A commitment to Preston County has been part of Tucker Community Foundation’s mission since 1991 when an endowment was established by the estate of former Tucker and Preston county residents P.L. and Elizabeth Cook Milkint. Over the years, the Milkint Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $60,000 to benefit students from both counties. The number of endowed funds benefiting Preston County has grown to over two dozen as more and more donors wisely invest in a community they love.
TCF’s commitment to Preston County continues today with the establishment of the Preston Community Fund, an unrestricted fund supporting scholarships, nonprofits, community and economic development, educational services, and other charitable causes specific to Preston County. All distributions will be guided by recommendations from an advisory committee made up of Preston County residents and select donors.
Donate now to help insure the future of Preston County.
For a list of Endowed Funds that benefit Preston County with Grants & Scholarships see the table below. In addition to these endowed funds, TCF manages other unrestricted income that can support grant and scholarship awards, so if you have a need that doesn’t fit with the below purposes, we encourage you to still apply.
Visit Preston Community Fund on Facebook
2016 Scholarship Awards by County
2016 Grant Awards by County
Preston Community Fund Advisors: Andrew Nelson, Don Smith, and John Dahlia, with Dave Moran as TCF board liaison. The PCF Advisory Committee will make recommendations on Preston Community Fund grant awards based on a competitive application process.
2016 Run For It Teams benefiting Preston County
| Team Name | Team Captain | Team Cause Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora Area Historical Society | Jo-Ann Helton | The mission of the Aurora Historical Society is to discover, collect, interpret, present and preserve documents, literature, oral histories and material culture, pertaining to the history of the Union District of Preston County, West Virginia |
| Friends of the Cheat | Amanda Pitzer | Team Captain - Amanda Pitzer: Friends of the Cheat (FOC) is a grassroots watershed group working to "restore, preserve, and promote the outstanding natural qualities of the Cheat River Watershed". FOC cleans up acid mine drainage pollution, monitors stream health, develops regional rail-trails, and public river accesses, and educates and advocates for a healthy environment. Contact Amanda Pitzer (304)329-3621 |
| Wade's WOW Playground | Jason Mazza | To build an all inclusive playground in Kingwood, WV that is inspiring and truly accessible to individuals of all ages and abilities. |
| Aurora School PTO | Joni Blamble | Aurora School PTO uses the money that they raise through their fundraisers to support our staff and students with the tools they need to succeed each school year. The county budget doesn't provide the teachers with everything that they wish to do or use in the classroom. |
| Aurora Mountain Lions Club | Jeannette Adams | We support the community. Our main goal is our community school. We work with the Sight Foundation to do vision screenings for children in our school. |
| Preston Mat Club | Woodrow Turner | To teach and promote youth wrestling in Preston County from ages 4 to 14. |
| Aurora Project | Alice Fleischman | Fanning the spark of inspiration - that is the mission of the Aurora Project, West Virginia's only multi-disciplinary artists' residency. We aim to enrich our community with regularly scheduled events, workshops, and school programs while contributing to our local economy with the restoration of historic cottages and heritage tourism. |
| After School Explorers - Preston County | Susie Huggins & Shawn Britton | After School Explorers provides after school programming to 8 schools serving 400 children. Services include homework help, healthy snack, computer time, physical activity, enrichments and presentations. ASE offers Little Learners, story hour and computer night. ASE participates in RUN FOR IT! to continue building the endowment to support after school programs in Preston County. |
| Kingwood Elementary School Stags | Jill Zeigler | Kingwood Stags are seeking alternative strategies to make our students academically and socially successful. This will include programs such as gardening and outdoor education, robotics and coding, personal development, leadership, and anti-bullying programs. We will also include relevant field trips to apply our skills in the real world. |
