The Wolfinger family recently decided to expand the philanthropic scope of the Wolfinger Family Fund and have made possible $5,500 in grants to organizations and projects chosen by the family.
The fund was originally established by area residents Sandy and Connie Wolfinger to support projects and equipment purchases in the Ellicottville, Smethport (PA) and Coudersport (PA) School districts. Those grants from the fund will continue, but this year and the years coming the family decided to also make donor advised grants to nonprofits chosen by the family.
Nine organizations together will or have already together received $5,500 in support from the fund.
Genesis House of Olean, Inc. and the United Way of Cattaraugus County each received $1,000.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Smethport (PA) will receive $700 for its Guardian Angel Fund program.
HomeCare & Hospice, Olean Food Pantry and YMCA of the Twin Tiers each received $500.
Cuba Friends of Architecture, which serves to save and restore historic locations in Cuba, including the Genesee Greenway, the Genesee Valley Railroad Freight Station, The Cuba Cheese Museum and the Palmer Opera House, received $300.
Wreaths Across America, an organization that provides for wreaths at the graves of fallen soldiers at Arligton National Cemetery and more than 2,100 other locations in the U.S. and abroad, received $200.
Additionally, Belvidere High School in New Jersey, where the Wolfinger family also has family ties, will receive $500 in support of the construction of an outdoor classroom for high school students that is safer than an indoor classroom during COVID protocols and encourages a freer, more creative learning environment.
This year the fund also made possible $2,000 in support to the Ellicottville, Coudersport and Smethport school districts, bringing the fund’s total impact in 2021 to $7,500 in grants.
“We are so pleased to play a role in supporting the impressive philanthropy of the Sandy and Connie Wolfinger and their extended family,” said Karen Niemic Buchheit, CRCF executive director. “The Wolfinger Family Fund will have an impact for many, many years to come as the endowment continues to grow through the family’s generosity.”
Donations can be made to the Wolfinger Family Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203, Olean, NY 14760, or online at cattfoundation.org.
Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).
