News

“By working together, we can do so much more good for our region,” said Marian Clowes, the Senior Program Officer for the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates.

The Foundation is once again making an investment in our region by providing more than $164,840 in grant support to area nonprofits.  A reception was held at the Foundation’s office on Wednesday, December 5 to highlight the grant recipients and the good work they are doing in the community.

Through the Foundation’s bi-annual Community Action Grants Program, area nonprofits seek grant assistance to address organizational needs and programs.  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).  Submitted applications are considered for support from charitable funds managed by the Foundation that are designed to support a wide variety of projects and causes throughout the region.

The fall 2018 Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates grant recipients are:

• Actors Guild of Parkersburg - $10,000 to upgrade lighting equipment
• American Red Cross of Northwest West Virginia - $2,500 for the Sound the Alarm Campaign to install smoke alarms in at-risk households in Wood and Wirt counties
• Arnoldsburg Volunteer Fire Department –  $7,500 to purchase updated radio and communications equipment
• Blennerhassett FFA Alumni - $4,000 to purchase tools for antique tractor restorations to enhance fundraising efforts
• Building Bridges to Careers - $2,500 to support marketing efforts for the Epicenter and Makerspace
• Calhoun County Committee on Aging - $5,990 to update computer network hardware and software
• Circles Campaign - $7,500 to provide operating support for services to low-income families in the Mid-Ohio Valley
• Community Resources - $7,000 to support Thrive: A Community Empowerment Center that hosts a food choices market and hydroponics garden and provides household goods and baby items to those in need
• Community Spirit of Williamstown - $5,000 to support a mentoring program for at-risk youth and families
• Gilmer Public Library - $2,000 for replacement of flooring in the facility
• Hippodrome/Colony Historical Theater Association - $5,000 to address air conditioning issues
• House of Hope - $1,400 to support the “Art of Recovery” program
• Kootaga Indian Dancers - $3,000 to repair the roof on the organization’s facility
• Little Kanawha Chapter of West Virginia Archeological Society - $2,000 for radiocarbon dating for artifacts excavated at two Wood County sites
• Madison Elementary - $10,400 to enhance music education programs through the purchase of Orff musical instruments, ukuleles, and a sound system
• Minnie Hamilton Health System - $4,100 to update physical therapy equipment
• Mountaineer Food Bank - $7,000 for a scissor lift for the Food Bank warehouse
• Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library - $3,500 to enable the library to become a Foundation Center Funding Information Network Access Partner
• Parkersburg Academy - $2,500 to implement the Destiny Library Manger system for the school library
• Parkersburg Art Center - $12,000 to address renovation needs for the second floor space above a portion of the center’s facility
• Parkersburg Woman’s Club - $5,000 to support the Brown Bag program which provides nutritious food on weekends for students at Emerson and McKinley Elementary Schools
• Pleasant Hill Elementary School - $3,974 for lighting of the quarter-mile track that surrounds the school’s playground
• Reedy Senior Citizen Center - $6,476 to purchase a generator to provide power in the event of a natural disaster or electrical outage
• Regeneration/Packs of Plenty - $5,000 to provide nutritious foods to send home with Ritchie County Students on weekends and school holidays
• Ritchie Regional Health Center - $7,500 to assist with renovations to the school-based health center at Ritchie Middle/High School
• Ronald McDonald House Charities - $4,500 to support the Hoss Lodging Fund to defray the costs for lodging for families from the Mid-Ohio Valley
• The Children’s Listening Place - $6,000 to support training for children on body safety and empower children to stay safe from abuse
• The Salvation Army - $15,000 to purchase furniture for three transitional living apartments which provide an opportunity for families to regain financial independence
• Wirt County Primary Center - $2,000 to purchase equipment to meet the needs of children with autism and sensory disorders
• Wood County Christian School - $6,000 to purchase a double convection oven for the school’s cafeteria

In addition to the grants announced above, the Foundation’s Ritchie County, Doddridge County, and Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation affiliates recently announced an additional $10,700 in grants to organizations providing services in Ritchie, Doddridge, Wirt, Calhoun, and Gilmer counties. 

