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CLEMMONS — Approximately four years ago, the Clemmons Community Foundation renamed itself to the Shallow Ford Foundation in an effort to better reflect the broader area involved in the foundation’s efforts. As Emmy Corn takes over as the president of the foundation following Sandi Scannelli’s retirement, she said that she wants to continue to build upon the organization’s work “on the ground.”

“A phrase we use around here a lot is ‘on the ground.’ We live here, we are meeting people here. Next week, I’m meeting with the executive director of Cancer Services, and I hope to hear directly from her what her needs are, what her struggles are,” said Corn.

She said she could then turn around and take that information to members of the community who might have a personal connection to Cancer Services’ goals, and “marry the needs and the means.”

The ability to sit down with a donor, a community member or a local organization and have a conversation that ends in a tangible community effort was one of the biggest benefits that Corn said the foundation provided. Recent efforts that she pointed to included the Tools for Trades and the Bingham Art Series, two initiatives the foundation started that specifically answered local donors’ desires and community needs.

Tools for Trades came after a local heating and air business owner said that he was having the same hiring troubles that many local businesses are dealing with, but he was also dealing with a less obvious issue.

Corn said that many people may not realize that newcomers going into skilled trades such as HVAC, electrical, carpentry or plumbing need to bring their own tool sets. The business owner contacted Shallow Ford and said that recent graduates were entering the workforce either with no tools or tools that were insufficient.

The program provides a tool set, approved by industry professionals, to local students who are about to finish a trade program. Last year, the program handed out eight tool sets to Forsyth Tech students in April and three sets in December. This year, the foundation is expanding Tools for Trades to include graduates from Surry and Davidson-Davie community colleges.

The Bingham Art Series, funded by the Thad and Mary Bingham Community Fund, is in its second year and included musical events and a juried art show. The series came from discussions between the foundation and local community members about the desire for local arts events that could open new cultural conversations in the community.

Both of those efforts are something that Corn said the community members that donate to the foundation can not just see, but participate in.

“You really have that catered-to element of feeling, seeing, touching where your money goes in a much different way,” said Corn.

She added that donors who give to the Bingham Art Series and the Mary Alice Warren Community Center fund can participate in the very programs they are supporting.

Corn is from the other side of the Shallow Ford herself, having lived in East Bend, Yadkin County all her life. She earned her Master of Business Association at Gardner-Webb University and spent approximately 15 years in the finance and banking industry before starting with Shallow Ford.

She originally joined as a member of the board of directors and served there for two years before being involved in the foundation’s search for a chief operating officer.

“Our growing elements spurred a lot of reflection and conversation about what skill set, what dynamics did the foundation need? So, those conversations were brought in about everything that was needed. And, after some of those meetings, I found myself thinking ‘oh my goodness, some of those are things that I’m really good at,’” said Corn.

She said she left those meetings and told her husband Steven that she was excited by the direction the foundation was taking and felt a calling to play a personal part in the changes.

She joined the organization as its COO in August, 2024, moving into the president and CEO role after former president Scannelli retired in March.

All of that effort to find the right people, both in the community and in the foundation, goes into making the Shallow Ford Foundation a key piece of the Clemmons, Lewisville and Yadkin County communities, what Corn calls a “connector.”

“Our responsibility is to go to folks in the community who have the means and the heart to give, and connect them to the needs and the gaps in our community,” she said.

More information about the foundation, including the programs it has offered, its ongoing initiatives and the scholarships it offers can all be found at https://www.shallowfordfoundation.org, along with contact information for the foundation’s staff.