The Shadow
COVINGTON, Va. (VR) – Hosted by the Alleghany Foundation and the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce on May 20, 2025, the Give Local Alleghany Highlands (GLAH) Giving Day is pleased to announce another year of extraordinary success for local nonprofit organizations.
Kelly Dean Madsen, Alleghany Foundation board president, said, “Thank you to the organizations and donors who participated in the 5th Annual Give Local Alleghany Highlands event. I was excited to see that the event raised $1,001,956 for 35 organizations, more than double the amount raised last year, $491,498. The number of participating donors also increased to 575 from 479 last year. The 5th Annual Give Local Alleghany Highlands event’s
positive impact on the local community is clear.”
Local donors and others from across the country contributed to a range of causes throughout Covington, Clifton Forge, and Alleghany County. These causes included education and health services, food banks, animal welfare, support for the arts, and hiking and recreation activities. This diversity of causes reflects the broad impact of the Give Local Alleghany Highlands event and the varied needs of our community.
Bruce Loving, Development Officer at the MGCC Educational Foundation, who is also the Board President of the Historic Masonic Theatre, commented, “The MGCC Educational Foundation was bolstered by generous anchor gifts from the Estate of Anne W. Koethcke and Helen E. Kostel, honorary chair of MGCC’s campaign, but we also experienced a 36% increase in the number of donors, a 73% donor retention rate, and a 96% retention rate for donations. The real story, however, was the outpouring of generous support for all nonprofits in the Alleghany Highlands during this campaign and the unwavering support of The Alleghany Foundation in planting the seeds of giving. It was a great day for philanthropy.”
As an added incentive, this year’s event increased prize money throughout the competition. A pilot program introduced a medium nonprofit category this year to the group of nonprofits. Nonprofits are categorized by budget size to encourage fair winning opportunities.
Earlier in April, we were pleased to have Alleghany High School and Boys Home of Virginia seniors participate in the Senior Class Giving Day. Through the generosity of The Alleghany Foundation, students selected a nonprofit organization to support, and the foundation contributed $50 for each vote cast. This year was one of the highest levels of participation in the five-year history of Senior Class Giving Day, with 99 seniors’ casting votes. The most votes were cast for the Alleghany Humane Society, One Fight Inc., Boys Home of Virginia, the Alleghany Highlands YMCA, and the Highlands Christmas Mother Inc.
The Golden Ticket game provided thirty opportunities, twice as many as last year, for a nonprofit to win an extra $250 by randomly selecting a donation awarded to the nonprofit that received it.
The Power Hour increased prizes to $1500 each as organizations competed in these hour-long fundraising sprints to raise the most money within that timeframe. The winners of these prizes were Clifton Forge School of the Arts, Alleghany Historical Society, Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society, Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation, Covington Women’s Club of GFWC, and Appalfolks of America Association.
Any nonprofit that received donations from at least 10 unique donors qualified for the bonus prize pool. This year, there was exceptional participation in this game, with twenty-four nonprofits having ten or more donors. Cora Dance Alleghany shone brightly with 70 unique donors, Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation with 64 unique donors, Recover Virginia with 45, Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society with 42, and Alleghany Humane Society with 41.
GLAH introduced another new incentive game this year to encourage participation from new donors. The nonprofits had the opportunity to win additional prize funds by increasing their unique donor count from GLAH 2024 by a minimum of five. Fourteen nonprofits increased their new unique donor base by five. Recover Virginia and Cora Dance Alleghany each increased their new donors by 45; The Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation by 41; Alleghany Highland Arts Council by 35; and Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society by 29 new donors.
With intentional social media postings, along with encouraging established donors to share their stories with friends and family, these nonprofits reported increased visibility and giving among their donors. This increased engagement was evident by the success of this newly added game.
The Grand Prizes went to the top 5 organizations in each size category (small, medium, large) that raised the most dollars through all donations, including offline contributions during the early giving period and the 24-hour giving day. Each of the winners was awarded their grand prize as
follows:
Small nonprofits:
1st place, $3,500: Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society
2nd place, $3,000: Clifton Forge Main Street
3rd place, $2,500: Covington Women’s Club of GFWC
4th place, $2,000: Cougar Alumni Association
5th place, $1,500 Clifton Forge Area Food Pantry
Medium nonprofits:
1st place, $3,500: Alleghany Highland Arts and Crafts Center, Inc
2nd place, $3,000: Alleghany Highland Arts Council
3rd place, $2,500: Alleghany Historical Society
4th place, $2,000: Appalfolks of America Association
5th place, $1,500: Cora Dance
Large nonprofits:
1st place, $3,500: MGCC Educational Foundation
2nd place, $3,000: Boys Home of Virginia
3rd place, $2,500: Clifton Forge School of the Arts
4th place, $2,000: Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation
5th place, $1,500: Alleghany Highlands YMCA
“The success of Give Local Alleghany Highlands is not just about the financial figures; it’s about building a stronger community,” added Madge Vosteen, GLAH project coordinator. “We are pleased and excited for the nonprofits who grew their donor base in this year’s event. Their hard work in encouraging their donors to give and to reach out to others was evident in the overall increase in donors and the amount of money raised this year. As a result of this year’s achievements, the participating organizations are now better equipped to serve the community, address needs, and enhance the quality of life across Covington, Clifton Forge, and Alleghany County.”
Give Local Alleghany Highlands is an annual 24-hour online fundraising campaign to empower local nonprofits and strengthen communities in the Alleghany Highlands region. Through collective giving, the campaign leverages the generosity of individual donors to create a lasting impact on the community. In celebrating its 30th anniversary, The Alleghany Foundation contributed $30,000 toward prizes for Give Local Alleghany Highlands in 2025.
Founded in 1995 following the sale of the Alleghany Regional Hospital, The Alleghany Foundation seeks to catalyze positive change in the Alleghany Highlands. The Foundation aims to focus its capital in a way that leads to a more civically engaged and prosperous community that builds upon its assets to produce opportunities for all residents.
For a complete list of all prizes, please visit the Prizes page for more information, GiveLocal.org.
Visit GiveLocal.org or email contact@givelocalah.org for more information on Give Local Alleghany Highlands, including ways to get involved for GLAH 2026 or to support local nonprofits.
