Ben’s fund makes grants for youth wrestling, like Tabb HS wrestlers Aidden Hedrick (left) and Hannah Wilson.
Longtime Williamsburg residents may remember seeing a station wagon around town with the license plate reading ‘Matmobl.’ The matmobile’s owner was Mr. Ben Altshuler, who was very involved in youth wrestling. When he wasn’t coaching, Ben could be found speaking out at City Council on issues ranging from public safety to transportation.
Ben’s legacy and love of Williamsburg lives on in our community through his bequest in partnership with WCF. The Benjamin R. Altshuler Fund makes grants to support both amateur youth sports and improving access to transportation. Now in its 11th year, Ben’s fund has awarded over $500,000 in grants to our community.
This winter, $23,874 will go to support six youth sports organizations, including Tabb High School Wrestling which has the distinction of having female wrestlers. They intend to field an all-female team this season. Wrestler Aidden Hedrick finished 2nd in the regional tournament last year and even qualified for the state tournament.
The Altshuler Fund has done much over the years to improve transportation access, especially for those who cannot drive. One of the major beneficiaries of the Transportation grants has been the Arc of Greater Williamsburg.
Arc clients participate in job training. The Altshuler Fund at WCF has provided grant funding to help these individuals with reliable transportation to jobs and job training.
“67% of Americans with disabilities, who have the ability to work, do not work because they lack reliable transportation,” says Arc director Pam McGregor. “Through the generosity and support of the Altshuler grants, the Community Foundation has supported our mission to provide reliable transportation to and from our activities and most recently for our clients who are working with our partners in meaningful employment, as part of our Wheels4Work program.”
Many people think that an endowment is only for the very wealthy. Actually it’s not uncommon for an individual to make an endowment gift in their life or through their will with $10,000—$20,000. A gift of this size will still have a greater impact in the long-term, often granting out more money than their original gift!