Home Page

Earlier this month, William “Bill” Curtis Kelehar, a former member of our board of directors, passed away. A resident of South Boston, Bill helped establish the Fund for Halifax at The Foundation.

Bill proudly served his country in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army from 1963-83 rising to the rank of Sergeant First Class and retiring with honors after a distinguished military career. He moved to Halifax County in 1996 and worked at Annin Flagmakers as a plant manager and director of operations for 16 years. He also worked with Aquatic and the Russell Stover plant in Clarksville.

He was actively involved in the community, serving in leadership roles with the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Development Authority. He served on the chamber’s board of directors from 2003-06 and was chairman for the last year. In addition, he was a proud member of the American Legion.

Every year we look forward to our annual Appreciation Luncheon in November. Not only is it a great time to show appreciation to our supporters, it also allows us to share what’s been going on at The Foundation for the past fiscal year.

This year’s event, which was held November 13, featured a panel made up of a current scholarship recipient and two former recipients. The trio – Oscar Kemp, Sara Weller and Dustin Echols (pictured left to right above) discussed how the receipt of scholarships allowed them to pursue a degree in higher education. Oscar and Sara were first generation college students and both of Dustin’s parents worked at the former Dan River Mills before they were laid off when the company shut its doors. For all three individuals, a scholarship from the Community Foundation allowed them the opportunity to pursue a degree in higher education they would not have otherwise had.

Oscar is pursuing graduate studies at the University of Virginia. Sara is now the director of human resources for the city of Danville and Dustin is currently an assistant principal at Tunstall High School.

Also during the program, Vince Kania, Jr., our board president, and Sheila Williamson-Branch, treasurer along with Executive Director Dan Hayes reported on the financial stability of The Foundation.

To date, The Foundation has 75 scholarships available for students in the Dan River Region. These scholarships were created by individuals who wanted to leave a legacy of generosity in our community.