News

A convener. A strategic thinker. An action-oriented, disciplined team player who wants to reduce the stigma and adverse impact associated with substance use disorder (SUD) for individuals and families in the Mid-Ohio Valley and its surrounding communities. Does this sound like you?

If so, you may be the candidate that the Sisters Health Foundation, United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, and The Bernard McDonough Foundation are seeking to create cross-sector partnerships and programs that address SUD community supports, treatment, and prevention as a SUD Collaborative Coordinator.

A successful candidate will have working knowledge of:

• SUD and its effects on individuals, families, and communities;
  
• Best practices associated with cross-sector collaboration;
• Basic prevention, treatment, and community supports necessary to properly address SUD and its adverse impact;
• Data collection and analysis;
• Grant writing and management;
• Program and/or service development and evaluation.

Follow this link for the full job description.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by January 23. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Submit a letter of interest, resume, and three references to:

SUD Collaborative

c/o Ethos Leadership Group

info@EthosLeadership.com

Dr. Endrizzi was a well-known and much-loved veterinarian who passed away earlier in 2014.  A Parkersburg resident for more than 60 years, he and his wife, Ann, raised five children here in the Mid-Ohio Valley, Dr. Mike Endrizzi, Kathy Endrizzi, Nancy Endrizzi, Mary Endrizzi Wright, and Emma Endrizzi O’Leary.  

As a child growing up in Belmont County, Ohio, Endrizzi’s family, along with many other coal miner families, struggled.  Endrizzi was born December 25, 1919 and of the years following his father’s death in 1924, Endrizzi wrote: “Most of mother’s income came from miners who would put money in her basket on pay day.  Churches in Bannock helped, and some neighbors did also.” He remembered “At Christmas time, church people asked us to come and we would all get a paper sack with candy and one orange.  This was our entire Christmas treat during the Depression.”

Nick Endrizzi never forgot the assistance that they received during those difficult years.  Through his adult life, it was important for him to give back in order to help others less fortunate.  “I always had it in my mind that I wanted to pay the people back who helped us, but they were all gone,” Endrizzi once said. 

To this end, Endrizzi helped establish a charitable fund with the PACF to benefit the Salvation Army  in Belmont County and was a consistent supporter of his church’s food pantry.   He also loved gardening just to see fruits and vegetables grow and then would share his harvests with friends and neighbors, often putting surpluses on the curb with a FREE sign.  Sharing food at Christmas was one of Endrizzi’s favorite holiday traditions.

This December 25 would have been Endrizzi’s 100^th birthday.  To mark this centennial in a meaningful way, Endrizzi’s children have partnered with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation to raise awareness and support for its Hunger Fund for the region.  This permanent charitable fund provides funding for community food programs for children, senior citizens, and other vulnerable populations in the region.

“We know that the Hunger Fund is something that our father would be proud of and would have supported himself,”  said Mary Endrizzi Wright.  “My brother, sisters, and I would like our community to support this fund this holiday season.  In the spirit of giving that is Christmas, we are matching the first $2,500 donated to the Hunger Fund to celebrate our dad’s 100^th birthday.”

To make a charitable donation to support the PACF’s Hunger Fund, please send a check made payable to the PACF to PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26101 or give online at www.pacfwv.com/HungerFund.  Individuals who have questions or would like to make other gift arrangements may call the Foundation at 304-428-4438. 

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

DCCF awarded the following grant:

• Doddridge County Family Resource Network - $1,950 grant from the Doddridge County Grantmaking Fund to provide bedding, blankets, and pillows to youth through the annual Good Shepherd Tree Program, which provides Christmas wish list items to children newborn through age 18.

LKACF awarded the following grants:

•  Calhoun County Schools - $1,250 from the Little Kanawha Area Grantmaking Fund for suicide prevention programs.
  
•  Harmony Mental Health - $1,250 from the Little Kanawha Area Grantmaking Fund to help renovate the organization’s new facility in Elizabeth, where they provide counseling services to area residents, including trauma-informed care to children and youth.
• Normantown Historical Community Center - $500 from the Gilmer County Grantmaking Fund to help replace a roof on their facility.
• Pleasant Hill Elementary School - $500 from the Edna Yoak Robinson Fund for Education to bring the West Virginia Farm Bureau's Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab to the school in January, where students will explore the importance of agriculture in everyday life, conduct experiments, and learn about nutrition and health lifestyles.

RCCF awarded the following grants:

• Regeneration/Packs of Plenty - $1,000 from the Ritchie County Grantmaking Fund to provide food to Ritchie County students on weekends and school holidays.
• Mid-Ohio Valley Foster Grandparent Program - $1,000 from the Ritchie County Grantmaking Fund to support seniors placed in Ritchie County schools and nonprofit organizations to assist children and youth with learning activities.
• Ritchie County Family Resource Network - $1,000 grant from the Ritchie County Grantmaking Fund to purchase hygiene and cleaning products to be distributed to low-income families in need.
• American Red Cross - $500 from the Ritchie County Grantmaking Fund to install smoke alarms in Ritchie County residents' homes and assist families impacted by house fires.
  

DCCF, RCCF, and LKACF held a reception at Calhoun Banks on November 12, to announce grants and present the awards to recipients. “We appreciate the generosity of Martha Haymaker and Calhoun Banks for hosting us for our grant reception,” said Marian Clowes, PACF Associate Director for Community Leadership. “We are pleased to be able to support these great organizations as they work to help improve the lives of youth, seniors, and families in our region.”