| Preston Community Fund Runners | David Moran | Growing unrestricted funds to benefit Preston County communities. |
| Preston County Humane Society | Dana Rexroad | We run to save lives! All Run For It proceeds are directed to our Spay/Neuter Assistance and Community Cats programs, helping Preston County families and saving lives by reducing the number of homeless and unwanted pets. We welcome team members and sponsors for our cause. |
2016 Preston County Scholarship Winners
| TCF FUND | Total Scholarship | Name | Home County |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRESTON HS AMERICAN LEGION | $2500 | Kayla M. Ringer | Preston |
| PRESTON HS AMERICAN LEGION | $2000 | Sarah M. Stone | Preston |
| KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS BROWN LODGE #32 | $1000 | Emilea M. Warnick | Preston |
| TCF SCHOLARSHIP | $550 | Amber Rodeheaver | Preston |
| TCF SCHOLARSHIP | $500 | Emma McClelland | Preston |
Endowed Funds benefiting Preston County
Scholarship Funds benefiting Preston County
| Endowed Grant Funds | Purpose | Service Area |
|---|---|---|
| AREA | ||
| Preston Community Fund | Unrestricted Grants & Scholarships | Preston |
| ARTS | ||
| Fred T. Busk Fund | Arts Education | Unrestricted |
| Carl Delsignore Fund | Creative Arts | Unrestricted |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | ||
| Terra Alta Economic Development Corporation Fund | Economic Development of Terra Alta | Preston |
| EDUCATION | ||
| Ellis Boury III Fund | Education and/or development of creative or technical writing. | Multi County |
| HEALTH | ||
| Harold & Ruth Shaffer Mountain Hospice Fund | Mountain Hospice, Inc. | Region |
| HISTORIC PRESERVATION | ||
| Mindy Pierce Historic Preservation Fund | Bricks and mortar historic building projects. | Preston |
| LIBRARIES & LITERACY PROGRAMS | ||
| Crimson Shamrock Literacy Fund | To provide project funds for activities that will lead to the improvement of literacy in West Virginia | Statewide - WV |
| UNRESTRICTED | ||
| Citizens Bank of West Virgina Fund | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| Directors' General Fund | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| Robert W. & Sarah M. Minear Fund | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| Mountain Valley Bank, NA Fund | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| H. Dailey & Belva Shaffer Martin Fund | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| Uncle Sam's Birthday Party Fund | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
| YOUTH | ||
| PHS US Army JROTC Fund | Pay expenses for equipment, travel to competitive events and other program expenses. | Preston |
| Endowed Scholarship Funds | Purpose | County Served |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Mary Alice Klein Scholarship Fund | Students planning a career in education | Full Service Area |
| Enos, Delbert H. & Shirley Carr Scholarship Fund | WVU, Marshall, or D&E College students | Full Service Area |
| H. Max Price Scholarship Fund | Traditional or non-traditional students attending a trade school | Full Service Area |
| Joyce Colbert Veterinary Scholarship Fund | For Students pursing a degree in Veterinary Medicine | Garrett, MD, Preston, Tucker |
| Lindsey & Addie Reed Scholarship Fund | WVU undergraduate agricultural students | Full Service Area |
| P.L. & Elizabeth Cook Milkint Scholarship Fund | Tucker or Preston County graduate | Tucker & Preston |
| Robert W. Minear, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund | Students planning a career in education | Full Service Area |
| Crimson Shamrock Graduate Scholarship Fund | Postgraduate college students. | Preston & Tucker Garrett County, MD |
| White Grass Cafe Culinary Scholarship | Student attending culinary school or cooking education classes | WV resident |
| Preston High School American Legion Scholarship Fund | Annual scholarship for a graduating senior at Preston High School | Preston |
| Knights of Pythias Brown Lodge #32 | Help a graduating Preston County High School senior | Preston |
| UNRESTRICTED | ||
| Citizens National Bank Fund | Unrestricted | Full Service Area |
| Directors' General Fund | Unrestricted | Full Service Area |
| H. Dailey & Belva Shaffer Martin Fund | Unrestricted | Full Service Area |
| Mountain Valley Bank Fund | Unrestricted | Full Service Area |
| R.W. & Sarah Minear Fund | Unrestricted | Full Service Area |
| Uncle Sam's Birthday Party Fund | Unrestricted | Full Service Area |
| Preston Community Fund | Unrestricted | Preston County |