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Growing with Purpose

 

With support from a growing number of donors and hard-working partners, we are embracing an ambitious plan for growth so we can make sure the foundation serves its purpose: to benefit our region every day, forever.

We continue to work to empower individuals to become philanthropists, donors to make meaningful change, and caring citizens to create a legacy around causes they love. See the digital version of our full 2019 annual report: Growing with Purpose.

Our Mission

We empower everyone in our community to understand how their philanthropy can leave a lasting legacy in our region.

Our Vision

We envision an inclusive and engaged culture of philanthropy that grows an abundance of resources that have a perpetual impact in a thriving region.

The 2019 Annual Report

The 2019 Annual Report

To all our donors:

You are making an immeasurable difference. Collectively, you donated $11.9 million to our charitable funds this past year. That funding empowers dreamers, turning compassion and ambition into action and results. Your impact is felt in every corner of our region. You are making change that will last forever. 

To the nonprofits we partner with:

Your ideas, projects, time, and energy are changing lives. You are creating beautiful spaces, feeding the hungry, and helping cancer patients through treatment. You are inspiring young people to be better learners, cleaning up our environment, and empowering single mothers to finish their education. You clothe families, bring history to life, help addicts and mental health patients with job training, and provide family-friendly activities for our communities. If there’s a need, you fill it, often without pay or recognition. You fill the Alleghenies with heart, and we can’t thank you enough. 

Our Equity Statement

The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies is committed to working toward a diverse, inclusive, and equitable society, where all individuals feel valued and respected. We are committed to taking a nondiscriminatory approach in our policies and actions, respecting diverse life experiences and heritages, and ensuring that all voices are valued and heard.   

 

Together, we are growing for good.

At Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, we believe in a lot of things.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate in our community, to give back, to leave a mark. We believe in working together to build a better future rather than waiting around to see what happens. We believe in, and work for, the big-hearted intentions of our donors and feel an almost sacred obligation to help them realize their dreams in support of our shared place in this world.

This past year we have increased our ability to help. We’ve added new staff and dedicated full-time efforts to donor services, grantmaking programs, scholarships, and communications. We’ve moved into a new office to create a welcoming, inspiring space. These changes help us effectively manage a growing number of donations from and distributions to the community—now from over 5,000 separate donors and 745 charitable funds. Our Legacy Society, a group of generous people who have remembered us in their wills or estates, has grown to 97 members.

It has been a good year. On behalf of our donors and the community, we distributed over $6.1 million, and about two-thirds of that amount stayed here in our counties. Click here to see a full list of those grant recipients. Even with these distributions, our total assets grew 8% to just over $78 million.

We are growing because our donors are putting us to work, and we are driven to live up to their philanthropic visions. We want to do a good job for them and for our communities and together spur changes that make a difference. Of all the ideals we believe in and work to realize, we believe in the future of our community. Let’s believe together. We are here to benefit the region every day. Forever.

Mark E. Pasquerilla, Board Chair
Mike Kane, President and Executive Director

 

Meet Our Team

Marisa Lehman, Donor Services Associate 

Marisa Lehman

Donor Services Associate
mlehman@cfalleghenies.org
814-225-1266

As Donor Services Associate, Marisa manages grants and scholarships administration and works with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals. Previously, she was CFA’s Administrative Specialist,...

Administrative and Technology Specialist Marie DeWerff helps nonprofits and donors create lasting community impact in Cambria, Bedford, Somerset, and Indiana counties 

Marie DeWerff

Administrative and Technology Specialist
mdewerff@cfalleghenies.org
814-208-8389

Marie joined CFA in 2019 as the Foundation’s new Administrative and Technology Specialist. Marie helps CFA operations run smoothly, manages CFA partners’ critical online fundraising...

Communications Officer Kecia Bal helps nonprofits and donors create lasting community impact in Cambria, Bedford, Somerset, and Indiana counties 

Kecia Bal

Communications Officer
kbal@cfalleghenies.org
814-208-8394

A former news and business journalist, Kecia joined CFA in 2019. As Communications Officer, she works to highlight transformational changes the Foundation’s donors and partners...

