The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce the following 2020 scholarship recipients chosen by the individual scholarship fund committees. T-HARP / Taylor Harpster Memorial Scholarship – Lindsey Bordas and Shelby Zelensky, Golden Bison Alumni Association – Eric Griffith, Erica Fry and Nursing Scholarship – Lauren Stucke, CAHS Class of ’62 Scholarship Fund – Parker Marshall, CAHS Class of ’75 Scholarship Fund – Maynard Weidman, Philip Rowles and Lauren Coleman, Jerry Read Scholarship Fund John Daniel McKenzie, Kenneth McMillen Endowment Competitive Swimming Scholarship – Parker Marshall, Marsha Novey Scholarship Fund – Noah Jordan and Parker Marshall, Janet McCracken Hansard Memorial Scholarship Fund – Kimberly Wilsoncroft, Cunningham Scholarship – Kimberly Wilsoncroft and Parker Marshall, Eileen C. Withey Scholarship – Morgan Warrick, Shirley Rowles Miller Scholarship – Raylee Sunderlin and the DuBois Rotary Club Scholarship – Jordan Hartzfeld and Alexandra Volpe.

In addition to the scholarships listed, the Clearfield Education Foundation awarded 21 scholarships to students enrolled to attend the Clearfield Campus of Lock Haven University.

The scholarship funds listed awarded over $40,000 this year to help students from communities across Clearfield County attain their goals of higher education.
The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation congratulates all the students listed above and thanks those who donate to help fund these scholarships. We also give special recognition to the people involved with the various scholarship funds for their dedicated work raising funds and selecting the recipients.

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce that over $4,600 was donated by citizens from communities across Clearfield County and other areas to fund a special distribution to area food banks and food related programs. In response to the economic impact communities and citizens are facing from the COVID-19 crisis, the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation board authorized a special distribution to local food banks and other food related programs. All money donated to the CCCF Basic Needs Fund between April 24^th and May 15^th will be part of the distribution and additional funds donated prior will be added for a total distribution of $4,800.

The Charitable Foundation will be distributing the available funds to food banks operated by Central PA Community Action in Clearfield, Curwensville, Philipsburg, Burnside/Mahaffey, Westover, Houtzdale, Osceola Mills, Karthaus, West Branch/Allport, and the DuBois Ministerium Food Pantry and DuBois Salvation Army. Additionally, funds will go to the Salvation Army in Clearfield, Living Bread Ministries, the Anti-Hunger Program operated by the Moshannon Valley YMCA that services communities in the Philipsburg-Osceola, West Branch and Moshannon Valley areas, the Central PA Food Bank and the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging meal programs for their clients who are more homebound due to the COVID-19 crisis.

CCCF Executive Director Mark McCracken said “the Charitable Foundation Board recognized that now is a time when strong communities come together to help each other. On April 24^th, the board authorized doing a short fundraising effort to collect funds to combine with existing monies in our Basic Needs Fund to do a special distribution to county food banks and anti-hunger programs. The Charitable Foundation thanks the people who donated to the effort.    As our area moves to the green phase and people’s lives get back to normal, it is our hope these funds will help our community food banks restock their inventories so they can continue to help those who need it”.

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation Board of Directors makes an annual distribution to area food banks and earlier this year released $3,900 before the COVID-19 crisis hit.   

CCCF Board Chairman Kevin McMillen said “Even though we already released the annual food bank distribution, the board felt now was the time to step up and coordinate another distribution of funds to help our communities and families get through this difficult time”.

In response to the economic impacts communities and citizens across Clearfield County are facing from the COVID-19 crisis, the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is planning a special round of funding to help meet these needs. 

After surveying several local social service agencies to determine areas of need, the Charitable Foundation Board of Directors, during their recent board meeting, voted unanimously to release funding from their Basic Needs Fund to help communities throughout Clearfield County.

To accomplish the fund distribution with maximum impact, the Charitable Foundation is asking community members for donations, by May 15^th, to the Basic Needs Fund.  

