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CNX donates house, land to WCCF

3 min read
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CNX Resources has donated this house and 12 acres in South Strabane Township to the Washington County Community Foundation.

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CNX Resources has donated this house and 12 acres in South Strabane Township to the Washington County Community Foundation.

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The kitchen in the house donated to the Washington County Community Foundation

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View from donated property in South Strabane Township

Typically, the Washington County Community Foundation receives donations in the form of a check.

But recently, CNX Resources presented the nonprofit with a different kind of donation – a home and 12 acres of land.

The house and property, which are appraised at $260,000, will be auctioned on Oct. 6.

“We’re delighted about this extraordinary gift from CNX, which will help support the philanthropic activities of the foundation, and we hope it serves as an example to others who might have property to donate,” said Betsie Trew, WCCF President and CEO.

The property, located at 88 Kopper Kettle Road in South Strabane Township, includes a four-bedroom, 2½-story brick home. The 3,600-square-foot home, which is in Trinity Area School District, sits on 12 acres with “a breathtakingly beautiful view,” said Trew.

CNX, which has been in the region for more than 150 years, has amassed a substantial amount of property and buildings over the decades.

WCCF – whose mission is to improve the quality of life in Washington County by promoting and facilitating philanthropy – will use the proceeds from the property auction to help offset the costs of its new web-based software program, which the foundation began using in January to handle increased activity in recent years.

The software program has enabled WCCF to improve the processes by which nonprofits apply for grants and that students apply for scholarships, and to increase services to donors by providing web-based access to fund information.

Said CNX spokesman Brian Aiello, “We’re pleased to be able to leverage those legacy assets in partnership with the WCCF to implement a technology that will benefit students, nonprofits and donors in our area for many years to come.”

The auction, coordinated by Joe Pyle Auctioneers, will be held on the site at 5 p.m. Prospective bidders will be able to inspect the property one hour before the auction starts.

The house has been vacant for several years, and Trew said it likely will be attractive to residential contractors, or someone interested in undertaking a home improvement project.

CNX and WCCF began discussing the real estate donation about a year ago. The transaction was held up, however, when real estate activity was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trew said the foundation and CNX worked together to finalize the legal documents and handle the details required to complete the gift.

“It’s a step forward and upward in the sophistication in the type of gifts we accept,” said Trew. “Accepting a gift of real estate requires more time and a greater skill set than if someone gives you a check for $250. This is another notch on the continuum of charitable giving. A small charity, for example, wouldn’t be able to do it, and we weren’t ready for something like this until now.”

Trew said she hopes other businesses consider donating excess property, such as residential property acquired through business transactions or business property that is no longer significant to the operations of the business.

CNX’s property donation is the second real estate gift the foundation has received.

In 2015, WCCF moved into the historic Samuel Brownlee House, which was donated by William and Saundra Stout. The house is one of the oldest standing buildings in Washington County and is registered with the National Register of Historic Places.

WCCF’s recent annual day of giving, WCCF Gives, set a new giving record with over $1.2 million contributed through check contributions and online credit card gifts.

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