Lori 

Lori Huska

Accounting Assistant
lhuska@cfalleghenies.org
814-209-8662

Lori is the accounting assistant at the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Her primary responsibility is to record contributions. She personally sees that all donations...

Board of Directors

 

 

 

 

Mark E. Pasquerilla, Board Chair

CEO & President, Crown American Realty Trust

Gary C. Horner, Esq. 

Gary Horner, Esq., Board Secretary

Attorney, Partner, Spence, Custer, Saylor, Wolfe & Rose

 

Michael Sahlaney, Esq., Acting Secretary

Sahlaney & Dudeck Law Office

Terry K. Dunkle 

Terry K. Dunkle, Board Treasurer

Retired Bank President/CEO

Michele Beener of Aspire Grant & Development LLC 

Michele Beener

President, Aspire Grant & Development

 

John Blackburn, III

Retired, Pennsylvania State Police

Alan Cashaw 

Alan Cashaw

Retired Chemical Engineer

Raymond DiBattista 

Raymond DiBattista

Retired President, UMF Company

Robert J. Eyer 

Robert J. Eyer

CPA & Partner, Wessel & Company

The Honorable Linda Rovder Fleming 

The Honorable Linda Rovder Fleming

Court of Common Pleas-Cambria County Courthouse

Robert Forcey, Publisher of The Tribune-Democrat 

Robert Forcey

Publisher, The Tribune-Democrat

 

Greg Glosser

President, M. Glosser & Sons, Inc.

 

John M. Kriak

President, Group Genesis, LLC

Richard H. Mayer 

Richard H. Mayer

Retired Publisher, Tribune-Democrat

Lauren Cascino Presser 

Lauren Cascino Presser, Esq.

Attorney, The Law Firm of Timothy M. Ayers

 

Bill Rice

RCF, CRPC, Laurel Highlands Financial Services LP

 

Sara Ann Sargent

President, Sargent’s Group

 

Randy Stager

Owner, Stager Chevrolet

 

Carol Stern

Retired Assistant Director/Director of Donor Services

 

Jeff Stopko

President/CEO AmeriServ Financial

Michelle Tokarsky, Esq. 

Michelle Tokarsky, Esq.

Silverman, Tokarsky, Forman & Hill, LLC

Colleen Tretter 

Colleen Tretter

Registered Nurse

 

Dr. Donato Zucco

Partner, Mutual Development

 

Other Boards & Committees

Past Members – Board of Directors

Robert Allen – Executive Director, Emeritus

Dr. Frank Blackington

Abe Beerman

Scott Becker

G. Henry Cook

Lori Copley

Kim Craig

Allan Dennison

Dr. Albert L. Etheridge

Robert Gleason, III

Dr. Curtis Goldblatt

Darryl Myers

Renuka Narahari

D. C. Nokes, Esq.

Daniel Perkins

James V. Saly

Thomas C. Slater

Kenneth Shorts

Matthew Smith

Robert D. Sweet

Ernest Wadsworth

Foundation Officers

Mike Kane, President

Mark Pasquerilla, Vice-President and Chairman of the Board

Terry Dunkle, Treasurer

Gary Horner, Secretary

Mr. Michael Sahlaney, Esq., Acting Secretary

ACADEMIC ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD

Mrs. Louise Fisher

Ms.  Wanda Keller

Ms. Connie J. McClain

Ms. Lois Miller

Ms. Kristine Olsen

Ms. Wilda Sanna

Mrs. Anita Sukenik

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Ms. Amy Edmiston

Mr. John Kriak

Mr. Mark Pasquerilla

Mr. Mario Wilfong

BEDFORD COUNTY ENDOWMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Ms. Lynn Ashe

Mr. John Blackburn III

Mr. James Gonsman

Mr. Allen Harr

Mr. Rick Jones

Mr. H. Dean Lemley

Ms. Leah Pepple

Mr. Mark Thomas

BORK FAMILY FUND ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Mr. David Bork

Mr. David Bork, Jr.

