MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia, Inc. presented grant awards for National Philanthropy Day on Wednesday at the Morgantown Marriott and Waterfront Place.

The foundation presented 60 grant awards to charitable organizations across Harrison, Marion, Monongalia and Preston counties. Something new for the foundation is awarding mini-grants to educators, where teachers and school staff members can use the $750 grant for special projects, materials or classroom resources to enhance the learning experience for students.

“What I think is really important is that, that the work made possible by really generous donors, philanthropists, is what we’re celebrating today, that help allow these nonprofits to do the work in the service in our areas,” said Patty Showers Ryan, president of Your Community Foundation. “We will hear from all 60 grant recipients, and that’s what makes the philanthropy day so exciting is our donors are here that gave the funds to distribute to the grant recipients, and we will hear a little snippet about all the really neat things that the nonprofits in the schools are doing with the grant funds.”

The total funds awarded through all 60 grants total more than $117,000 to help local non-profit organizations. YCF said its mission is to promote philanthropy and build endowment funds to benefit communities. Through financial resources, YCF extends many forms of assistance to qualified people, programs and projects. YCF added that it works to make charitable giving easy, flexible and effective.

“As we all know, educators are overworked and underpaid, and they typically use a lot of their own resources, their own funds that they make. So, this was an opportunity for us to provide back to those educators, to give a grant award so they can go out and buy and purchase things necessary for their classrooms,” said Martin Howe, Your Community Foundation chairman of the board.

Howe added that it was the foundation’s first time awarding the YCF Billy Coffindaffer Award, which was given to the Disability Action Center. He added that the Billy Coffindaffer Award will be given annually to non-profit organizations in the YCF’s service area that demonstrate a forward-thinking vision and strength in governance.