Donations can be made online at www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org where you will see a DONATE NOW button on the main page that will direct your donation to the Basic Needs Fund via the CCCF secure PayPal account. Donations can also be made by mail to the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation, PO Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830 and please write BASIC NEEDS FUND on the check memo line.

Funds raised by May 15^th for the Basic Needs Fund will be combined with several recent special donations that were received with instructions from the donors to use their donations to help offset the impacts from the COVID-19 crisis.  

Based on the aforementioned survey of needs, the Charitable Foundation is planning to direct funding to various food banks countywide that are operated by Central PA Community Action, the Salvation Army in both Clearfield and DuBois and the Living Bread Ministries.    Funding was also approved for the Anti-Hunger Program operated by the Moshannon Valley YMCA that services communities in the Philipsburg-Osceola, West Branch and Moshannon Valley school districts.

Additional funding was approved for the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging to provide frozen and weekend meal packs for their senior clients who are more homebound due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation Board of Directors makes an annual distribution to area food banks and released $3,900 in January before the COVID-19 crisis hit.   

CCCF Board Chairman Kevin McMillen said “Even though we already released the annual food bank distribution, the board felt now was the time to step up and coordinate another distribution of funds to help our communities and families get through this difficult time”.

For more information on the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation, please visit our website at www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org or look up our Facebook page where information is shared about our various funds, scholarships, grant programs and ongoing projects.

CLEARFIELD – Among the grants recently awarded by the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is $1,000 to Clearfield County Cancer Support Inc. of Curwensville.

“The support offered by Clearfield County Cancer Support is important,” said CCCF Executive Director Mark McCracken.

  “This is an idea brought to life by Sonya and Mike Greene because they lived through the process of battling cancer and saw, firsthand, what was missing in the community support system.  

“This is the type of program the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation looks to support with our grant program because it assists people throughout Clearfield County in a time of great need”.   

Founders Sonya and Mike Greene stated “we appreciate the $1,000 grant from the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation.We started Clearfield County Cancer Support, Inc. as a way to help and support individuals going through cancer treatment.   

“There are other organizations dedicated to research and finding more effective treatment for the future, but our mission is helping individuals now, to get through the daily struggles they face while undergoing cancer treatment”.

Sonya Greene’s own cancer story began in 2014.

She was getting ready to start a new job on a Monday, but on the immediate Friday before, she had an appointment with her doctor where she received the devastating news that she had Stage 2 breast cancer. What was a time of exciting optimism for the new job immediately turned into a period of uncertainty and questions of what the future held, not only for Sonya, but for everyone close to her, especially her husband Mike.  

Speaking with Sonya and Mike they will tell you that Sonya was able to fight and win her battle because they had a good health insurance plan that provided access to a great team of doctors and a treatment plan that was successful. But during the process, it also became obvious that undergoing many months of treatment and appointments upset other aspects of their daily lives. Transportation to medical appointments had to be arranged, personal funds designated for daily costs like utility bills, maintenance on the home, property taxes and other expenses had to be diverted to help deal with the health issues Sonya was dealing with. 

When they inquired around to various agencies, they found there was nothing in Clearfield County that could provide direct assistance to cancer patients for issues that arose outside of the actual medical treatments.

After Sonya successfully completed her treatment, she and Mike turned their efforts and energy towards creating a program to help fill the void for cancer patients. In 2016, they founded Clearfield County Cancer Support, Inc. as a 501c3 nonprofit foundation to provide assistance and support to cancer patients so they can focus on their treatments rather than worrying about problems that spring up in daily life.

Mike stressed “there are some misconceptions that we are part of the American Cancer Society and/or Relay For Life, but we are a standalone organization. We operate strictly with volunteers and 95% of the funds we raise benefit cancer patients living in Clearfield County with the remaining funds going towards operational costs, money raised here stays here.

