Funding will provide immediate and long-term investment in the Nelsonville area
NELSONVILLE, Ohio – The Nelsonville Community Foundation announces a history-making gift from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation that will provide immediate and long-term investment in the city of Nelsonville and the surrounding communities of Buchtel, Carbon Hill and Murray City.
“On behalf of every one of our neighbors, present and future, who will benefit from this transformative gift, we extend our deepest appreciation to the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation,” said Kevin Dotson, Nelsonville Community Foundation committee member. “Its commitment to our communities is opening doors to opportunities that advance the health and well-being of all who call our communities home.”
The new funding is not only increasing the amount of annual grant funding the Nelsonville Community Foundation will be able to award for the next several years but is also contributing to its endowment fund, providing permanent funding for the future.
The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation’s $575,000 gift – the largest the Nelsonville Community Foundation has ever received – allowed the Nelsonville Community Foundation to secure an additional $150,000 in matching funds through the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) and pushed its endowment fund past the $1 million threshold.
One of 15 FAO affiliate foundations, the Nelsonville Community Foundation was established in 2016 by local residents to make a direct and lasting impact for the people and communities of Nelsonville, Buchtel, Carbon Hill and Murray City.
When the former Nelsonville Junior High and High School buildings were replaced by a new Nelsonville-York School District campus, a group of longtime Nelsonville residents – spearheaded by Dorothy Gettle, Anita McDonald and Betty Jo Parsley – formed a nonprofit to preserve the historic school buildings facing demolition. After working more than 16 years to maintain and save the buildings, a developer purchased the property in 2016 and transformed it into affordable housing.
Proceeds from the sale were used to establish the Nelsonville Community Foundation at FAO to ensure those dollars would continue to serve Nelsonville and the surrounding communities forever.
With a mission to improve the health and quality of life in the community through education, research and service consistent with its osteopathic heritage, the
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation has a long history of serving Nelsonville and southeastern Ohio.
“The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to the Nelsonville community,” said Osteopathic Heritage Foundation President/CEO Terri Donlin Huesman. “The Foundation is proud to partner with the Nelsonville Community Foundation, and we look forward to partnering to advance local strategies designed to improve health and quality of life for generations to come.”
For more information about the Nelsonville Community Foundation and how to support its work, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/Nelsonville, email Nelsonville@ffao.org or call 740.753.1111