MURFREESBORO – Charles Ward knows what it’s like to lose everything.

He also knows there are some extremely kind people and organizations in the Roanoke-Chowan area.

On the morning of Feb. 17, Ward and his family watched their home and one vehicle go up in flames as a fire claimed their belongings.

The good folks of the R-C region came to the family’s assistance, including the newly formed HPL Foundation. That non-profit corporation, located at 320 West Main Street in Murfreesboro, recently presented Ward with a stipend of assistance.

“We are here to provide assistance when losses occur from fires, floods and other destruction beyond natural control,” Terry L. Williams, HPL General Manager, said.

Williams said the Foundation is also in the process of partnering with schools to provide scholarships for 12th graders (as long as they have maintained at least a “B” average) that have been accepted to institutions of higher learning. Those prospective scholarship recipients must be willing to write an essay to the HPL Foundation and describe their needs and why they feel they need a scholarship to help offset the cost of books and supplies.

According to Williams, this effort will also be carried out in a partnership with the local college.

The HPL Foundation Inc. is supported through individual donations, grants, corporations, fund raisers and the communities the Foundation supports. The main counties the Foundation supports are Hertford, Northampton, Bertie and Gates.

The Foundation will partner with other counties, businesses and organizations as warranted.

For additional information concerning the HPL Foundation or to make a donation in care of the Ward family, call 398-3661.