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Old Man Rivers Mission is transforming community support into community action through a spirit of volunteerism. Founded in 1991, Old Man Rivers Mission has touched the lives of hundreds of individuals in Wood County.
The main program of the Mission is a weekend feeding program where they deliver hot nutritious meals to the Parkersburg/Vienna community using a mobile kitchen technique each Saturday and Sunday. In fall 2016, the Mission purchased a new delivery truck with a grant from the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation allowing the Mission to delivery more than 200 meals in one trip.
Each Saturday and Sunday, the Mission prepares 400 meals to deliver to the community. In 2018, 41,700 meals were delivered to the elderly, disabled, and homeless. Nearly 80% of Old Man Rivers Mission’s feeding program clients are elderly. For many, the meal that is delivered to them is the only meal they will have for that day. Their clientele is comprised of those with very limited or no income so affording food is a tremendous hardship.
Another program of the Mission is their pantry which provides families with food and personal hygiene items. On average, more than 620 families are served each month (based on July-December 2018 figures).
To solidify their commitment to the Mid-Ohio Valley region, Old Man Rivers Mission’s Board of Directors recently established an endowment fund with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation that will help provide operating support for the organization.
“The Foundation has a respected reputation in our community and this new endowment fund’s annual distribution will help supplement a portion of our annual operating expenses and help us continue to serve the residents of Wood County,” said Jeanette Pursley, President of Old Man Rivers Mission.
The Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired, Inc. is working to ensure that area citizens have access to hearing aids.
The organization was formed in Marietta, Ohio in 1974 as a tax-exempt charitable organization by a group of parents, teachers, and friends of young deaf or hearing-impaired children. The initial purpose of the Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired was to assist these children who were grouped together to form Ohio’s first pre-school hearing impaired educational unit. The Parents and Friends provided monetary and volunteer support to this ground-breaking pre-school educational unit by helping to obtain equipment, educational supplies, or other necessary supplies needed for the students’ success.
Over the years, the Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired organization’s mission evolved to meet the needs of all the Mid-Ohio Valley area’s deaf and hard of hearing citizens, primarily focusing on providing hearing aids to low-income persons. During 2019, the group, in partnership with its area sponsoring providers, funded and provided 79 hearing aids for 50 individuals who would otherwise not have been able to afford these aids.
To solidify their commitment to the Mid-Ohio Valley region, Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired’s Board of Directors recently established an endowment fund with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) that will help provide operating support for the organization.
“This new fund will serve as a permanent source of funding to support our organization’s mission,” said Jim McCauley, President of Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired. “Our organization is run by a group of totally unpaid volunteers. We rely heavily on monetary donations to provide these hearing aids”
In December 2019, the PACF awarded a $5,000 grant to Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired to support its work.
“We are committed to continuing our work here in the region,” said McCauley. “We plan to raise money through the PACF’s upcoming Give Local MOV campaign on May 5 to build our endowment fund.”
Individuals who would like to learn more about Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired are encouraged to call Jim McCauley at 740-423-8436. Individuals wishing to donate to support the new Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired Fund can make their donation by sending a check (payable to PACF with the fund name in the memo line) to: PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102 or give online here.
Photo caption: Jim McCauley, President of Parents & Friends of the Hearing Impaired, Inc., with Julie Posey, Development and Communications Officer for the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, signing paperwork to create an endowment fund with the Foundation in the name of the Parents & Friends of the Hearing Impaired.
Project Yoga MOV was founded in 2017 by the owners of Full Circle Yoga, Cheryl and Patrick McHugh with the mission of bringing the therapeutic benefits of yoga to the Parkersburg area for individuals who are underserved. The all-volunteer organization consists of a Board of Directors, Executive Director, Program Manager, and trained yoga instructors.
“Our clients are those who would not traditionally seek-out yoga,” said Cheryl McHugh, Project Yoga MOV’s Board Chair. “There are so many benefits of yoga, both mentally and physically, and we want to expose individuals to those benefits.”
Currently, with the help certified and trained yoga instructors, Project Yoga MOV provides service to citizens in Wood, Pleasants, and Washington counties in the Mid-Ohio Valley region. Through their work, the Mid-Ohio Fellowship Home, Wood County Senior Center, St. Mary’s Correctional Center, Parkersburg Correctional Center, Boys & Girls Club of Parkersburg, and area elementary, middle, and high schools have introduced yoga to their clients/students. In addition to these sessions, Project Yoga MOV, with the help of the VET Center, has also introduced yoga to local Vietnam veterans.
“Our yoga instructors have completed 200+ hours of yoga training, in addition to a Trauma Sensitive training,” said Cheryl McHugh. “We are not here to say what level is your trauma – trauma is trauma. We are here to provide the benefits of yoga, to help with thought and emotional processing and to teach individuals to breath consciously and feel. All of these elements together can make a positive difference for an individual.”