The Doddridge County Community Foundation, the Ritchie County Community Foundation, and the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation affiliates of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) recently announced their fall grants to support charitable organizations in their service areas.

Doddridge County Community Foundation awarded $1,000 to the following organizations:

• Mountaineer Food Bank - $500  from the Doddridge County Grantmaking Fund to assist with the purchase of a scissor lift for use in the Food Bank’s warehouse; the Food Bank provides support to food pantries and feeding programs in Doddridge County.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities - $500 from the Doddridge County Grantmaking Fund to support lodging costs for Doddridge County families through the Hoss Lodging Fund.

Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation awarded $3,500 to the following organizations:

• Calhoun County Committee on Aging - $2,000 from the Little Kanawha Grantmaking Fund  for computer upgrades, enabling the organization to better serve clients and meet reporting needs from funding sources.
• Pleasant Hill Elementary School - $1,050 from the Little Kanawha Area Grantmaking Fund and the Edna Yoak Robinson Fund for lighting the quarter-mile track at the school used by students for physical education classes and by the public for fitness.
• Gilmer Public Library - $450 from Gilmer Support Fund to replace carpeting in the library’s main rooms.

Ritchie County Community Foundation awarded $6,200 in grants to the following organizations:

• Harrisville Woman’s Club - $2,000 from the Harrisville Civic Club Community Improvement Fund and the Ritchie County Grantmaking Fund to purchase a new commercial refrigerator.
• Regeneration/Packs of Plenty - $1,200 from the Ritchie County Grantmaking Fund to support the purchase of nutritious food to provide to Ritchie County students in need for weekends and school holidays.
• Ritchie County Primary Care Association - $3,000 from the Ritchie County Grantmaking Fund for the renovation of the school-based health center at Ritchie County Middle/High School.

The Foundation’s affiliates held a reception at Doddridge County Park on Wednesday, November 27, to announce grants and present the awards to recipients. At the reception, the PACF also announced additional grant awards to many of the projects supported by its affiliates. The PACF awards include the following amounts:

• Mountaineer Food Bank - $7,000
• Ronald McDonald House Charities - $4,500
• Calhoun County Committee on Aging - $5,990
• Pleasant Hill Elementary School - $3,974
• Gilmer Public Library - $2,000
• Regeneration/Packs of Plenty - $5,000
• Ritchie County Primary Care Association - $7,500

During the week of November 12-18, 2018, the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates (PACF) will join more than 800 community foundations across America celebrating Community Foundation Week.  For nearly 30 years, the effort has raised awareness about the increasingly important role of these philanthropic organizations in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address persistent civic and economic challenges.

Community Foundation Week, created in 1989 by former president George H. W. Bush, recognizes the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community problems.

“Community foundations impact lives, solve problems, and improve futures,” said Judy Sjostedt, PACF’s Executive Director.  “As many residents grapple with limited resources and a growing need for services, we are more determined than ever to bring our community partners together to find innovative and effective solutions for some of our most challenging social problems here in the Mid-Ohio Valley region.”

Community foundations are independent, public entities that steward philanthropic resources from institutional and individual donors to local nonprofits, agencies, churches, civic groups, etc. that are the heart of strong, vibrant communities.   The local PACF works with individuals, families, businesses, and civic or nonprofit organizations to make a positive and permanent commitment for the future of our region. 

The PACF currently manages more than 350 charitable funds with nearly $43 million in assets and works in partnership with its local affiliates to provide leadership and develop philanthropic resources to meet the needs of an 11-county service area.  Last year, the PACF awarded $2.3 million in grants and scholarships for the benefit of that service area.  Since 1963, the PACF has helped local citizens support charitable needs and touch every aspect of life in the community in a variety of lasting ways. 

Sjostedt noted, “These grants and scholarships are made possible by individuals living right here in our communities.  This week and every day, the PACF celebrates the generosity of local people and the impact that their giving has on improving our Mid-Ohio Valley area’s quality of life.  With the year-end fast approaching, it’s a tremendous time for citizens to make an investment to advance their communities by supporting their local community foundation.”

To learn more about the PACF visit its website or stop by its office at 1620 Park Avenue in Parkersburg during regular business hours.