Washington County, OH– After six weeks of fundraising for the six local, K-12 school districts in Washington County, Marietta Community Foundation, with the help of Settlers Bank, has crossed the finish line in their ‘$60K For 6’ campaign.

“It seems fitting to hit our goal in the sixth week!” said Heather Allender, President & CEO of the Foundation. “We had a specific goal in mind: we want to make sure our local children are safe and will be in an environment where they can effectively learn… thankfully, the community rallied behind this mission!”

The Foundation’s Board of Directors and Staff said they were humbled by the flood of donations to come in all across Washington County. Approximately 60 donations came in to support this campaign at varying amounts, including 10 donations from local businesses.

The last portion of the fundraising to complete the campaign came from a $2,550 donation from Settlers Bank.

“The ability to provide Washington County students with quality education in a safe environment directly impacts the community in which we live,” said Donn Schafer, President & CEO at Settlers Bank. “Donating to the Marietta Community Foundation’s ‘60K For 6’ campaign aligns perfectly with Settlers Bank’s mission of being Marietta’s true community bank; strong, stable, and safe. That’s what we desire for Washington County youth as well, so giving to the campaign was a logical extension of our values.”

Other businesses to contribute to the campaign included Hall Financial Advisors Giving Foundation, Frye Dental Group, Morrison, Inc., Southeastern Ohio Port Authority, Schwendeman Agency, WMOA, Over the Moon Pub & Pizza, Teri Ann’s, and Mallett Rentals.

“This was a community effort,” said Allender. “The Foundation put up $30,000 of our own funds as a match and the response was incredible! Thank you so much to our donors, to the teachers, and to the students… we hope our work will serve you well!”

Each of the six school districts in Washington County, that serves K-12 students, will receive $10,000 of the $60,000 raised by this campaign. Superintendents of each school district will begin creating proposals, detailing how they plan to spend their portion of the funds.

"I am very appreciative of the support from our community," said Will Hampton, Superintendent of Marietta City Schools. "Our only chance for our schools to succeed in safely opening is if the entire community commits to being safe. It is a complete community effort.”

Though the funds will remain flexible for each school’s use, the Foundation wants to know what needs each school faces to gain a better understanding of any future projects.

“We know our schools are going to use these funds to address a broad spectrum of needs,” said Allender. “But, it is always helpful for us to see what those needs are for any future support in our community.”

The Marietta Community Foundation meets National Standards for operational quality, donor service, and accountability in the community foundation sector. Founded in 1974, the Marietta Community Foundation has grown over the years thanks to a number of generous gifts.

Marietta Community Foundation works to improve Washington County through grants and initiatives, if you want to help the Foundation continue their work in Washington County, please contact Heather Allender at 740-373-3286 or heather@mcfohio.org.