href=”http://greenecountydemocrat.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/bbcf-with-cruise.jpg”>L-R are Mark Crews, Felecia Jones, George McMillan and Dess Feick<a

On Wednesday, December 8, 2010, Alabama Power Company made a $100,000 donation to the Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF). The presentation was made by Mark Crews, Vice President for the Alabama Power Western Division in Tuscaloosa and Dess Feick with the Alabama Power Birmingham Office.
This $100,000 contribution will be matched by $50,000 from the Ford Foundation as part of the foundation’s challenge grant to BBCF. The Ford Foundation has offered the BBCF up to $1 million at the rate of one dollar for every two dollars it raises toward its endowment fund.
“The Black Belt Community Foundation can’t say thank you enough to Alabama Power and all our friends inside and outside of the Black Belt who have demonstrated their commitment to making the region better,” said Felecia Jones, foundation executive director. “It’s through their generous support, leadership, hard work and dedication that we are able to help create a more prosperous Black Belt.”
The Black Belt Community Foundation was established in 2004.
Its purpose was to support local efforts that contribute to the strength, innovation, and success of all of the region’s people and communities.
To date, BBCF has awarded more than $1.6 million in grants to support more than 400 community led initiatives across the foundation’s 12 county service area.
The Ford Foundation has recognized BBCF’s good work by selecting it as one of only five nonprofit organizations nationwide to participate in its Rural Development Philanthropy Endowment Initiative. Through the Ford Foundation initiative, BBCF has been challenged to build an endowment that can sustain its important mission for generations to come.
“It’s clear to us how the Black Belt Community Foundation has been working to transform the Black Belt, making it a better place to live, work and raise a family,” said Mark Crosswhite, Alabama Power executive vice president. “Alabama Power is very pleased to contribute to the BBCF’s success and help it further its goal of creating a more vital Black Belt region.”
Alabama Power’s donation, plus the matching grant from the Ford Foundation, boosts the
BBCF endowment to more than $ 1.3 million. Jones said she hopes the Alabama Power gift will help spur additional contributions from corporations and foundations and bring the
BBCF closer to its $2 million goal.
“We’ve made tremendous progress, but there is so much more to accomplish,” Jones said. “With the help of corporate, philanthropic and community partners, we want to continue to contribute to the growth and development of the Black Belt and its people.”
For more information about the Black Belt Community Foundation, visit www.blackbeltfound.org.
To learn how you can help support the organization and its Ford Foundation challenge grant, contact the BBCF Office at 334-874-1126 or info@blackbeltfound.org.
Shown above are: Erica Crenshaw, Samory Pruitt, Feleica Jones, George McMillan, Dess Feick, Kathy McVay, Carol P. Zippert, Rev. Chris Spencer and Whitney Green