By Matt Farley
This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the David B. Garver Trust Fund, which has contributed close to $1 million to local organizations and scholarships throughout its history. David Garver was an illustrious member of the Bellefonte Elks Lodge, and the organization oversees the management of the trust to this day.
During his life, Garver made his fortune through various businesses owned and operated by his family on “The Evergreens” property, which also contained the Centre Furnace Mansion, where he lived. David’s father, Madison Garver, bought the property in 1920 and gave it to his son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law as a wedding present. (See also “Before You Go” on page 84.)
David died in the fall of 1975, bequeathing the mansion to the Centre County Historical Society, which has since restored the building to its appearance in the mid-1800s. Notably, the Centre County Historical Society recently celebrated a new historical marker honoring the mansion as the “birthplace of Penn State.” In 1855, the mansion had hosted a gathering of people who would go on to establish The Farmers’ High School, the initial incarnation of what would later become The Pennsylvania State University.
As for his remaining funds, Garver bequeathed them to Bellefonte Elks Lodge 1094, with instructions that the money be “used for the benefit of needy persons and civic projects in the Bellefonte and vicinity area.”
Dale Moore is a member of the Bellefonte Elks and currently chairs the Garver Fund.
“It’s something that I’ve been passionate about forever, whether I was just a member or actually in charge of anything,” says Moore. “I’ve been a Bellefonte Elk since 1990, and so at that point, the fund had already been well-established. I’ve been doing the fund as chairman for four years.”
The fund currently has about $800,000, but for charitable purposes, only the interest accrued on the fund each year can be donated. While interest rates vary, that currently means the Elks are able to donate about $35,000 per year.
“We’re coming up on 50 years, so you can do the math on that,” Moore says in regard to how much the fund has given since its inception.
Toward the beginning of each year, the Elks learn how much money they’re able to donate from the Garver Fund and begin accepting applications from potential recipients. As for the types of organizations who benefit from the fund, Moore emphasizes that the Elks try to adapt and serve the current needs of the community.
“The last few years, people complained a lot about food prices, so the food banks seem to have a bigger need than ever,” Moore says. “We reached out to every food bank and offered them an application. We’re trying to keep up with trends. When you see that there’s problems, you try to reach those people and help them out.”
“We’re trying to make sure that we get involved and do good for our community,” says Terree Michel, current exalted ruler of the Bellefonte Elks Lodge. An exalted ruler is essentially the president of the lodge and is responsible for enforcing bylaws, appointing committee members, and overseeing lodge events and activities. While the exalted ruler doesn’t get to vote on which organizations receive money from the Garver Fund, Michel points out: “We have four different grants that we can apply for, and if for some reason an application comes through that doesn’t fit with the Garver Fund, we can always look into our grant program to see if there’s something that we can help on the lodge side, and that’s where I would come in. But that doesn’t happen very often. Usually, the Garver Fund is able to help everyone that puts an application as long as there’s funding available.”
For example, Moore explains how the Garver Fund is able to chip in and help organizations like the Pine Glen Fire Company, including with large projects.
“When they need stuff, it’s going to be pretty expensive, so we’re not in a position to buy a new fire truck, but they needed all new batteries for their tools,” says Moore. “So, we went ahead and funded the entire battery replacement. It’s nice to be able to pick up projects like that. Just recently, the Girl Scouts had a water leak in their building, and it cost them a lot of money to get all this fixed. Well, we can’t give it all to you, but we’ll give you like $2,000 towards it. It’s more of a community project, so they’re doing fundraisers and they just know that they have some backing.”
Other recent projects sponsored by the Garver Fund include new computer desks for the Centre County Library and Historical Museum and a donation to the YMCA Polar Bear Plunge.
Because the Garver Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization, the money cannot go directly to individuals, but a portion of the money is set aside each year to fund scholarships for local students.
“One of the things that David Garver was passionate about was scholarships,” says Moore. “Each year, we give, I think, $9,500 between Bald Eagle and Bellefonte school districts and then the vo-tech and Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology schools. The money is paid to the school, and then the school selects the recipients.”
Michel takes pride in knowing that many of the causes the Garver Fund supports involve youth programs that keep kids engaged outside of school.
“They recently provided a backstop for the Bellefonte High School softball field,” says Michel, “which I think is awesome because you want these kids to be involved in sports or activities. We get a lot of requests for donations from the schools to support their booster programs for Little League or their senior fun nights, and we’re always willing to give them money towards that stuff as well as the Garver Fund being able to do bigger projects like helping with tournaments. … When we give money to these organizations, I just feel so much pride knowing the Elks and Garver Fund were able to help.”
The oversight and distribution of the Garver Fund fits in line with the charitable tradition of the fraternal order that is the Elks. While the fund and other grants are available to assist organizations, the Bellefonte Elks also find other ways to foster bonds and help local residents.
“If you are looking for an organization that not only helps the community but also can help you,” says Michel, “we have such a great lodge. We’ve got wonderful members.”
The private club regularly features social events and activities for members, including recent favorites like a murder mystery night and comedy show, but helping the community is always a priority.
“Knowing that you’re able to give back is a wonderful feeling, and when we have new members come in, I always ask them why did you want to join the Elks,” says Michel. “And they’ll say, ‘Well, you know, I see everything you guys are doing in the newspapers; I see all the good you’re doing for our community; I recently retired and I want to get involved,’ and that’s what we want. We want to have people get involved and give back and bring new ideas in.”
For more information about the lodge or the David B. Garver Fund, contact the Bellefonte Elks at (814) 355-2828 or [email protected]. T&G
Matt Farley is a freelance writer in State College.