Ms. Debbie Bork

Ms. Jessica Borowitz

Mr. Michael Grimes

Mr. Mark Pasquerilla

Mr. James Rihs

Mr. Michael Sahlaney, Esq

Mr. William Shulick Esq.

DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE

Mrs. Lynn Ashe

Mr. Terry Dunkle

Mr. Don Gardill

Ms. Beth Hullihen

Ms. Jen Johnson

Mr. Ned Kendall

Ms. Sue Mann

Mr. Rob McCombie

Mr. Bill McKinney

Ms. Melanie Miller

Mr. Mark Pasquerilla

Mr. Michael Sahlaney, Esq.

Mr. Rick Smith

Ms. Michelle Tokarsky, Esq.

EVERETT AREA FUND

Mr. Fred Baca

Mr. Don Burd

Ms. Wendy Dunkle-Daley

Mr. Justin Hillegas

Mr. Dan Iseminger

Ms. Jessica Michael

Mr. John Mobus

Mr. Gary Shetter

Mr. Kenny Tewell

Ms. Leesa Waite

Mr. David Wallace

Executive Committee

Mr. Terry Dunkle

Mr. Robert Eyer

Mr. Gary C. Horner, Esq.

Mr. John Kriak

Mr. Richard Mayer

Mr. Mark Pasquerilla

Mr. Michael Sahlaney, Esq.

Ms. Sally Ann Sargent

Mr. Jeff Stopko

Ms. Michelle Tokarsky, Esq.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Ms. Vickie Beer

Mr. Terry Dunkle

Mr. Robert J. Eyer

Mr. Mark Pasquerilla

Mr. Mario Wilfong

INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

Mr. Samuel Catanese

Mr. Casey Craig

Mr. Kim Craig

Mr. Raymond E. DiBattista

Mr. John Kriak

Mr. Mark Pasquerilla

Mr. William Rice

Mr. Tyler Trimbath

MARKETING COMMITTEE

Mr. Dennis Brawley

Ms. Lauren Cascino-Presser, Esq.

Ms. Kellie Goodman-Shaffer

Mr. Mark Pasquerilla

Ms. Melissa Radovanic

Ms. Stacy Roberts

Dr. Leah S. Spangler

Ms. Colleen Tretter

MEYERSDALE WIND POWER FUND ADVISORY

Ms. Connie Anderson

Mr. David Clapper

Mr. Tom Deetz

Dr. Tracey Karlie

Mr. Harold Nicholson

Ms. Carol Stern

PENELEC SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ADVISORY BOARD

Mr. Tim Booth

Mr. Scott Gebhardt

Mr. Brian Hill

Mr. Frank Plank

Ms. Marybeth Smialek

Ms. Beverly Weaver

Mr. Gregory Winger

Mr. Davitt Woodwell

PORTAGE REGIONAL ENDOWMENT

Mr. John Adams

Mr. George Fetsko

Mr. Michael Kiel

Mr. Russell Kiel

Mr. Randy Stager

SOMERSET COUNTY COMMUNITY FUND ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Ms. Vickie L. Beer

Mr. G. Henry Cook

Mr. Theodore Deskevich

Mr. Raymond E. DiBattista

Mr. John Fiesta

Mr. Gregory C. Frantz, Esq.

Mr. Matthew G. Melvin, Esq.

Mrs. Lana Miller

Ms. Pamela Ream

Mr. William Rice

Ms. Carol Stern

Ms. Pamela Tokar-Ickes

SOMERSET COUNT COMMUNITY FUND DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE

Ms. Michele Beener

Mr. Scott Bittner, Esq.

Ms. Sharon Clapper

Mr. Theodore Deskevich

Mr. Bruce G. Hottle

Mr. Sean Isgan

Ms. Lana Miller

Ms. Melanie Miller

Ms. Carol Stern

Mr. Brian Whipkey

Mr. James Zimmerman

Auditors

Barnes, Saly & Company, Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Our Financials & Bylaws

*It is the policy of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies to make available Form 990-T for any years in which it files that form.

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