The Logan County Community Fund kicked off it's annual fundraising campaign for the fiscal year 2010 at a special dinner in Logan on May 4.

Father George Kostas began the annual dinner with a prayer.

LCCF Board president Bea Orr explained that as the Community Fund became somewhat dormant last year, following the retirement of long time director Mary Etta Elliot that when the group, which funds the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, the Boy and Girl Scouts, the Special Olympics, the USO and the Tug Valley Recovery Center, reconvened earlier this year the board of directors decided that since it was so close to the time to kick off the next year's fundraising season the LCCF would do just that.

Orr summed up the past several months of activity explaining that the board had been meeting to make decisions about the Community Fund's future and that Mary Etta Elliot had been training new director Teresa Maynard and that she and Maynard had been visiting various groups and civic clubs across the county to get the message out — The Community Fund is back and is working hard again.

Vice President Tommy Owens discussed the last board meeting and topics such as trying to get tax credits for donors through the state; recruiting new board members and possible fundraisers such as a costume ball at Halloween.

Teresa Maynard gave a directors' report, noting that the community fund had $44,000 in it's charity account and around $3,000 in the office account as well as donations coming in from LEASA, the Logan Regional Medical Center and other donors.

"That is where we stand financially," Maynard said.

Brenda Mauk from Wal Mart provided the LCCF with an application for a $1,000 grant.

Maynard noted that the biggest challenge the Community Fund is facing right now is finding a new office that is handicapped accessible. Currently the LCCF is housed in the basement of the Aracoma Hotel, which recently switched ownership. Maynard and Elliot noted that the basement, which is usually rather humid, is not the best location.

"If you know a building where we can relocated that is what we need to do," Maynard said. "We would prefer it to be handicapped accessible or ground level with easy access to the public and close to town."

"She has done a good job, now, help her get out of the basement," Orr quipped.

The highlight of the meeting was a trip down Memory Lane with longtime LCCF director Mary Etta Elliot, who spoke about the Division Chair awards, which started in 1997. This year's winners were Odis Ratcliff, Bea Orr and Don Elkins.

Elliot and her longtime associate Jeannie Boytek were the 2009 winners of the A.S. Ammar Service Award, which started in 1996 with Dr. Mark Spurlock as the first winner.

Elliot was surprised at the honor.

"Thank you very much," she said, noting that one reason why she stayed with the community fund for so many years was that it enabled her to help a lot of people when they needed it most.

Odis Ratcliff said he remembered the day some two decades earlier when he and Charlie Hylton had hired Elliot.

Elliot also remembered.

"I started out with the Red Cross first and we were located over the Logan Theater," she said, remembering the various moves the Community Fund and Red Cross had made. "In the first office there were 23 steps."

In 1987, Dr. Mark Spurlock got the Red Cross a new office at the Logan County Courthouse, where the Community Fund was located at that time. When the assessor's office needed more room it was moved upstairs over Bray and Oakley. Elliot recalled that office as being "really nice," but it was not technically handicapped accessible.

"Then we moved to where Fit Chicks is today," she said, adding that with every move, she and friends and family had done painting and redecorating. "Then four or five years ago we moved to our present location in the basement."

Bea Orr said Elliot deserved the honor for her 22 years of community service with the Red Cross and the Community Fund and recommended bringing Elliot on as a special board member.

"She can keep us straight," Orr quipped.

Tom Elliot, Erin Williamson and Darren Akers were nominated to the LCCF board of directors. Orr said there is still room for more. The next LCCF meeting will be in early June.