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Founded in 2015 as a Donor Advised Fund with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, the Williamstown Fund for Excellence has supported many projects in the Williamstown area.  The Fund seeks to stimulate projects and causes which help the people of the Williamstown area rise above the average and achieve excellence. 

The Williamstown Fund for Excellence is a permanent endowment in which the principal remains intact and invested, generating earnings to help support area needs.  Annually, an advisory committee of Williamstown residents recommends awards from a portion of the Fund’s earnings as grants to local organizations and causes working to strengthen the community.

The Williamstown Fund for Excellence has granted more than $95,000 to charitable endeavors in the geographic area served by the Williamstown Public School District since 2015.  Such grants include support to the Williamstown Community Pool Days during summer 2020; to the City of Williamstown to purchase a drug investigation vehicle and equipment; to Williamstown High School to begin its Robotics program; to Williamstown Elementary School playground; and to the Williamstown Community Association for the ball fields.

“Our goal is to grow the Fund to $500,000 so that we can make meaningful grant awards and can have resources available for future opportunities,” said Lynn Erb, a member of the Fund’s advisory committee.  “Gifts to support the Williamstown Fund for Excellence will make a lasting, meaningful impact for the Williamstown area now and forever.”

An anonymous donor wants to help the Williamstown Fund for Excellence grow and will match donations to the Fund.   The first $5,000 donated to the Williamstown Fund for Excellence by November 1, 2021 will be matched.  Individuals who would like to donate are to mail a check, made payable to the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) with “Williamstown Fund” on the memo line, to PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26101 or make an online donation. 

To learn more about the Williamstown Fund for Excellence, its advisory committee, and its recent grants, visit:  www.pacfwv.com/wfe

“On behalf of the Williamstown Fund for Excellence, we thank this anonymous donor for their support,” said Erb.  “When we work together, we can truly create wonderful things for our community.”

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) celebrated the successful completion of its tenth year of its Civic Leaders Fellowship Program.  A celebratory gathering was recently held at the Parkersburg City Park with members the PACF Board, Civic Leader hosts, initiative sponsors, and Civic Leaders in attendance. 

Eighteen students were placed with host employers throughout the PACF service region to gain work experience in their respective fields.  Students participated in leadership training on Mondays during the program.  More than 75 community members contributed their time to help the students learn about civic engagement, leadership, career options, and nonprofits organizations in our community. 

“I’ve learned so much during my program,” said Zoe Pingley, a first year Civic Leader.  “I’ve learned passion, leadership, art, love, hard work, dedication, and so much more.  The program was not just a ‘summer internship.’  It was an opportunity to see and love my community around me and allow me to place myself into some of the most important things it has to offer.  I learned so much about my field and future career, but also so much more about myself as a person.” 

During the seven-week Program, each Civic Leader spent their Mondays engaging with one another, learning about the community’s needs and issues, and exploring personal and professional development opportunities.  Second-year Civic Leaders spent their Mondays furthering their leadership studies, visiting area nonprofit organizations, assessing community needs, and learning about community grantmaking.  The second year Civic Leaders visited many different nonprofit organizations over the course of the summer evaluating where to award $5,000 in grant funds.  The following grants were awarded to area nonprofits

• Old Man Rivers was awarded $2,500 to support its food pantry.
• Wood County Society was awarded $2,500 to develop an Emergency Preparedness Plan to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during a national and local emergency.

Students completed the summer inspired to contribute to their communities and more knowledgeable about their fields of interest.  To learn more about this year’s Civic Leaders and about the program, visit the Foundation’s website at www.pacfwv.com/CLFP.

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates (PACF) announced support for nonprofit organizations and charitable projects throughout the region through its spring 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. PACF’s grant awards this spring total $275,879. The Foundation’s three affiliates awarded an additional $10,500 in grants, including $5,800 from the Doddridge County Community Foundation (DCCF) and $4,700 from the Ritchie County Community Foundation (RCCF).

“Our grantmaking capacity this cycle was greatly enhanced by support from a variety of donor advised funds who have generously recommended grants to address the critical needs presented through grant requests,” said Marian Clowes, Associate Director for Community Leadership. “We continue to focus on addressing the most pressing community needs, including food insecurity, homelessness, and mental health and substance use disorders.”

