Four recent Portville graduates were awarded the Thomas M. Barnes Scholarship via the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.

Barnes, a 1974 Portville Central School graduate, devoted his life to education, community planning and regional development.

Following Barnes’ passing in 2024, the Barnes estate designated $1 million for charitable purposes. Much of the bequest was designated to the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation to establish the Thomas M. Barnes Scholarship Fund, a four-year renewable award for Portville Central School students that is designed to support students throughout their undergraduate education.

Each recipient of the award this year will receive $2,500, totaling $10,000 by the end of their undergraduate studies.

Recipients for 2026 include Madison Baldwin, Kaleb Foster, Alexa Schoonover and Clementine Sorvillo.

Baldwin plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Foster plans to attend Robert Morris University to study sports journalism. Schoonover plans to attend the University of Maine to study surveying engineering technology. Sorvillo plans to attend St. Bonaventure University to study theater.

The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation is the area’s supportive, responsive and trusted community foundation. Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).