In October of 2006, longtime director Mary Etta Elliot retired from the community fund, but stayed around for awhile to help the new director. However, the new director then left and the agency became dormant for some time.
Board members have had several meetings in recent months to decide whether or not to get active again or dissolve the agency. At one point, Candy Brewer was approved as part-time interim director at the Feb. 11 meeting of the board. Brewer was working another job, however and later declined the position. At the Feb. 25 meeting Teresa Maynard was appointed as new interim director. The organization will try to rebuild over the next few months.
Board President Bea Orr questioned fellow board members about what they wanted and noted that there are still monthly donations coming in from payroll deductions to the LCCF.
Orr said if the board chose to dissolve the longtime charity that the funds could be divided among the charities and that donors would have to be notified that the agency was disbanding. Currently the Community Fund collects donations for the Salvation Army of Logan; Tug Valley Recovery Shelter; Boy Scouts of America Buckskin Council; Girl Scouts of America Black Diamond Council; Special Olympics Logan division; USO and American Red Cross Logan Chapter
Board members agreed that the fund had been successful even in hard economic times and many said they didn’t want to see such a worthwhile organization disappear. Board member Alan Barker said the organization could attempt to ramp up again and see if it was sustainable before making a decision to dissolve.
New director Maynard will be assisted by Elliot to get things up and running again. At a prior board meeting, members discussed talking with Scott Jarrett of the Charleston Red Cross who is responsible for the Red Cross office about assisting with rent. Years worth of Red Cross records are housed at the community fund office. Elliot said at one point the Charleston branch of the Red Cross wanted to be in a separate facility but later they changed their opinion.
The board also discussed meeting with local civic organizations to get the message out that the LCCF is still operational and to seek help either through donations, or getting volunteers to go to businesses and organizations and ask for donations or contributions for the LCCF. Orr said she would like to challenge Logan’s three civic clubs, the Rotary, the Lions and the Kiwanis, who have a reputation for being very competitive into seeing who can come up with the biggest donation.
Board members discussed meeting with The Logan County Commission to possibly seek a grant or rent assistance, and talked about finding board members or active volunteers from the Man area. Orr has also been trying to contact the director of the Logan Health Foundation for a grant.
The next LCCF board meeting will be held on March 11 at 3 p.m. at the office in the basement of the Aracoma Hotel.
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