Cole Honors Roots Through Service
Charley Cole serves as president of the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Area Charitable Foundation, Inc., an organization that has funded more than $1.5 Million in charitable grants to Eastern Kentucky
Charley Cole presents $20,000 check to Harlan County Schools Superintendent, Mike Howard, to fund college scholarships for high school students in the Tri-City Area.
Sturgill Turner Member Charley Cole left Harlan County in Eastern Kentucky to attend the University of Kentucky 25 years ago, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots. Charley gives back to the area where he grew up by serving as the President of the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Area Charitable Foundation, Inc., an organization that has funded more than $1.5 million in grants to qualified non-profits and governmental entities in Cumberland, Benham and Lynch since its creation in 2012.
The Frazier Foundation funds grant money biannually, having recently held its spring awards ceremony at the Cumberland Senior Citizen’s Center. On June 6, more than $155,000 in grant money was presented to the City of Benham ($15,000 to replace the city’s gazebo), the City of Lynch ($10,000 for building demolition and $1,500 for Lynch’s upcoming 100 year celebration), the City of Cumberland ($10,000 for building demolition), the Harlan County Board of Education ($20,000 for scholarships), Cumberland Elementary School ($16,675 for AmeriCorps volunteers), Cumberland Tourism ($23,264 to construct a skate park and basketball court), and Tri-City Heritage ($58,975.55 for the Trail Town project).
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. Bob passed away 10 years ago at age 87. To honor his service as a dedicated community leader, the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Area Charitable Foundation, Inc. was established to support domestic 501(c)(3) organizations that primarily benefit the city and citizenry of Cumberland, Benham and Lynch. The Foundation is a testament to Bob’s love for the tri-city communities and his desire to support improvements and enhancements to the area.
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; Bob was a shareholder of Guaranty Deposit Bank. 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 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. Charley 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 their communities—a trait that is attributable to his upbringing in the Tri-City area.
For more information on the Frazier Foundation, please visit http://www.robertefrazierfoundation.org. Requests for grants are submitted to the Robert E. Frazier Tri-City Charitable Grant Foundation, LLC, c/o Grant Administrator (https://www.robertefrazierfoundation.org/contact).