News

In lieu of its traditional large-scale in-person Annual Meeting, the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates recently held its Annual Meeting virtually on January 15, 2021 which featured a “State of the State” address from its Executive Director, Judy Sjostedt Ritchie. 

Sjostedt Ritchie noted that 2021 marked the 22^nd Annual Meeting that she has had the privilege of conducting.  The PACF’s grantmaking capacity has grown significantly over its history.  In 1964, one year after the PACF’s founding, the Foundation awarded $2,000 in community grants.  By contrast, at the end of its 2020 fiscal year, the PACF awarded $2.9 million in grants and scholarships.

“As a public charity, anything and everything that the PACF can do is directly to the credit of the generous local citizens who support it,” said Sjostedt Ritchie.  “Citizens working together founded this charitable foundation more than 50 years ago and it continues to be a wonderful work in progress.  As each new generation builds on it, it becomes an even more impactful force for good in this community.”

Cynthia Brown, PACF Board Chairman 2019 and 2020, was honored for two years of leading the PACF’s Board of Directors through an era of great service and significant growth.  A resolution commending her accomplishments and volunteer service was incorporated into the official meeting record.

New PACF Board Officers were announced as follows:

• Chairperson, Robert L. Wright II of Warfield Realtors®;
• Vice-Chairperson, Marie Caltrider, CPA;
• Treasurer, Randy Dick (retired); and,
• Secretary, Ann Beck (retired).

Three PACF Board members with a combined thirty years of service - Thomas Whaling, John Ralsten and Linda Gerrard - received commemorative resolutions upon “retiring” from PACF Board service after 10 years’ service each (the maximum two consecutive five-year terms).

Three new members have joined the PACF Board:

• Robin Wallace of Vienna, WV, is the Finance Manager and Community Outreach Leader at DuPont Washington Works, where she has worked for more than twenty years. Robin has served on the PACF’s Grants Committee and is a graduate of West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
• Greg Cottrill of Doddridge County is currently the Director of the Doddridge County Parks and Recreation Commission and has previously served as a President and leader within the YMCA organization in Charleston, WV, and Columbus, OH.  Greg has a bachelor’s degree from Marshall University and also serves on the Foundation’s Doddridge County Community Foundation Affiliate Advisory Board.
• Mary Anne Ketelsen, recent recipient of the State of West Virginia’s highest honor, the Distinguished West Virginian Award, is President and CEO of Mister Bee Potato Chips. An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mary Anne is a graduate of Parkersburg High School, WVU at Parkersburg, and Glenville State College. She is the Fund Adviser to the Mary M. Welch Advised Fund.

Fiscal Year 2020 Highlights included:

• Despite the pandemic, PACF employed 22 local young people through its regional Civic Leaders Fellowship Program, improving their ability to make connections and to find good jobs.
• Awarded 277 scholarships worth $368,500 to students needing educational aid, an increase of more than 10% in the value awarded in 2019.
• Setting a new record high for Give Local MOV 2020–-with many fundraising events cancelled, the PACF’s innovative online giving campaign became even more essential, delivering a 25% increase in support for 53 nonprofits, raising $478,000 in just 24-hours!
• The PACF was reaccredited under the National Standards for Community Foundations;
• Its Audit firm, Suttle and Stalnaker, reported that the PACF had a ‘clean’ audit with no material findings.
• The PACF functions very efficiently; its 2020 operations cost ratio was 1.14%.
• The PACF’s investment performance continues to rank among the top 10% of community foundations nationwide.

Sjostedt Ritchie noted that the PACF has several programs open to applications at this time.  To learn more about its grants, scholarships, and other initiatives or to make online gifts, see www.pacfwv.com.   The PACF serves eleven counties including Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties in West Virginia and Washington County, Ohio.

Given the ongoing pandemic, the 58^th Annual Meeting of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates (PACF) was held by “Zoom call” recently on January 15^th.  A week later, on January 22, its usual “fourth Friday in January” Annual Meeting date, instead of the meal shared among its supporters, the PACF provided meals for staff and clients of local agencies working to aid persons recovering from substance use disorders, serving children in emergency and foster care, and responding to the public’s health needs. 

Children residing at the Children’s Home Society’s Gustke Shelter, and shelter staff, enjoyed a meal catered by DaVinci’s, along with hot chocolate and sweets served by The Bodega.  More than 90 residents and staff associated with Recovery Point enjoyed food supplied by Rubi’s Pizza and Grill.  Staff and volunteers of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, working diligently to immunize the public, received boxed sandwich lunches from Honey Baked Ham.  Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home staff and residents are set to receive a meal soon featuring barbecue from a local catering business.  In all, more than 175 persons received a meal using the local vendors of their choice.

Allison Conley, Recovery Point WV, said, “We can’t express the gratitude we have for the kindness that you’ve shown our clients through a simple meal.  This meant so much to them!  Rubi’s was fantastic to work with and they’ve definitely gained some loyal customers through this experience.”

Denise Hughes of the Children’s Home Society staff shared that, “The dinner was a resounding success! The residents were thrilled with such a feast and we had many who had never had DaVinci’s before, so they were especially pleased.  This really was a treat for them, and everyone expressed their gratitude at being thought of. Earlier in the day, the Bodega brought their ‘Hot Chocolate Bar on Wheels’ to the parking lot to allow staff and residents a mid-day treat.  Residents were very surprised when they looked out the window to see it pull up and then to realize they could go out to get some sweet goodness. I can’t tell you how this kind gesture from you all helped to brighten up the week.  As you can imagine there was great stress about going back to school and COVID--this was a nice respite from all the worry.”

“The Foundation wanted to provide encouragement and to express its gratitude to these agencies and their clientele while also supporting local restaurants,” said Judy Sjostedt Ritchie, PACF’s Executive Director. “We appreciate the challenging nature of the work that these important organizations do every day, and which is made even more so, during a pandemic. We were glad to hear that it brightened their day and pleased to support local enterprises.” 

The Ritchie County Community Foundation, an affiliate of Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, announces the availability of grants for Ritchie County educators seeking support for professional development opportunities and for academic school improvement projects at Ritchie County schools through the O. Eugene and Mary Scott Smith Memorial Fund.

The Fund provides grants for individual teachers who are seeking to further their education, for groups of teachers pursuing professional development opportunities, and for schools for projects that improve the academic curriculum. Funds are not available for athletic projects at schools. Applications, whether for support for individual teachers, groups of teachers, or for academic improvement projects, must be submitted through a Ritchie County school. The application deadline is February 15. Schools must apply using the Foundation’s online Community Action Grant application form, which is available on the Foundation’s website.

The Fund honors Gene and Mary Smith, who were natives of Ritchie County and who were educated in Ritchie County schools. Gene and Mary instilled their love of education in their eight children who all attended Ritchie County schools. Three of them became teachers. Because of Gene and Mary’s influence, there are more than forty college degrees including two doctorates in their large, extended family.

Schools are encouraged to apply for this grant opportunity. Project requests also will be considered for support from other Foundation grantmaking funds, including funds available from the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. For questions or more information, contact Marian Clowes toll-free at 866-428-4438 or marian.clowes@pacfwv.com.