 “We have several ongoing fundraisers including our annual golf tournament scheduled for May 23^rd at Eagles Ridge, a Cash Bingo held every other month at the Curwensville VFW and new for 2020 we are joining Morris Twp. Volunteer Fire Department and Clearfield Moose in organizing the Snakefest Musicfest that will be held Saturday June 20^th at the Morris Township Volunteer Fire Department Recreation Center in Morrisdale.  We are also host a Basket Raffle at St. Timothy’s Rec Hall in Curwensville on July 26^th, 2020”.

Mike also noted they have several businesses that have been giving ongoing support to the organization. 

“Pennsylvania Grain Processing (Ethanol Plant) and Wal-Mart Distribution Center have been very generous in their support, Rob Brown of C. Classic (Dodge Chrysler Jeep) has been involved in supporting the annual golf tournament and Eagle Haven Computers designed, maintains and hosts our website”.

For more information on Clearfield County Cancer Support, Inc, please visit their website at www.clfdccs.org and for more information on the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation visit www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org.

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation Board of Directors recently approved a distribution of $3,900 in funding to area food banks. 

Funding was provided to food pantries managed by Central Pennsylvania Community Action in the communities of Clearfield, Curwensville, Philipsburg, Burnside/Mahaffey, Houtzdale, Osceola Mills, Karthaus, West Branch/Allport and 2 DuBois locations – the DuBois Ministerium Food Pantry and emergency needs at the DuBois Salvation Army.   

Funding was also provided to the Living Bread Ministries, which operates a location in the East End section of Clearfield, and the Clearfield Salvation Army for their food bank.  

CCCF Executive Director Mark B. McCracken joined with Community Action Director of Operations and Finance Michelle Stiner to visit several food pantry locations.   

During the visits McCracken noted “the community food pantries have become an important resource to help families in communities all across Clearfield County.

“The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation has a specific fund, the Basic Needs Fund, that is dedicated to supporting area food banks and this year the CCCF Board added an additional distribution for the Philipsburg Food Pantry to help people who utilize that location”.

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is working to enhance communities throughout Clearfield County through funding, grants and scholarship opportunities.   

Anyone who would like to contribute to support future distributions to area food pantries can visit the CCCF website at www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org and donate online specifically to the Basic Needs Fund or send donations by mail to PO Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830.

Pictured, from left to right, are: Mark McCracken, executive director of the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation, Sherry Skidmore, grants administrator at Community Guidance Center, and Terry Struble, superintendent of Clearfield Area School District.

Feb. 18, 2020

CLEARFIELD – The Community Guidance Center recently received a grant from the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation for a collaborative project between the Clearfield Area Junior-Senior High School and Community Guidance Center’s Drug and Alcohol program.

The Bison Outreach Project involves student volunteers who will help distribute drug and alcohol treatment information at Bison sporting events.

“The Bison Outreach Project coordinated between the Community Guidance Center and the Clearfield Area School District is the exact type of project the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation looks to support with funding,” said Mark B. McCracken, the foundation’s executive director.

“It meets the goals of the Charitable Foundation to support projects that will better the community overall and, even more importantly, the involvement of young people in this positive project is what is needed to build our next generation of community leaders.”

For more information about the Drug and Alcohol program at Community Guidance Center, visit thecgc.com.  To make an appointment or a referral, call 814-765-5337.

Names Executive Director, Announces Opening of Office

Jan. 13, 2020

As the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation approaches its 20^th year of existence and a new decade begins, the board of directors of the foundation has been looking at ways to stimulate growth and identify new projects for the foundation to become involved in.   

To attain this goal, in early 2019, the board of directors began searching for an executive director to run the operations of the foundation and a central location for an office for the foundation. 

Foundation Board Chairman Kevin McMillen announced today the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is appointing Mark B. McCracken to the position of Executive Director and, in the very near future, an office for the foundation will be opened in the former Sears building at the corner of Market and Third streets in Clearfield.   The office space is being leased from Community Media Group, the parent company of The Progress. 

