Eastern Panhandle schools and nonprofit organizations that inspire and educate children through the arts and nature seeking general operating support or funding for a specific program are invited to apply for a grant from this fund.

Applications can be found on the Community Foundation’s website at www.EWVCF.org. The deadline to apply is May 31.

The fund was established by Preissler in 2022 in honor of her late husband, a German-born architectural designer who called Harpers Ferry his home for nearly 50 years. During its inaugural award year, the fund gave just under $150,000 to 27 local schools and nonprofits, with grants ranging from $2,325 to $10,000.

One such organization, the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival, founded in 2021, used their grant to keep tickets to their chamber music performances in Harpers Ferry, Charles Town, and Shepherdstown affordable.

Their grant also helped fund a commissioned piece by a new composer exploring the nature, history and culture of the region, and in August of 2022, ACMF performed a string quartet titled “Of Woods and Water” by Judith Ring for the first time.

Through this fund, the arts in Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan Counties continue to grow and thrive. Nonprofits and schools with programs that help children expand their knowledge and practice of art, music, and design, especially those that incorporate nature and the natural world into the curriculum, should visit www.EWVCF.org to learn more and apply for a grant from the Detlev and Mary Ellen Preissler Fund for the Arts, Music, Design, and Nature.

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) was established in 1995 to help donors create permanent endowments to provide grants and scholarships throughout the region. Since its inception, EWVCF has awarded $15 million, including over $1 million in 2022 alone.

The Community Foundation now holds more than 280 endowed funds with assets of just over $35 million and is the leading steward of philanthropic giving in the region.

EWVCF works with a wide range of nonprofit organizations, providing funding for projects from human welfare and scholarships to affordable housing and natural resources conservation; youth and education, animal welfare and historic preservation, and much more. For information visit www.EWVCF.org or call 304-264-0353.

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Amy Pancake has served as the Director of Affiliates since 2008. Michael Whalton replaced the Foundation’s first Executive Director, Amy Owen, in 2012.

In 2017, the Foundation created its first new position in nearly 10 years — Program Manager — hiring Karin Hammann Dunn, who now serves as the Scholarship Program Manager. In 2021, Administrative Assistant/Office and Grants Manager Rebecca Knight replaced previous Director of Finance and Administration Felicia Fuller.

In that time, the Foundation has grown to just over $35 million in assets and continues to award over $1 million in grants and scholarships each year.

Now, the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation has hired Susan Caperton as Associate Director/Chief Operations Officer. She will manage the Foundation’s committees and oversee grant, scholarship, and nonprofit education training programs.

Caperton and Executive Director Michael Whalton will work together to develop, monitor, modify, and implement long-range strategies to benefit the Community Foundation.

Caperton, a resident of Berkeley Springs, first joined EWVCF’s Board in 2015, where she served as Secretary and then Vice President. She was also a member of several of foundation committees, including the Grants Committee, Scholarship Committee, Executive Committee, and DEI Task Force.

Caperton first became involved with the Foundation through Jan Wilkins. She had been aware of the foundation through the grant and scholarship programs.

“I was impressed with the breadth and depth of impact the organization has throughout the region,” Caperton said.

In addition to her years of volunteer service at the Foundation and other local nonprofits, Caperton also brings a law degree to the table. She graduated from Northwestern University in 1991, completed a legal internship at Northern Trust in Chicago, and graduated from University of Michigan Law School in 1996. While working in Chicago, she met Gat Caperton, and the two married in June 1996. They moved to West Virginia that same year, where he purchased Tom Seely Furniture (now Gat Creek) and she joined Bowles Rice LLP, working there for two years.

Since moving to the Eastern Panhandle, Susan Caperton has served many organizations. She is the current Board President of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of the Eastern Panhandle, a position she has held for four years now. She is also on the Board of the Tom and Virginia Seely Foundation, Morgan Arts Council, Morgan County Starting Points, and Morgan County Partnership. She served as Executive Director of the Partnership from 2008 to 2010.

The Capertons have three daughters. Their eldest, Eliza, 24, graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2021 and now works at an art gallery. Katie, 22, is a senior at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Their youngest, Evie, is 20 and a sophomore at Grinell College in Iowa. When not working, the Capertons enjoy spending time with friends and family, including their dog Annie and cat Oliver.

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The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) is accepting scholarship applications now through March 3, 2023. University, college, community college and other higher education bound students graduating in 2023 from Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties are eligible to apply for EWVCF scholarships.

For the past 27 years, EWVCF has been committed to assisting students as they pursue their higher education goals. Thanks to donors who share this vision, the foundation offers dozens of scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000.

In 2023, 47 different funds will award scholarships totaling more than $150,000 to students from Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties in the Eastern Panhandle. Students can visit the Community Foundation’s website at www.EWVCF.org to learn about the different types of scholarships available and their respective requirements, as some are quite specific. 

The West Virginia Wing-Civil Air Patrol Cadet Scholarship Fund was established by the late Dennis D. Barron to award scholarships to Civil Air Patrol cadets from around the state. Cadets who are chosen to receive these scholarships must be excellent students and proven leaders in their squadrons. The scholarships are renewable so long as the student remains a cadet in the West Virginia Wing throughout his or her college years.

The Theodore K. Oates Nursing Scholarship is for Berkeley County graduates who are currently studying or plan to study nursing at one of the colleges, universities or technical institutes in the Eastern Panhandle. It is one of the few EWVCF scholarships that is available to students who are already attending college.

The Floyd and Isabel Jacques Memorial Scholarship Fund was created by Mr. Jacques to benefit Musselman High School seniors who are in the top 10% of their class. Previous Jacques Scholarship recipients have attended a wide range of colleges and universities, including Shenandoah University, Hagerstown Community College, and Seton Hill University.

The Martinsburg High School Class of 1964 Fund was created with gifts from dozens of Class of ’64 graduates. This fund provides scholarships for Martinsburg High graduates who will attend a West Virginia higher education institution.

The Derflinger Earth Sciences Scholarship Fund was established by the late Jerry Derflinger. This fund provides scholarships for a graduating senior who is planning to attend a West Virginia public college or university and pursue a degree in agriculture, forestry, geology, archeology or environmental science.

The Susan Wellford Smith Scholarship Fund was established in memory of Ms. Smith by her family. This fund provides scholarships for female athletes from Jefferson County who plan to pursue a four-year degree.

The Anna Jo Crosby Scholarship Fund was established by Ms. Crosby’s husband, family and friends as a tribute in her memory. This scholarship supports Morgan County high school graduates pursuing a degree in biology or veterinary science.

Recent college graduates preparing to enter law school may want to apply for the J. Oakley Seibert Scholarship, which was established in his memory to support law school students who reside in and plan to return to the Eastern Panhandle to practice law after graduation.

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation and its affiliates use an online scholarship application hosted by AwardSpring for most scholarships. That application can be found at https://ewvcf.awardspring.com . For more information, contact Scholarship Program Manager Karin Hammann Dunn at  khdunn@ewvcf.org or 304-671-8167.

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