Steve Barnhart, Project Yoga MOV’s Veterans Project Manager, can personally speak to the therapeutic benefits of yoga. A U.S. Army veteran, Barnhart said “I started yoga because my wife’s doctors wanted her to try yoga as part of her chronic illness therapy. We started at a small studio where there were never more than three or four people in class. Much to my surprise, yoga was helping me more than it was my wife. Wanting to expand my practice, I found Full Circle Yoga online. At first, I was intimidated because I didn’t look like anyone in the pictures online, but once I finally went to a class at Full Circle Yoga, I discovered the peaceful and non-judgmental people inside. Yoga and Cheryl and Patrick helped me deal with long-standing PTSD/Moral Injury and have truly made a difference in my life. Now I am advocating for others to attend sessions and helping other veterans experience the positive release that comes with yoga.”
Every Monday at 6:00 p.m. Combat Vietnam veterans are invited to the VET Center in Parkersburg for a private group yoga session. Additional veteran group sessions are being arranged. To learn more, contact Project Yoga MOV.
To solidify their commitment to the Mid-Ohio Valley region, Project Yoga MOV established an endowment fund with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation that will forever provide operating support for the organization.
“The Foundation has a respected reputation in our community and this new endowment fund will help ensure that our organization has annual funding to help us continue our mission,” said Patrick McHugh, Project Yoga MOV’s Executive Director. “We encourage individuals who are interested in helping Project Yoga MOV with our mission to contact us to learn how they can get involved and make a difference in someone’s life.”
Individuals who would like to learn more about Project Yoga MOV are encouraged to email Patrick McHugh. Individuals wishing to donate to support the new Project Yoga MOV Endowment Fund can make their donation by sending a check (payable to PACF with the fund name in the memo line) to: PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102 or donate here.
With over 250+ acres of land and many amenities including a recreation complex with a swimming pool, a tennis court, basketball courts, a volleyball court, baseball fields, playground structures, picnic shelters, hiking trails and numerous camping areas, the Doddridge County Park has something for everyone! With all of these features and with multiple acres to maintain, the Doddridge County Parks & Recreation Commission has taken a proactive step for their financial future by establishing a permanent charitable fund with the Doddridge County Community Foundation affiliate of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation
The new Friends of Doddridge County Parks & Recreation Commission Endowment Fund is a long-term permanent source of funding for the park. This fund will make an annual distribution to the Doddridge County Parks & Recreation Commission for the preservation and maintenance of the park.
“This permanent support fund enables us to focus our attention on providing an excellent venue for recreational and educational opportunities for visitors,” said Greg Cottrill, Director of the Doddridge County Parks & Recreation Commission. “We have been very fortunate to receive grant support from the Foundation. Recently, we received a $5,000 grant to build the park’s first-ever Yurt. The Commission’s decision to partner with the Foundation to establish this fund was an easy decision and one we know will prove beneficial for years to come. Once the fund reaches a minimum fund value set by the Foundation, it will annually generate a distribution to the park. The beauty of this setup is that the principal of the fund is never invaded, meaning the fund will forever invest and issue a distribution to the park. Over a few years, our initial investment will be paid-back and some”.
Persons who wish to support the future of the park are encouraged to make a charitable donation to the fund and can mail a check (payable to the Friends of Doddridge County Park Fund) to: PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102-1762. Other forms of donation may be made by calling the Foundation’s office at 304-428-4438.
Auburn, once a bustling community, is a historic town which was first settled in 1834, before West Virginia seceded from Virginia during the American Civil War. Like many other communities throughout the state, Auburn is experiencing a population decline which has affected the monetary support available to the Auburn Community Cemetery Committee. This Cemetery is the final resting place of some of Auburn’s first settlers including the family names of Sommerville, Tharp, Hall and Watson with the earliest known grave being that of a young child, Robert Collins, who died in August, 1842. The Auburn Community Cemetery Committee provides maintenance and upkeep of the Cemetery located within the town limits.
Concerned and forward-thinking individuals with loved ones interred in the Cemetery recently established a permanent charitable fund, the Friends of Auburn Community Cemetery Fund, with the Ritchie County Community Foundation (RCCF), an affiliate of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF). The Friends of Auburn Community Cemetery Fund will forever provide an annual monetary distribution to the Cemetery Committee to support the public maintenance and upkeep of the Cemetery. Current members of the Auburn Community Cemetery Committee include Jim Lowther, Dave Crouch and Robert Lowther.
“It is not our intention for this new fund to hinder annual contributions to the Cemetery Committee,” said Bob Sommerville. “My family and some friends started this fund to encourage others to plan for the future of our Cemetery and to provide a long-term option for other concerned citizens to include a donation to the fund through their estate plans and wills, or to use qualified retirement plans and IRA benefits to make a donation. By doing so, they are ensuring that this Cemetery is taken care of long after we have passed.”
“The fund is permanent in nature so that the fund’s principal, which includes all donations to the fund, is never invaded,” said Julie Boyce, PACF’s Development and Communications Officer. “This means the fund will forever invest and issue an annual distribution for the benefit of the Cemetery. PACF’s prudent spending-policy helps to ensure that the fund continues to grow. Annually, the Cemetery Committee spends between $3,000 and $5,000 on upkeep of the Auburn Community Cemetery. A fund valued at $100,000 could potentially issue about $3,000 each year! The fund is off to a great start to that goal. The early supporters have pledged to help raise at least $100,000 in the next ten years to help grow this fund. They are already a tenth of the way to their goal with $10,000 in gifts to date. If others in the community likewise come forward, I’m sure their goal will be met.”
