Photo by Derek Redd Debbie Stanton, program director for the Ohio Valley Community Foundation, greets representatives from 21 Ohio Valley-area organizations that received more than $150,000 in grant funding from the River Valley Health Foundation.
Debbie Stanton, program director for the Ohio Valley Regional Community Foundation, and Shelley Karenbauer, director of the River Valley Health Foundation, admitted they wiped away tears at times as they looked through proposals for this year’s RVHF grants. They were overcome with emotion as they read about the needs of so many people in the Ohio Valley and the programs that seek to help them.
But the tears shed Wednesday morning at Orchard Park Children’s Hospital were tears of joy, as CFOV and RVHF distributed grants totaling more than $150,000 to organizations throughout the Ohio Valley for programs supporting wellness projects for people in need, from young children to the Valley’s seniors.
Twenty-one organizations shared the grant funding, receiving up to $20,000 to enhance their services.
“I think the purpose of everything that was done here today was to uplift all the residents of the Ohio Valley and make them productive members and citizens,” Stanton said. “Today was a good day.”
The $20,000 grant was awarded to Ohio Valley Youth Network for use at the Sycamore Youth Center in Steubenville, which offers a wide range of after-school programs for Steubenville-area students, from theater and orchestra to culinary arts and entrepreneurship.
Center director Bobby John Baumann said the grant awarded Wednesday will be used for a variety of needs throughout the center, including the 100 meals served to children each day, gasoline for the center’s vehicles and art supplies to expand children’s imaginations.
Winning the grant gave them some breathing room, Bauman said.
“I know we have money to pay for food for the kids,” he said, “We’ll have money for gas. If there’s an issue with the van, we can fix it so we can get the kids out and about. There are countless needs that can be addressed with grant money.”
Other organizations and their projects include:
– Appalachian Outreach, Inc. to Take It Easy Ohio Valley, $7,500.
– Burnsville Hospital Association, $5,962 for emergency medical training equipment
– $7,500 for Belmont County Court, Juvenile Probation Department and health support for youth on Belmont County probation.
– Brooke Hancock Family Resource Network – Northern Panhandle Parents as Teachers, $7,500 for all levels of wellness WV
– Catholic Charities of West Virginia, $5,000 for its Hospital Transition Program
– Wheeling Children’s Home, $10,000 for Hope and Healing: Promoting psychiatric services for children and teens
– Crittenton Foundation, Mobile Health Support: $2,997.33 to care for girls, mothers and babies during inpatient treatment
– $10,000 for Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, medical care for vulnerable children, outpatient medical rehabilitation and autism screenings
– Faith in Action Caregivers, Inc., $5,000 for its Volunteer Match Program
– Jefferson County, $4,900 for the General Health District and lead testing machines.
– Marietta Health Foundation, $3,380 for emergency battery power at Woodsfield Health Clinic
– Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, $5,500 for Third Thursday Soup Lunch
– Ohio Valley Health Center, $10,000 for an echocardiogram machine
– $10,000 for Reynolds Memorial Hospital Samaritan Fund Project
– Seeing Hand Association, Inc., $3,000 for education and outreach efforts through Edelman Gardens
– Thoburn United Methodist Church and St. Clairsville Council of Churches Food Pantry, $4,300 for Blessing Boxes at the Food Pantry
– United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley and House of the Carpenter donated $5,000 to the Ohio County Schools Enrichment Backpack Program.
– Urban Mission Ministries, $7,500 to provide healthy food for everyone
– YWCA Wheeling, $8,700 for health and wellness projects.
– Youth Services Systems, Inc., $6,500 to expand mental health in schools
“It’s very rewarding as a board member and as a community resident to know that these people and projects exist,” Karrenbauer said, “to see the impact they have and how much they are willing to give for the community and to know what the biggest needs are in the community.”
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