.