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 spring 2021 Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates grant recipients are:

• Belpre Performing Arts Boosters - $5,650 for band instrument replacement

• Boys and Girls Club of Washington County - $16,000 for gymnasium renovations

• Cairo Volunteer Fire Department - $7,500 for personal protective equipment for firefighters

• Calhoun County Livestock Program - $1,000 for facility upgrades

• Camden Clark Foundation - $23,000 to replace chemotherapy treatment chairs with new medical-grade chairs

• Children of Promise in Action - $5,000 for facility updates and to provide recreational services for Ritchie County youth

• Children’s Home Society - $15,500 for the Transitional Living Program to provide support services to youth who are experiencing homelessness

• Circles Campaign of the Mid-Ohio Valley - $8,000 for operating support

• Colonial House - $800 to purchase an outdoor storage shed

• Consumer Credit Counseling Services - $5,000 to support a financial literacy program for individuals in active recovery from substance use disorders

• East Wood Volunteer Fire Department - $6,460 to replace outdated equipment

• Ely Chapman Education Foundation - $6,000 for STEAM activities during the Sensational Summer Camp

• Harrisville Volunteer Fire Department - $7,075 to purchase a mobile radio repeater and emergency pagers

• Little Kanawha Area Development Corporation - $2,000 to purchase equipment for a mobile business support project

• Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home - $10,000 for office and facility renovations

• Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center - $7,858 to replace and update seating and blood draw chairs in the laboratory department

• Nazareth Farm - $5,700 to support the costs of a new truck and supply barn

• Oil, Gas and Industrial Historical Association - $9,000 to refurbish windows for the Oil and Gas Museum

• Parents and Friends of the Hearing Impaired - $3,150 to provide hearing aids to low income individuals with hearing impairments

• Parkersburg Art Center - $9,000 to install fire suppression system

• Recovery Point - $15,000 to support upgrades and increase capacity at the Parkersburg facility

• Ritchie County Family Resource Network - $6,400 to establish a food pantry

•   Roane County Committee on Aging - $6,800 to assist with roof replacement for Amma Senior Center

• TEAM for West Virginia Children - $5,000 for the “Our Babies: Safe and Sound” to provide education about infant safe sleep and abusive head trauma prevention

• The Doddridge County Starting Points Center - $5,700 to expand the emergency food pantry

• The Education Alliance - $10,336 to provide training and resources for AmeriCorps mentors to integrate mental health best practices into mentoring program

• University of Charleston - $5,000 to produce a documentary on Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett

• Upper West Fork CAP - $2,325 for parking lot upgrade

• Voices for Children Foundation/CASA - $11,000 for operating support

• Washington County Career Center - $15,000 to purchase an Anatomage machine for instruction in medical courses

• Washington United Methodist Church - $1,400 to support the food pantry

• West Virginia Central Bee Keepers - $2,000 to support efforts to increase the bee population

• West Virginia Health Right - $6,500 to support the mobile dental unit’s services in Roane County

• West Virginia Symphony Orchestra – Parkersburg - $1,000 to support the upcoming “diverse and successful symphonies” series

• Williamstown Middle/High School - $7,000 to replace band equipment

• Wirt County Committee on Aging - $10,000 for kitchen remodeling and upgrades

• WV Extension Family Nutrition Program - $6,250 to provide produce markets at Wood County schools

• WVU Foundation- Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program - $5,250 to provide assessments and equipment to children in the Parkersburg area with vision impairments

Doddridge County Community Foundation Grants

•  Doddridge County Starting Points Center - $1,800 to expand items available in the emergency food pantry to include fresh produce, dairy, meat, and frozen foods and to purchase an upright freezer and a refrigerator.
• Nazareth Farm - $4,000 to support the construction of a new truck and supply barn as part of its overall facility improvement campaign.

Ritchie County Community Foundation Grants:

• Harrisville Volunteer Fire Department - $1,900 to purchase a mobile radio repeater and emergency pagers for firefighters.
• Ritchie County Family Resource Network - $1,600 to start a food pantry to meet food access needs in the county.
• Ritchie County High School - $1,200 from the O. Eugene and Mary Scott Smith Memorial Fund to support professional development for RCHS teacher and band instructor Justin Hodges.

Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation

• Pleasant Hill Elementary School - $900 to provide literacy materials for the school’s two preschool classrooms. The materials will help preschoolers develop early reading skills.