Sandra Ridley has joined four other members of the Cole Foundation Board of Trustees.

Ridley has for years been a housing and community development consultant on a contract basis. Since January 2008, she has been in charge of community development as an employee of the City of Rockingham.

Ridley joins Robert W. Elliot, board chairman; Russell E. Bennett Jr., J. Neal Cadieu Jr. and Charles B. Deane Jr. on the Cole board in December. The board is affiliated with the Foundation of the Carolinas which manages the foundation funds.

“I was very honored to be asked to join this distinguished group,” Ridley said. “I have always known that the Cole Foundation is a tremendous asset to Richmond County. Many worthwhile projects have been funded by the foundation that have enhanced the community and greatly benefited the citizens in Richmond County.”

Ridley said she knew of no other counties the size of Richmond County that have anything compared to the Cole Foundation.

The objective of the Cole Foundation is to serve a broad range of charitable, educational, religious, literary and cultural purposes benefiting the citizens of Richmond County.

“I am really excited to be a part of the Cole Foundation,” Ridley said. “I now get to review grants instead of writing them.”

The first woman on the Cole Foundation Board was Elizabeth S. Cole, who with her brother, Robert L. Cole, originally established the permanent endowment in memory of their parents, William B. Cole and Elizabeth Little Cole; and their sister, Catherine Cole.

The endowment was established in 1965 as a private foundation. During the lifetimes of the donors, gifts from Cole Foundation benefited numerous charitable organizations.

Those gifts were often made quietly and often anonymously.

When the Coles died, the majority of their estates went to the Cole Foundation.

In December 1989, the trustees of the Cole Foundation conveyed the assets to the Foundation of the Carolinas to ensure long-term stewardship of the trust.

Members of the Board of Trustees of the Cole Foundation act as a committee, serving as advisors in the administration of its funds.

The trustees meet quarterly to consider grant applications with deadline dates of Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1 and Nov. 1 each year.

Contact reporter Tom MacCallum at 997-3111, ext. 15; e-mail tmaccallum@yourdailyjournal.com.