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People across the Outer Banks have stepped forward to address evolving local needs in new ways, including creating endowments with the Outer Banks Community Foundation that will support local communities for generations to come. Funds created in 2021 will start to award grants to nonprofits in 2022.

An anonymous donor recently created the Helping People Help Animals Fund, an endowed, field of interest fund, to “provide grants to charitable organizations, with preference given to those organizations staffed entirely (or nearly entirely) by volunteers; to protect, rehabilitate, and care for all animals, both domestic and wild.” This donor expressed an “admiration for all those who volunteer to help animals, and this fund is to help those who do the work and participate in the efforts” that support agencies’ missions.

The Bob Parker Memorial Fund has been established by Parker’s wife, Rhonda Tillett. Parker was a U.S. Army veteran and general contractor who loved being outdoors, hunting and fishing, as well as sharing his interests with others, especially children. He volunteered at Special Olympics and those athletes held a special place in his heart. The Bob Parker Memorial Fund is an endowed, field of interest fund that will be used to award grants to “organizations that help individuals with special needs, with preference given to Special Olympics and other programs that serve children with disabilities.”

The Hanft McDevitt Family Scholarship Fund was recently established by Roland McDevitt and Barbara Hanft for Dare County students graduating with an associate degree from College of The Albemarle who have a desire to continue their higher education and a goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree from a college or university. “The donors recognize that a four-year degree is foundational for success in many professions,” stated a Community Foundation press release. Scholarships will be awarded from this fund for further schooling in a variety of fields, including education, political science and rehabilitation, as well as the literary, performing and visual arts.

A local couple has established a new fund to help fight food insecurity and isolation on Hatteras Island. The Nourishing Hatteras Island Fund is an endowed, donor-advised fund, created “to support Hatteras Island Meals and other health and wellness programs on Hatteras Island.” The fund’s creators, who wish to remain anonymous, also have left gifts in their wills for this fund, which will increase its charitable support in future years.

An anonymous donor has created a new testamentary, endowed, designated fund that will one day benefit the Community Care Clinic of Dare. The Community Care Clinic of Dare, based in Nags Head, provides basic medical services to the region’s marginalized residents, including many of the area’s working poor. More than 250 of the clinic’s clients are non-English speaking Dare County residents.

“We celebrate each new fund that is established at our Community Foundation as a resource for our time, and for future generations of Outer Bankers,” said Community Foundation president and CEO Chris Sawin. “Each new fund established means that more awareness will be raised about ever-evolving local needs, and that more of these needs will be met.”

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