Parkersburg Area Community Foundation awards nearly $420K in grants

Wood County Permanent 4-H Camp Association representatives pose with staff and board members of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. (Photo Provided)
From staff reports
PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates has awarded almost $420,000 in grants to support nonprofit organizations and charitable projects throughout the region through its Fall Community Action Grant Program.
The grants are from a variety of funds created by individuals, organizations and area businesses to support community needs.
Individuals and organizations who have donor-advised funds at the foundation also partner to support projects, expanding the foundation’s grantmaking capacity. Many provide additional support to respond to grant requests received each cycle. Donor advisers contributed $234,839 to this grant cycle.
The foundation received 66 applications for a total request amount of $763,366. Of the 66 applications, 50 were funded for a total of $419,996.
Among those were $4,000 from the Doddridge County Community Foundation, $5,000 from the Ritchie County Community Foundation and $5,700 from the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation affiliates.
The Fall 2024 grant recipients are:
* Actors Guild of Parkersburg: $6,999 to provide wireless communication headsets for use by stage crew and production staff during productions.
* Artsbridge: $14,911 to upgrade security infrastructure.
* Belpre Area Ministries: $5,000 to buy stable hanging racks for the store, organizing racks and standalone shelves for the store prep areas and easily sanitized furniture for the intake area.
* Big Red Crew:$15,469 to purchase new racing shells for PHS Big Red Crew.
* Calhoun County Livestock Program:$1,000 to renovate the existing old gym to promote physical fitness to the community.
* City of Ravenswood: $5,000 for a greenhouse for City Park and property beautifications.
* City of Ravenswood: $15,000 for operational support of the new Ravenswood On Trac program.
* City of Ravenswood: $11,903 to purchase a drone for the Ravenswood Police Department.
* City of Williamstown: $11,000 for repairs to the pool.
* Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Mid Ohio Valley: $15,000 for operating support.
* Creed Collins Elementary School: $7,500 for exercise equipment for the physical education class.
* Dark Side Robotics: $11,800 for competition-related expenses for the FIRST Robotics season.
* Doddridge County Farmer’s Market: $10,000 for the GROW WITH US initiative.
* Franklin Elementary School: $600 for hygiene education and supplies for students.
* Friends of the Ohio River Islands: $4,755 to enhance the visitor experience at the Ohio River Islands Refuge.
* Grantsville Conservatory of Music and Fine Arts: $4,850 to purchase cordless headset microphones and other accessories for the public address system and recording studio.
* Hope House Ministries Inc.: $2,500 for the house and needs of the residents.
* Jackson Middle School: $812 for equipment for CPR training for staff and students.
* James Wood Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution: $1,000 to purchase a granite bench engraved with the names of additional patriots found to be buried in Wood County.
* Lubeck United Methodist Church: $15,700 to support the Lunch SAK program for Lubeck and Blennerhassett schools in Wood County.
* Marietta College: $1,440 to pay for Wood County students to attend STREAM Camp in the summer.
* Memorial Health Foundation: $19,526 to purchase a Neonatal Resuscitaire Unit and related supplies for the new Women and Children’s Hospital.
* Minnie Hamilton Health Care Center: $7,708 to purchase a bariatric exam table for the Glenville Clinic.
* North Christian School at North Parkersburg Baptist Church: $2,200 to purchase and install rain barrels for the community garden.
* Northern W.Va. Area Health Education Center: $900 to support expansion of the Moving Onward and Upward Program.
* Pennsboro Woman’s Club: $600 to pave the parking lot for easier access to the building.
* Pilot Club of Jackson County: $10,000 to pay for the dental bills for financially eligible Ravenswood residents.
* Planned Parenthood South Atlantic: $8,500 to distribute period products and facilitate menstrual equity training to address period poverty in the state.
* Progress Ridge Community Building: $1,000 to support kitchen upgrades and the purchase of a storage building.
* Ravenswood High School: $10,000 to upgrade the track facility for students and the community; and $20,000 to upgrade the equipment in the weight room.
* Ravenswood Youth Soccer Club: $15,000 to purchase equipment, jerseys and other related items for the youth soccer club.
* Read Aloud West Virginia: $2,800 to purchase Book Bundles for third- and fourth-graders at Ravenswood Grade School.
* Ritchie County Family Resource Network: $700 to support fresh food vouchers for Packs of Plenty.
* Roane County Commission: $6,000 to purchase new medical supply bags for Roane County EMS.
* St. Mary Catholic School: $20,000 to restore and repair flooring.
* The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley: $20,000 to make upgrades to the thrift store on Dudley Avenue.
* The Salvation Army: $9,000 to update and repair shelter bathrooms, paint the lobby and install new shelving in the storage area.
* The Wirt County Missional Group Ltd.: $9,600 to pay for utilities in the Spring Valley Community Building and for fuel for the box truck to pick up donations.
* Valley Fire & Rescue: $10,000 to upgrade the station.
* Vienna Elementary School: $1,000 to purchase CPR training supplies to train staff and students in both Heartsaver and Hands Only CPR.
* Voices for Children Foundation: $3,000 to support volunteer retention and recruitment.
* Waverly Activity Center: $20,000 to replace the air conditioning in the main building.
* Waverly Volunteer Fire Co.: $19,137 to replace breathing air cylinders and outdated radios.
* West Central Beekeepers Association: $4,036 for the Apiary Education Program.
* Wood County Permanent 4-H Camp Association: $20,000 to improve the 4-H Equine Facility.
* Wood County Society: $1,500 to support the Autism Connections Group.
* WV Health Right: $10,000 for the mobile dental unit in Roane County.
* WVU at Parkersburg Foundation: $550 for repairs of The Mona at Eighth and Market streets in downtown Parkersburg.
* WVU Extension: Doddridge 4-H Leaders Association: $5,000 to support capacity building for volunteer leaders by providing resources and club kits.
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 11-county geographic service area (Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood counties in West Virginia and Washington County in Ohio).
For more information go to www.pacfwv.org.