The Washington County Community Foundation recently presented the President’s Choice Award to two nonprofits. The Highland Ridge Community Development Corp. and Independence Conservancy each received $10,000 unrestricted grants from the foundation’s Acorn Fund. The President’s Choice Award, previously the Director’s Choice Award, has been given annually for eight years. The award assists small, but developing charities in the manner that the foundation’s earliest donors helped it. This is the first time the foundation has been able to issue two of these awards in the same year. Highland Ridge Community Development Corp.’s initiatives were lauded for returning a sense of community to the City of Washington’s Highland Ridge neighborhood, which has suffered from blight and crime. It assists low-income senior citizens, families, veterans and others. Its Mending Fences program taps volunteers to make repairs and renovations for homeowners in need. It also operates a Staying Green gardening and cleanup program in its efforts to improve the educational, academic, social and economic climate of the community. Using land trust standards and practices, the Independence Conservancy preserves land in Southwestern Pennsylvania to protect open space, wildlife habitat, natural and cultural resources, scenic views and quality of life. It also owns and manages the Abandoned Mine Discharge treatment systems in the Raccoon Creek Watershed, which has its origins in Washington County. It is establishing the Langeloth Valley Conservation Area near Burgettstown, which will permanently preserve 73 acres of woodlands, wetlands and streams south of the former American Zinc & Chemical Co. smelter site. The conservancy has achieved more than $1.5 million of environmental reclamation and land preservation since its founding in 1999. Above left, accepting the award for the Highland Ridge Community Development Corp., left, are president Sandy Mansmann and board member Justin Dandoy. Above right, accepting for the Independence Conservancy are president Peg Schweinsberg and board member Gary Stokum.