Category: Annual Report

Sustaining the Cathedral Along the Codorus

Places of worship offer comfort and hope as spiritual anchors in times of strife. During its 112 years, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Spring Grove has been an anchor to thousands of congregants. Modeled after the great cathedrals of Europe, the building’s stunning architecture earned it a place on the National Registry of Historic…


Creating A Seat at the Table

A four-million-pound food gap filled. 55,000 lives changed. Hunger eradicated. In 2017, five charitable food organizations in York County came together as the first collaborative effort in Pennsylvania to address health-related needs and recommendations identified by Governor Wolf’s “Blueprint for a Hunger-Free PA.” They approached the Memorial Health Fund (MHF) board for a $250,000 grant…


Building Blocks for Family-Sustaining Success

Community Progress Council (CPC) was started as an initiative of the war on poverty in 1965 and has been on the front lines helping people rise out of poverty. In 2018, YCCF’s Fund for York County awarded a multi-year grant for CPC to implement an economic self-sufficiency program based on a successful model that starts…


Building Connections for a Healthy Community

Children born underweight face huge developmental challenges with lifelong consequences for them, their families, and their communities. The March of Dimes estimates the societal cost of low birthweight babies at an estimated $26 billion annually nationwide. In York City, 11.5 percent of babies born in 2012 were low birth weight, weighing less than five pounds,…


Supporting Artists to Make York Vibrant

Thriving communities across America recognize that cultural activities are key attractors for talented workers and visitors, and provide a boost to the economy. In York County, the arts brought over $14 million in economic impact in 2018. As the Cultural Alliance of York County approached its 20th anniversary and prepared for a change in leadership,…


Setting the Stage for School Success

Do you remember who taught you to say your first word, use a spoon, to walk? Chances are, it was a parent. Parents are our earliest teachers, setting the course for how we learn for the rest of our lives. But parents often need support to be the best teachers for their children. Child Care…


Wider Paths Provide Access to Nature for All

The West Manchester Senior Trail and Nature Park will contain four acres of native plants and trees, birds, butterflies and bees in West Manchester Township, and incorporate many features for the senior residents at Normandie Ridge Senior Living Community and the young families at nearby The Greens at Westgate Apartment Homes. Supported by a grant…


Shining a Light on York’s Unique Assets

York’s fabulous historic architecture has made it a national historic district, with an “historically edgy” downtown. At its center, stands Continental Square. The heart of revitalizing downtown, the Square was neglected until YCCF commissioned a study to revive it. The study envisioned lighting the exterior of its iconic buildings as a way to highlight their…


Flying High to Preserve Farming in York County

Through a grant from YCCF’s Agriculture and Land Preservation Fund, local farmers can now use drone imaging to have a bird’s-eye view of their fields to maximize yield while pinpointing where fertilizer and pesticide treatments are needed most. Contemporary farming techniques, including chemicals and fertilization, have exponentially increased farmers’ yield per acre. However, over-using these…


Turning Tragedy Into Hope

Chris Herren, former NBA player, now travels across the country speaking to young people about his drug and alcohol abuse and recovery through the Herren Project. In September 2016, he gave his motivational talk to students at York Catholic High School. What made this presentation different was the family of Spencer Kubala sitting in the…