Twenty years after Aaron Prevost and other community leaders provided the seed money to start the endowment, The Fund for Haywood County has reached a milestone goal by surpassing the $1 million mark.

“In two decades, our Advisory Board has recommended 84 grants to 47 different organizations, totaling just over $690,000,” said George Ivey, the chairman of the Fund’s advisory board, during a recent celebration at Twigs and Leaves Gallery in downtown Waynesville.  “These funds have made a difference in Haywood County.”

The endowment consists of the Prevost Fund — funded by  his estate and now totaling $631,000 — and The Fund for Haywood County, which now stands at $378,000 and has 192 donors to date.  The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) manages both funds.

“In Haywood County, we can recognize  the tremendous impact that one person’s generosity can have. Aaron Prevost understood the value of endowed funds and invested in his community by making a substantial planned gift,” said Elizabeth Brazas, CFWNC President. “These grants, made in partnership with The Community Foundation, support nonprofits working to support people in need, protect our cultural and natural resources, educate children and more.”

Grants from The Fund for Haywood address a wide variety of topics:

• People in Need, including grants to organizations like Mountain Projects, the Habitat Re-Store, and Kids at Work.

• Education projects, including recent funding to help a leadership program for students at Hazelwood Elementary School.

• Cultural resources, including recent improvements to the Folkmoot Friendship Center.

• Food and farming projects, including a Farm-to-School program launched in partnership with the Haywood County School System.

• Natural resources and recreation, like the recent improvements to Graveyard Fields.

For more information about The Fund for Haywood County, contact Chair George Ivey at 828.648.2710. To make a tax-deductible contribution to The Fund for Haywood County, donate on-line at www.cfwnc.org, with a stock gift, or by mail to The Fund for Haywood County, P.O. Box 627, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. Contributions of any size are welcome and will enable the Fund to support more programs with local dollars.

The Community Foundation is a nonprofit serving eighteen counties in Western North Carolina. To learn more about The Community Foundation, call 828.254.4960 or visit www.cfwnc.org.