News

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates of Doddridge County, Ritchie County, and the Little Kanawha Area (PACF) is currently accepting applications for grants for the spring cycle of its Community Action Grants Program.  The Foundation’s application process is online; the application deadline is midnight on February 15. Organizations apply to the Foundation and/or any of the affiliates on the same online application form, the Foundation’s Community Action Grants Application.  To access the online application form, visit the Foundation’s website, www.pacfwv.com/Grants.

The PACF also announces that it has launched a new platform for online applications. To learn about the new application process and to hear updates on the Foundation’s grantmaking priorities, organizations are invited to attend one of two free webinars offered by the PACF in January:

• Wednesday, January 13, 2:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, January 19, 10:00 a.m.

To register, send an e-mail to marian.clowes@pacfwv.com. Registrants will be provided with a Zoom link for the webinar.

To be considered for a Community Action Grant, an applicant must be a private, nonprofit organization, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a public institution.  Either the applicant or program to be funded must be located in the Foundation’s eleven-county geographic service area (Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties in West Virginia, and Washington County, Ohio). Priority counties for grant support are: Wood, Wirt, Doddridge, Ritchie, Roane, Calhoun, and Gilmer.

The Foundation provides support for capital and equipment projects, program development, technical assistance, training, capacity building projects, and, under special circumstances, operating support.  Submitted applications are considered for support from a wide variety of grant funds available to support charitable projects throughout the region.

The Foundation’s grantmaking guidelines provide additional information on eligibility and priorities for all types of grants; visit the Foundation’s website at to access the grant guidelines and application forms. For more information, contact Marian Clowes at 304-428-4438.

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates (PACF) announced support for nonprofit organizations and charitable projects throughout the region through its fall Community Action Grant program. The PACF awards grants from a variety of funds created by individuals, organizations, and area businesses to support critical community needs. The PACF’s grant awards this fall total $183,272. The Foundation’s three affiliates awarded an additional $7,250 in grants, including $1,000 from the Doddridge County Community Foundation (DCCF), $3,000 from the Ritchie County Community Foundation (RCCF), and $3,250 from the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation (LKACF). Grant awards will support facility renovations, equipment purchases, new program development, and the provision of services to individuals.

“Several grant awards in this cycle address food access, which continues to be a critical need in our region due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said PACF Associate Director for Community Leadership Marian Clowes. “These include grants for food pantries, backpack feeding programs, community and school gardening projects, and a new community kitchen in Calhoun County. Other grants provide funds for organizations to undertake needed facility renovations, develop new services, purchase equipment, and address important community educational and human service needs.”

To be considered for a Community Action Grant, an applicant must be a private, nonprofit organization or a public institution.  Either the applicant or program to be funded must be located in the Foundation’s eleven-county geographic service area (Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties in West Virginia, and Washington County, Ohio). 

The fall 2020 Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates grant recipients are:

• American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley - $8,000 to purchase a new community emergency vehicle.
• Arnoldsburg Elementary Community Sports Complex - $9,000 to support the development of recreation fields for Calhoun County youth.
• Arnoldsburg Volunteer Fire Department - $8,700 for HVAC updates and firehouse renovations.
• Auburn Community Association - $2,000 from the PACF and $1,000 from RCCF to install vinyl siding on the Auburn Community Building.
• Blennerhassett Middle School - $6,990 to purchase a Glowforge system for STEM and entrepreneurship education.
• Cairo Crafty Quilters - $1,000 from PACF and $1,000 from RCCF for the creation of a Ritchie County quilt trail.
• Calhoun County Park - $7,591 from PACF and $2,700 from LKACF for the installation of a wheelchair lift in the park’s two-story community building.
• Catholic Charities of West Virginia - $6,000 from PACF and $1,000 from DCCF to support the operation of the Mobile Wellness Works Food Pantry at sites in Calhoun, Doddridge, Ritchie, Roane, and Wirt counties.
• Gabriel Project of West Virginia, Northern Programs Chapter - $5,000 to reestablish client services in Pleasants County and to expand services in Calhoun, Doddridge, Ritchie, and Wood counties.
• GFWC Parkersburg Woman’s Club - $6,085 to support the Brown Bag project, which provides nutritious food for the weekends for students at Jefferson and Emerson Elementary Schools.
• Gilmer County Elementary School - $1,775 from PACF and $550 from LKACF to purchase materials and equipment for the school’s Square Foot Gardening project.
• Glenville State College Foundation - $4,000 to support the Smart Classroom Renovation project, designed to add interactive technology in classrooms to improve student achievement.
• Jackson County Developmental Center, Inc. - $3,826 to add a kitchenette to the Wood County program site to facilitate independent living skill development programs.
• Mountaineer Food Bank - $10,000 to purchase and install interactive white board technology to improve virtual communications.
• Normantown Historical Community Center - $10,000 to replace the roof on the building that houses the community clothing closet.
• Parkersburg Area Coalition for the Homeless/House to Home - $5,950 to renovate the client bathroom and repair the facility’s sidewalk.
• Pennsboro Volunteer Fire Department - $5,000 from PACF and $1,000 from RCCF to upgrade and replace outdated fire suppression equipment.
• Roane County Commission/Roane County High School - $3,600 to renovate the high tunnel at Roane County High School for use in its agricultural education programs.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown - $2,500 to support the Jacob Johnson Family Lodging Fund, to defray the costs of stays at RMHC houses for families from the PACF service area.
• The Hope Recovery Manor - $4,665 to support training for clients on life and relationship building skills.
• The Salvation Army - $15,000 for kitchen and dining room renovations.
• Voices of the Streets/Essentially Yours - $1,500 to purchase kitchen supplies to provide to those transitioning to a home after experiencing homelessness.
• West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition - $15,000 to develop a community canning and manufacturing kitchen in Grantsville.
• Westbrook Health Services - $9,000 to renovate the community meeting room and public restrooms.
• Wirt County Missional Group - $6,600 to purchase a new freezer, a double-door cooler, and food for the food pantry program.
• Wood County 4-H Camp - $10,400 to support capital improvements at the Wood County 4-H Camp.
• Wood County Parks and Recreation Commission/Mountwood Park - $13,000 to replace roofs on cabins in the White Oak Village Section of the park, which houses a substance use disorder treatment facility.

In addition, through the support of the Tamara K. Brown Helping to Heal Fund and the Good Samaritan Clinic Endowment Fund, the PACF provided support to school nurses at the following schools to purchase equipment to help meet student health needs:

• Blennerhassett Middle School - $290 to purchase an otoscope.
• Parkesburg South High School - $500 to purchase a mobile trauma/first aid kit.
• Lubeck Elementary School - $300 to purchase supplies and personal protective equipment.

Robert E. Lowe, Jr. wore many hats.  He was a husband, father, teacher, musician, and community advocate to name just a few.  The son of Gayle and the late Robert Lowe Sr., Lowe graduated from Wirt County High School in 1977.  After graduating he continued to West Virginia University where he played the trombone in the marching band and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in music education. 

Lowe took every opportunity to share his love of music with others.  He assisted the band program at Wirt County High School as well as mentored several young aspiring musicians.  In 2001, Lowe was elected to the Wirt County Commission.  He is recognized as the longest continuous serving Wirt County Commissioner to date.  In addition to his duties as a Commissioner, he also operated a sawmill for many years.

Robert passed away on August 3, 2019 at the age of 60.  To honor Lowe’s memory and his love of music, his family established the Robert E. Lowe, Jr. Memorial Scholarship fund with the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation.  This fund will forever award scholarships to graduating seniors from Wirt County High School who plan to pursue a degree in a music or arts field of study. 

Lowe is survived by his wife, Cindy Lowe; two children, Matt and Kristina Lowe; and brother, Richard Lowe.

Individuals who would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support this new fund are encouraged to send a check made payable to the PACF with “Robert Lowe Memorial” on the memo line to:  PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102. Donations may also be made online through the Foundation's website.  Individuals wishing to learn more about this fund can call the Foundation at 304.428.4438.

Picture captions: 

(top)  Robert E. Lowe, Jr. 

(bottom)  Robert Lowe's children, Kristina and Matt Lowe