Habitat for Humanity of Washington County Wins Forward Funding Challenge

Habitat for Humanity of Washington County won the Community Foundation of Washington County MD’s fourth annual Forward Funding Challenge. Habitat for Humanity will use their grant of $3,000 to purchase tools and paint supplies for a new Playhouse Project Build Day. This one-day event will provide low income families in Washington County with their own playhouses built by the teams who sponsor each house.Other finalists included Hope Through Birth and Leitersburg Ruritan Community Center.Hope Through Birth plans to provide free birth and bereavement training classes to local medical professionals, first responders and funeral directors for families who experience pregnancy and infant loss. The educational classes will help bring exposure to this new nonprofit and in turn open the door for more fundraising opportunities.Leitersburg Ruritan Community Center would like to hold an 80’s themed weekend bash fundraiser that includes a band, trivia competition and corn hole tournament. The money raised during the event will help with the center’s capital campaign.Through a generous donation by the Pauline Anderson Foundation, Hope Through Birth received second place and a grant of $2,000 for their classes while Leitersburg Ruritan Community Center came in third and will get $1,000 for their fundraiser.The Community Foundation’s Forward Funding Challenge encourages local nonprofit organizations to develop innovative and ongoing fundraising efforts. All three finalists presented their ideas at a live event on March 2 at The Maryland Theatre before a panel of judges consisting of previous Community Foundation Rising Star winners’ Sam Buhrman, Kandace Carpenter and Kelsi Palmer.