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DOGE cuts slash funding for Great Bend Museum in Ravenswood

The Great Bend Museum in Ravenswood has recently experienced cuts in its grant funding and AmeriCorps program, according to Museum Director Faith Walker. (File Photo)

RAVENSWOOD — Recent cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency have had a “devastating” impact on a Mid-Ohio Valley museum and its programs.

The Great Bend Museum in Ravenswood has received two hits as a result of DOGE actions, according to Museum Director Faith Walker.

Walker said Great Bend recently received notification from the West Virginia Humanities Council that it has eliminated its grants due to recent cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities by the DOGE.

“This decision has immediate and devastating consequences for cultural institutions across the state, including ours,” she said. “At the Great Bend Museum, we’ve lost a $20,000 WVHC grant that was helping to fund our upcoming exhibit, ‘Behind Clara’s Lens.’ With the exhibit just three weeks from opening, we are far too deep into production to turn back. We will now have to absorb this major cost ourselves.”

Walker estimated the museum will have to come up with about $12,000 to cover that cost.

Walker said support from the Humanities Council has shaped much of what Great Bend and similar small programs do in West Virginia. Some of the programs that might also be impacted include History Alive! and e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia,” which houses hundreds of accessible, peer-reviewed articles, including many on Jackson County’s history and culture.

“We had hoped to publish a print edition of ‘The Civil War Diary of Henrietta Fitzhugh Barre’ with a Humanities Council grant,” Walker said, but she is not certain about that project’s status now.

“In 2024 alone, the West Virginia Humanities Council served more than 400,000 West Virginians, awarding over $318,000 in 40 grants, 10 fellowships and seven travel assistance awards. That work is now coming to a halt, and any money not already spent has been eliminated,” she said.

Walker said another hit felt by Great Bend was news that its AmeriCorps program had been terminated, along with over 200 other AmeriCorps positions across West Virginia.

This decision also follows a DOGE directive which ordered the cancellation of approximately $400 million in AmeriCorps grants, about 41% of the agency’s total grant funding.

AmeriCorps is a federally funded program that seeks volunteers to assist with a variety of programs and community engagement. AmeriCorps offers a wide selection of opportunities that volunteers can apply for.

Walker said AmeriCorps support has played a vital role in Great Bend’s growth and success.

“Because of AmeriCorps support, we were proud to be named 2023 Museum of the Year by the West Virginia Association of Museums,” she said.

“AmeriCorps members across Jackson County have also supported the Alpine Theatre, Jackson County Libraries and the Ravenswood Historic Landmarks Commission, enriching the cultural life of our communities. We have been grateful to collaborate with these organizations and see firsthand the difference national service makes. The loss of AmeriCorps will have a lasting impact on our community. We are deeply proud of what has been accomplished and grateful to every AmeriCorps member who helped make it possible,” she said.

Walker said AmeriCorps is the lifeblood of small museums and similar programs across the country. Walker herself started working at Great Bend Museum in 2021 as an AmeriCorps member and was later hired by the City of Ravenswood as the museum’s director.

Great Bend is not the only local program to report impacts from the changes being made to AmeriCorps. In mid-April, the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge at Williamstown reported six AmeriCorps volunteers who had been working with the refuge had been recalled due to funding cuts.

That program was part of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, a specific AmeriCorps program for individuals ages 18-26 to volunteer across the country, all expenses paid, and earn money while serving on the program.

Since announcing the impact of the cuts on Great Bend, Walker said she has started seeing an outpouring of support on social media from the community and has heard about possible funding for affected programs in general but nothing specific yet for the Ravenswood museum. She is hoping to see both types of support grow as time passes and people see the impacts.

Wayne Towner can be reached at wtowner@newsandsentinel.com

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