McMillen stated “We are pleased to have Mark McCracken working for the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation.    He recently completed 16 years serving as Clearfield County Commissioner and has experience working with communities and leaders throughout the county.   He has past experience serving on area charitable and community agency boards including the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, Central Pennsylvania Community Action, Clearfield Area United Way and the former Clearfield Chapter of the American Red Cross”.   

“Additionally Mark has served on many important regional and state level boards including the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission board, was twice appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) 911 Advisory Committee and was a founding member of the Pennsylvania Counties Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperative (PCHIPC), where he served 10 years as chairman of the PCHIPC board”.   

On accepting the position McCracken said “This is an exciting opportunity and I look forward to continuing the work the original founders of the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation started almost 20 years ago.   The current board of directors have put a great amount of time and effort into growing the foundation in recent years and I want to build on that success.    I am also looking forward to working with the people who have established individual funds managed by the foundation.   My foremost goal is to recruit new involvement and grow all the funds so communities and individuals throughout Clearfield County can see benefits and positive results”.      

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation was formed on November 4, 2001, starting with one fund valued at $10,000 and has now grown to 46 active funds totaling almost $7 million in value as of December 31^st, 2019.   Through scholarships and grants, the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is working to enhance the quality of living in communities all over Clearfield County.   Since 2006, the CCCF grant program alone has awarded over $102,900 to 74 different groups in Clearfield County.

You can learn more about the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation by visiting their website at www. clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org.

Dec. 26, 2019

Children are able to participate in various creative activities in CAST’s Seeds Of Art program which received one of the CCCF’s recent grants. (Photo courtesy of CAST)

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation recently awarded 32 grants totaling over $23,000 to a variety of projects throughout the county.

This year’s recipients are Big Run Park-$500, Bilger’s Rocks-$750, Bob Perks Fund- $1,000, Bucktail Council BSA-$500, Catholic Charities Counseling in DuBois- $1,000, Cen Clear Child Services for the Child Advocacy Center-$1,000, Children’s Aid Society-$1,000, Clearfield Arts Studio Theatre (CAST) $500, Clearfield Cancer Support Inc. $1,000, , Clearfield Volunteer Fire Dept.-$500, Clearfield YMCA-$500, Coalport Streetscape Committee-$500, Community Guidance Center of Clearfield-$500, Curwensville Pike Township Historical Society-$500, Curwensville Regional Development Corp.-$1,000, Downtown DuBois Revitilization Group-$500, DuBois Area Community Concert Association, Inc.-$500, DuBois Senior and Community Center-$500, Grampian Lions Club-$1,000, Greater Clearfield Chamber of Commerce-$500, Junior Achievement of Western PA-$500, Lock Haven University Clearfield Campus-$500, Lydia Circle of Faith at the United Lutheran Church in Houtzdale-$500,

Mature Resources Foundation/Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging-$739.88,

St. Francis School-$928, Square One Community DuBois Furniture Bank-$500, Susquehanna River Arts Center (SRACC) in Clearfield-$365, andYMCA of Centre County Moshannon Valley Branch-$1,000.

Since 2006, the CCCF’s grant program has awarded over $102,900 to 74 different groups in the county.

The money for the general grants comes from the Community Fund and the Clearfield, Curwensville and Lawrence Township Fund (CCL Donor Designated Fund).

The Sara Jane Mattern Fund also supplied $5,000 split between four groups in Osceola Mills:  the Columbia Fire Company, the Osceola Mills Community Library, the Osceola Mills Community Historical Foundation and the Osceola Mills United Methodist Church.

In the last 7 years, the Mattern Fund has given a total of over $30,000 to these vital parts of the Osceola Mills community.

Contributions to the Community Fund, the CCL Donor Designated Fund, the Mattern Fund or any of the foundation’s endowment funds may be made at the website www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org through Paypal or can be mailed to: P.O. Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830.

