THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATOR
Amy Pancake
Director of Affiliates, Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation
SUPERPOWERS: PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE
Amy Pancake was born in Maryland, but often visited relatives in Hampshire County. Her family eventually moved to West Virginia, and she experienced a nostalgic, typical childhood in the Mountain State. “Moving up here felt like coming home,” she says.
Pancake lives in Hampshire County today, where she married into a family that has deep roots there. She is passionate about her town of Romney and works to make it better every day. Although she originally started her career in psychology, she felt drawn to the nonprofit world and found it her calling to “establish collaborative partnerships.” She joined the staff of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation and created the Hampshire County and Hardy County community foundations, and now serves as the umbrella organization’s director of affiliates. She came to know and love the idea of community foundation and has been committed to that for 15 years now. “The concept of endowment and power is to have a meaningful impact on the well-being of communities for now and the future,” Pancake says of what inspires her. She hopes to see more growth in the foundations over time, with more funds, assets, and grants. “I’ve got some more years in me. I’m not ready to retire.”
Written by Elizabeth Howard
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