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Board Member Needed!

Fairmont Community Development Partnership is currently seeking a board member. There are restrictions as to who can serve on the board but please...

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Renting With A Pet

Many will agree a pet is a part of the family. You want to be able to enjoy life at home with your furry friend. Without the proper preparation though it can be stressful renting with a pet. Having a pet in a rental unit means more than just cleaning up after them, which you should be doing inside and out of the apartment. Much more is entailed. 

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What Can You Do For World Kindness Day?

World Kindness Day is November 13, 2022. It falls on the same date each year. This annual event aims to highlight good deeds and positive actions taking place in the world. Anyone can participate and even small actions add up.

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Why Are Nonprofits Important?

Nonprofit organizations are an important part of society. They have a positive impact on many facets of their communities. You most likely know someone who works with one, be someone who has donated to or volunteered with one, is someone who works for one, or may even be supported through the services of a nonprofit. 

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Energy Efficiency Tips

Energy efficiency is all about managing the energy you use in a better way. This can lead to a decreased carbon footprint, lower utility bills, and save you money. Here are six tips to help you be more energy efficient.

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Tips For Moving

Moving can be a hassle. All of those boxes, coordinating with anyone helping you, and the back and forth. There are some ways to make it easier though.

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Tips For Your First Apartment

You never forget your first apartment. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your experience. We want to help you make the best of it. It’s a big deal renting for your first time, so let’s dive into how to make it great.

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What We Love About West Virginia

June 20 is West Virginia Day! West Virginia gets a bad rep in the media. However, we love our state. There are great things happening here. We want to share just a few things we love.

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Why Supporting Small Business Is Important

You statistically are bound to personally know individuals who own and operate or work for a small business. Small businesses are a vital part of our economy and there are many benefits to supporting them. 

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Healthy Eating On A Budget – How?

Is it possible to afford to eat healthy on a budget? The short answer is yes, but it does take a budget and knowing where to look. Groceries are expensive and inflation certainly is not helping. However, for those that qualify or know where to look there are resources available to them. 

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Unrestricted Funds: What Is It & Why Do Nonprofits Need It?

Have you heard the term “unrestricted funds” before? If you have, you may know that it is money given to nonprofits that can be used without any restrictions for whatever purpose the nonprofit deems fit to meet its mission. Unrestricted funds are a very important source of funding for nonprofits.

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Spring Cleaning

Ah, spring. The beginning of flowers and sunshine with April showers bringing May flowers. Spring also brings spring cleaning. Spring cleaning is a great way to toss out the old and make way for the new while sprucing up the place. We’ve put together a handy checklist to help you in your venture. Remember to collect unwanted items as you clean to donate. 

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Tips If You Hate Cleaning

Does the thought of cleaning your home leave you in dread or glee? Some enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic while others don’t enjoy it. Most people love living in a clean environment so here are a few tips and tricks to get your home cleaned in no time particularly if you hate the thought of cleaning.

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Lesson 9: Resources

By now we’ve covered eight topics on how to budget and save money. Hopefully, you’ve been able to use some of the tips and tricks we’ve already covered. This page will help you find further resources that you can utilize on your own. These are just a handful of the available resources you can find online. 

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Lesson 8: Wants

e all have wants. It’s fun to go out and catch a show or grab a bite to eat. In order to be able to do so though it’s important to budget for it.

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Lesson 7: Needs

We can’t control the rate a utility charges, but there are some ways to save on a utility bill. 

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Lesson 6: Savings

The Fed’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances shows that the typical American household has $5,300 in a savings account at a bank or credit union. But, this number varies greatly by age and number of people in a household. Lesson 1 discussed the 50/30/20 framework. 20% of income should be going towards debt AND savings. The amount you will be able to put into savings will vary depending on your income and budget. For example, if your income is $2,000 a month then ideally you should try and budget $400 for debt and savings.

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Volunteering Matters

Have you ever volunteered? One out of four Americans volunteer, two out of three Americans help their neighbor according to a study performed by The Corporation for National & Community Service. Considering the US population is in the millions, there is a significant number volunteering every year. 

Why do people volunteer? It varies from person to person really. 

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Lesson 5: Debt

Lesson 1 introduced the 50/30/20 framework. The idea is 20% of your income should be going towards savings and debt. This can be a struggle with high-interest rates seeming to make it impossible to make any sort of meaningful dent. There are methods to make repayment more manageable.

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Lesson 4: Housing

We all need a place to live and many people today rent. In our first lesson, Budgeting 101, we discussed the 50/30/20 rule. This framework calls for...

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Getting To Know The Partnership: Kelley Rose – Volunteer Board Member

Kelley is a member of Fairmont Community Development Partnership’s volunteer board of directors. She has a Bachelor’s degree in counseling and is a Juvenile Victim-Offender Mediator for the National Youth Advocate Program, Inc. She was drawn to the nonprofit sector because she likes to “be active locally” and to give back. One of the reasons she volunteers with FCDP is because she enjoys “helping make affordable housing available.”

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Lesson 3: Emergency Fund

Emergencies happen and they can blindside anyone. Having an emergency fund can help. Emergency funds can help when things such as unemployment, car issues, unexpected medical bills, or more happen. Having this kind of money set aside can help prevent having to pay with credit or borrow money. 