Persons who wish to make a charitable gift to the Friends of Auburn Community Cemetery Fund can mail a check (payable to the PACF with fund name on memo line) to PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26101-1762 or give online by clicking here. Other forms of donation may be made by calling the Foundation’s office at 304.428.4438. The “Friends of Auburn (WV) Community Cemetery” has its own Facebook page; more details may be found on it. Annual gifts to the Auburn Community Cemetery Committee (for ongoing maintenance, rather than investment for the future) can be mailed to PO Box 92, Auburn, WV 26325.
The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates (PACF) is actively partnering with its local donors and other area funders to address the critical needs of local citizens who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing funding to a wide variety of area nonprofit organizations that are delivering essential services for their clients and families.
To date, the PACF has awarded more than $50,000 in COVID-19 emergency funds to help local nonprofits continue their critical services and programs. Food, rent and utilities assistance, and purchase of hygiene and school supplies are just a few of the things that these grants have supported and will continue to support as the PACF provides additional grants in the coming weeks.
“Many of the requests we are receiving are to support food access for area residents,” said Marian Clowes, PACF’s Associate Director for Community Leadership. “Through the quick action of the Foundation and with the help of our donors, we’ve responded swiftly to support agencies working on the front lines through this pandemic.”
One local nonprofit organization that received support recently wrote to the PACF regarding its grant support saying, “Thank you for coordinating support for our families. As the person working directly with the recipients, I want to say that it was a real lifeline for some families who were caught in the unemployment limbo.”
Grants thus far include:
“Children’s Home Society (CHS) is extremely grateful for the emergency funds received from the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and the SHF during the COVID-19 health crisis,” said Shelley Plauché-Adkins, Children’s Home Society of WV’s Regional Director. “Many of the formerly homeless youth served through our Transitional Living Program have lost employment and are struggling with food insecurity. These funds will enable Children’s Home Society to provide food boxes to 22 youth and their children over the next 12 weeks, which will ensure that our youth are being fed and greatly reduce their stress and worries during this difficult time.”
Funding to support these programs is made possible by generous donations from individuals and businesses to the PACF’s Hunger Fund (addresses food insecurity for local people) and Safety Net Fund (supports basic and emergency needs). These two response funds concentrate on relief efforts in the Foundation’s 11-county service area.
“We are very thankful for our community’s continued support of the Hunger and Safety Net funds,” said Clowes. “These significant grants are only possible because of our great community support. We anticipate making more distributions soon and we encourage the community to continue supporting these important charitable funds. We are very grateful for our donors’ help, enabling us to meet needs in our community.”
The PACF is actively contacting regional nonprofits to assess COVID-19 impact on their clients and communities and identifying ways to respond to the needs. Agencies seeking assistance should contact the PACF at 304-428-4438 or by email to marian.clowes@pacfwv.com.
Donations to support the PACF’s Hunger Fund and Safety Net Fund are tax-deductible. To learn more about these funds and the work that the Foundation is doing to address COVID-19 in our region, visit www.pacfwv.com/COVID19.
George Penn was affectionately known throughout the community for his volunteering and commitment for many local organizations. Born in Alexandria, VA, George moved to the Parkersburg area in 1992 where he worked for UPS and Dover Products. A devout Christian, Penn was a United States Marine, a disabled Army veteran, and a member of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Menelik Lodge #74 Free and Accepted Masons. In 2010, George Penn and his wife, Josepha “Chris” Penn, opened the doors to Voices of the Streets – Essentially Yours.
“Essentially Yours was created to fulfill a basic human need that George and I identified in our community,” said Mrs. Chris Penn. “The need to provide the essential home good items required to improve the quality of life for referred families and individuals transitioning from homelessness into a dwelling. Currently, the referring organizations that provide housing and furniture vouchers to homeless individuals do not provide the basic living essentials necessary for establishing a ‘home’.”
After George Penn died on March 1, 2017, an anonymous donor established the Voices of the Streets Endowment Fund in his memory. This permanent support fund becomes one of more than 350 component funds of Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) and will forever provide monetary support to allow Voices of the Streets – Essentially Yours to continue to serve its mission.
“Through Essentially Yours, we raise our clients’ self-esteem and their desire to do better for themselves,” said Penn. “We are so thankful for this anonymous donor who thinks so highly of what we are doing that he or she has established a permanent source of funding for our cause. We are extremely dependent on charitable donations to continue to provide this important service for our community.”
Persons who wish to honor George Penn and to support the long-term efforts of Voices of the Streets – Essentially Yours are encouraged to make a donation to the Voices of the Streets Endowment Fund online or to mail a gift by check to PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102-1762 (made payable to PACF, memo Essentially Yours).
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