Anyone interested in starting a fund can call 592-7331.

Nov. 13, 2019

Boyles Insurance of Clearfield, represented by Sherry Wood, left, made a $500 donation recently to Matt Day, right, for the Bob E. Day Scholarship Fund.

Each year employees of Boyles Insurance skip buying birthday gifts for each other and instead collect money that is matched by the company for a charitable donation. An employee is then chosen who then selects which charity to honor. This year Wood chose the Bob E. Day Scholarship Fund which is handled by the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation.

Bob E. Day, who died in Oct. 2018, came to this area from Michigan in 1967 to work at the AM radio station, WCPA where he became a fixture until it was sold in 2007.

At that point, WOKW, the rival station, knowing Day’s importance to the community, quickly scooped him up.

At his new station, Day hosted a popular local show, Sunday Super Gold, was the announcer at many different high school sporting events, read the news, and did live remotes, commercials and anything else required.

Off the air, he served as master of ceremonies, a DJ, host and announcer for many special occasions.

 Day was known as the voice of Clearfield and it is easy to declare he had the most recognizable voice in the county. Everyone knew him as the man with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.

Anyone wishing to make donations to the Bob E. Day Scholarship can send checks to the CCCF, PO Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830 or donate on their website clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org via Paypal.

Since 2006, the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation has given over $84,000 to charitable organizations throughout the county.

Last year over $20,000 was awarded to 19 various charities including local playgrounds, cancer support groups, children and parenting programs, senior exercise classes, food banks, library services, historical societies, and student art beautification efforts.

The Big Run Park Association said of their award for playground equipment, “We can assure you that the new equipment will be enjoyed by community members for many years to come.”

Jamie Houseknecht, Program Coordinator of the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund noted that their group has a goal of lessening “the unrelenting burden of unpaid bills so cancer patients worry less about their financial situation and focus their energy on their health and recovery.”

The CCCF aggress with their goals and gave grants to both the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund and Clearfield Cancer Support Inc. to assist them in their efforts.

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank was also grateful for their funding which went to the Fresh Express food distribution program at the Moshannon Valley YMCA.

“Because of you, thousands of families do not have to choose between paying heating bills or paying for groceries this winter,” said Joe Arthur, Executive Director of the group.

All of these monies were given as part of the CCCF’s goal to support various groups that provide services in the areas of health, education, social welfare, arts/culture, and conservation/environment.

They are now excepting applications for their 2019 grants.

To be eligible for a grant award, applying agencies/organizations must provide services in local communities and be located within Clearfield County.

Priority is given to projects that have potential for long-term impact, support the county’s overall needs, do not duplicate other services and will aid residents not currently being served.

The grants are funded from money held by the CCCF in its Community Fund and the CCL Donor Designated Fund for organizations in Clearfield Borough/Curwensville Borough/Lawrence Township.

These funds were established for the specific purpose of making grants to worthwhile projects benefiting Clearfield County communities.

The deadline for the submission of grant applications is Sept. 27.  Awards will be announced by January 2020.

Grant application guidelines and forms can be downloaded from the website: www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org.  

Agencies can also request an application and guidelines via email at cccfinfo@yahoo.com or by calling (814)592-7331.

Established in 2004, the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is one of more than 300 community foundations in the United States.

In addition to offering their annual grants, the CCCF handles the Sarah Jane Mattern Fund which provides funding for organizations in Osceola Mills, and they make annual donations to area food banks from their Basic Needs Fund.

The CCCF is also home for many local charitable endowment funds for various charities within Clearfield County allowing them to grow and benefit the local community forever. Currently the CCCF has 45 different endowment funds including 14 scholarship funds. As of July 2019, the Charitable Foundation’s assets have a market value over $6 million.

Contributions to any of the Charitable Foundation’s funds may be made at the website through Paypal or can be mailed to: P.O. Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830.

The CCCF welcomes inquiries from potential donors or those interested in establishing funds to benefit local communities and organizations.