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Community Development

Fairmont Community Development Partnership’s mission encompasses community development and we strive to support those in Marion County. We aim to help improve the quality of life of those in our community. That is a big part of what community development is. 

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The Excelerator and Microloans

Two programs are gearing up at Fairmont Community Development Partnership: The Excelerator and microloans. The Excelerator is a business incubator that will be housed at the FCDP office in Fairmont. The microloan program will help Marion County businesses. Both programs align with the part of our mission to promote community and economic development. 

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Grocery Budgeting

One of the biggest things you can do to reign in any grocery budget is to plan. In the previous lesson, Budgeting 101, did you write down how much you plan to spend on groceries each month? Once you have a number that is doable for you and your budget it’s time to do some math. How many times a month are you going to go grocery shopping? Let’s say you choose 4 times a month and your budget is $300. This means you’ll try to stick to spending $75 a week on groceries. 

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Benefits Of Business Incubators

A business incubator is a great asset for growing businesses and also assisting the community they serve. Incubators can provide great resources and services to local entrepreneurs. Some of these benefits include:

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Budgeting 101

Budgeting is an important part of life. You may wonder though, why does it matter if you make a budget? Ever checked your bank account and was surprised a bill came out that you had forgotten to plan for? Budgeting helps to prevent that. Budgeting helps track not only your spending, but also your expenses, and your savings.

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Why Use A Co-Working Space

A lot of things have changed over the last decade or so to shape and mold the use of office spaces. More and more people are able to work remotely or from a more flexible location. The rise in entrepreneurship has also changed the shape and use of office spaces. Working from home may be convenient, but not always productive. This is where the use of a co-working space can be beneficial. 

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Getting To Know The Partnership: Nick Fantasia – Volunteer Board Member

Nick is a member of the volunteer board of directors of Fairmont Community Development Partnership. He was a charter member of the partnership and has served on the Board of Directors for a number of years. He enjoys working with the Partnership because “you can see the results.” He was drawn to the nonprofit sector because he was brought up that “everyone needs to help make the home better.”

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The Need For Affordable Housing

Have you ever wondered why Marion County needs affordable housing? Let’s consider some quick facts. 

Marion County’s population is 56,072.  The median rent is $765.  The poverty rate is 14.6%. 

That’s roughly 8,186 people living in poverty in Marion County alone. There are also roughly 219 people considered homeless in our region alone. There are literally thousands of people in our area that need an affordable place to live.

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What We Do

The Fairmont Community Development Partnership is a private, non-profit organization that promotes community and economic development along with neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing in targeted low-income areas. 

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Winter Emergency Preparedness

Cold weather and snow are upon us. Before the snow piles up, now is the time to prepare. Read on for what to keep on hand in your home and car in case of an emergency.

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Getting To Know The Partnership – Alex Petry: Volunteer Board Member

Alex serves as a member of the volunteer board for Fairmont Community Development Partnership. He enjoys “collaborating with board members and creating synergy between local agencies with the same goal, to make Fairmont a better place to live.” What drew him to “volunteer with the FCDP was the shared mission, goals and values of the two organizations.”

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Fall Cleanup Checklist

We are in the midst of football season and pumpkin spice. Winter will be here before we know it. Before the temperatures drop more and snow begins...

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Getting To Know The Partnership: Courtney Summers – Community Engagement Coordinator VISTA

Courtney is the Community Engagement Coordinator VISTA with Fairmont Community Development Partnership. She is hosted with Fairmont Community Development Partnership through the WV Community Development Hub. She is an AmeriCorps Volunteer In Service of America (VISTA) assisting with organizational capacity, volunteer recruitment, resources, social media, and community needs. Before moving to WV, she was a special education teacher in Maryland. She completed her Master’s in Business Administration while teaching to branch out and help people in new ways. She loves working with the team at FCDP and being able to help the community.

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Getting To Know The Partnership: Kayleigh Kyle – Executive Director

Kayleigh is the Executive Director of Fairmont Community Development Partnership. She manages and oversees all programs, projects, and operations. Kayleigh also works with our Board of Directors to evaluate the needs of our service areas, create our strategic plan for the future, and ensure that the work we do is having a positive impact on the community.

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Getting to Know The Partnership: Toby Heaney – Financial Administrative Assistant

Toby is the financial administrative assistant for Fairmont Community Development Partnership. Toby assists with paying the bills, keeping the books in order, and analyzing the financial viability of projects that we may either be engaged in or considering. He loves that he has the ability to share his ideas here at FCDP. Even if those ideas are not accepted or acted upon, they are still received. “It also helps that I have a great team that I work with.”

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Getting To Know The Partnership: Michele Bowen – Property Manager

Michele is the property manager for Fairmont Community Development Partnership. She enjoys the opportunity “to be part of the solution, to provide answers to challenges and to give hope to those in despair.” Previously, Michele has worked for Keller Williams as a Listing Manager and for Century21 as an Agent Support Manager. She has been involved in real estate since 2017 with both large and small firms. She is experienced in researching properties, real estate contracts, real estate listings, and more.  

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CONTACT US

Call: 304-366-7600
Email: info@fcdpartnership.org
Visit: 517 Fairmont Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554