George Washington Carver Regional High School Alumni Assn, Inc/Carver 4-County Museum

Mission: to document, celebrate, and share the educational, social, cultural, and military history and accomplishments of students, faculty, administrators, and supporters of George Washington Carver Regional High School, and, in the context of the development of high school education for minorities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, to study, exhibit and discuss the origins and evolution of this school, the first and only institution of secondary education built for minority students serving 5 locales (four counties and one town) from 1948-1968: Rappahannock, Madison, Orange, and Culpeper counties, and the Town of Culpeper. Our values: citizenship, stewardship, and partnership Vision: to be the premiere history institution about African Americans in the counties of Culpeper, Rappahannock, Orange, and Madison from 1902 through 1968 that welcomes public engagement for the growth of the entire community History: The alumni association was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation on November 4, 1994, in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It awarded its first scholarship in 1995, and its museum program began in 2016.

The GWCRHSAA is a membership organization that has two programs: scholarships and the Carver 4-County Museum. The target area is Culpeper, Rappahannock, Orange, and Madison - the four counties from which students attended the high school from 1948 - 1968. The Scholarship program awards funds to college-bound high school seniors with exceptional academics, need, and well-defined goals. From its first scholarship in 1995 through the end of 2023, the GWCRHSAA Scholarship Program awarded 214 scholarships totaling $193,750. The Carver 4-County Museum is an independent program of the GWCRHSAA. That means that by signed resolution, the museum has its own board of directors, budget and treasury, and raises its own funds within the parent organization's 501(c)3 designation. The museum has never had salaried staff. It has a volunteer curator that receives a quarterly stipend. The curator also prepares and prints most of our collateral material, maintains our mailing lists (both email and "snail), and does all of our mailing to the public. The museum fulfills its mission through original research for the purpose of producing history-themed exhibits that are free and open to the public. Since the museum's organization in 2016, we have produced 44 in-museum, traveling, virtual, and special event exhibits, and 4 commemorative calendars. We take exhibitions to schools, churches, libraries, and civic organizations, and we accept field trips to and from local public schools. The museum's board members and curator coordinate with the parent organization (GWCRHSAA) to produce programs that benefit the entire organization. The best example is the 75th Jubilee celebration, led by the museum board and curator, that produced six events over an 11-month period, culminating in a gala on October 21, 2023, with a 124-page, 8-1/2" souvenir booklet. The museum is currently producing a documentary titled, Citizens All, that will be shown September 21st at our upcoming 2nd annual county fair that we are hosting in coordination with the Annual Farm Tour, organized by Culpeper County Department of Economic Development.