Cole Supports growth in Harlan County; Foundation surpasses $4 million in grants
Harlan County Magistrate Paul Browning III accepts grant funds from Frazier Foundation Board members to support work at the historic Benham School House Inn.
Board members Chris Hogue, Shelia Dixon, and President Charley Cole present a grant to City of Cumberland Assistant Police Chief Kainer Caudill to complete critical work on the garage at the municipal maintenance lot.
Cumberland Elementary School Principal Joshua Doyle accepts grant funds from Frazier Foundation Board members to support the Math Counts program, the Family Resource and Youth Services Center, and reestablishing the CES Grades 5-6 football team.
Charley Cole serves as President of the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Area Charitable Foundation, Inc., an organization that has funded more than $4 million in charitable grants to Eastern Kentucky.
Sturgill Turner Member Charley Cole left Harlan County in Eastern Kentucky to attend the University of Kentucky over 35 years ago, but he continues to give back to the area where he grew up. As President of the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Area Charitable Foundation, Inc., created in 2012, he leads an organization that funds grants to qualified non-profits and governmental entities in Cumberland, Benham and Lynch.
The Frazier Foundation funds grant money biannually, and this spring was particularly exciting. With more than $115,000 in grant money awarded on June 3, the foundation passed the $4 million mark for grant awards to the Tri-City area. Recipients included Cumberland Elementary School, the Cities of Cumberland, Benham, and Lynch, the Cumberland Tourism Commission, two local food pantries, the Tri-City Chamber of Commerce, and the Harlan County Fiscal Court for HVAC units at the historic Benham School House Inn.
The Frazier Foundation is the legacy of the late Cumberland businessman Robert E. “Bob” Frazier, whose insurance agency, founded in 1946, is still open for business today. As a dedicated community leader, Bob established the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Area Charitable Foundation, Inc. to support domestic 501(c)(3), governmental, and educational organizations that benefit the cities and citizenry of Cumberland, Benham and Lynch.
The mission of the Frazier Foundation is meaningful to Charley in a number of ways. Charley’s father, Vernon J. Cole, was president of Guaranty Deposit Bank in Harlan, where Bob was a shareholder. Charley has multiple ties to the Tri-City area—he was born at the International Harvester Clinic in Benham, spent his early years in Cumberland, then moved to Harlan where he attended school and met his wife, Renae. Charley frequently travels to Harlan to visit family, represent clients in the area, and further the mission of the Frazier Foundation.
“Harlan County has changed greatly since I lived there and it’s a blessing that Mr. Frazier made such a generous contribution to the Tri-City Area, especially at this time of need,” said Charley. “I’m humbled to participate in his lasting generosity that will have an impact for years to come.”
Charley’s Eastern Kentucky roots and dedication to the Frazier Foundation demonstrate why he excels in his municipal law practice. He is a passionate advocate for cities, with a focus on helping cities prosper and protecting them from risk. Charley enjoys working with mayors, city officials and police officers, and it’s clear that they like working with him, too, because he genuinely cares about them and the success of their communities.
For more information on the Frazier Foundation, please visit www.robertefrazierfoundation.org. Requests for grants are submitted to the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Charitable Grant Foundation, LLC, (www.robertefrazierfoundation.org/contact).
