The North Star Board of Directors present on Dec. 13 for the North Star Night Out fundraiser included, from left, Executive Director Greg Collins, Shannan Tschopp, Board of Directors President Janelle Seevers, Sharon Anderson, Allie Bettinger, Madison Gontarek and Board Vice President Mike Pifer. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — North Star Child Advocacy Center held its North Star Night Out 2025 on Dec. 13 at the Parkersburg Art Center.

A total of 207 tickets were sold for the annual fundraiser gala but the winter weather kept many from actually attending, North Star Executive Director Greg Collins said.

In spite of inclement weather, he estimated 70% of the ticket holders attended the event to support North Star and its mission to interview the children of child abuse for law enforcement and Child Protective Services, and begin the long healing process for the same children.

“We couldn’t change the weather, the gala was set and paid for, I just had to hope for some people to share this night with,” he said. “I truly was amazed at the amount of people that came out in spite of the snow to support our mission.”

To begin the event, a dedication and moment of silence was held for CPS worker Shannon Jones, who unexpectedly passed away on Oct. 1.

“We lost a wonderful and powerful CPS worker unexpectedly,” said Collins at the ceremony. “She was someone who the North Star team truly loved. This loss has been difficult for her CPS family and all who knew this smiling face.”

A 20-minute video was played for the crowd telling the story of North Star before Collins introduced state Del. Bob Fehrenbacher, R-Wood, to the stage.

“Delegate Fehrenbacher has been a true champion for children in the state and is a good friend to North Star,” said Collins.

North Star staff and its Board of Directors were then called to the front of the room to be recognized.

“These people are why we are the North Star of today. A North Star that makes a difference in children’s lives and gives non-offending families the support they need to make it through crisis. This is real evil and total upheaval of families with long-lasting consequences if not successfully intervened,” said Collins.

The Shooting Star Awards were next with Collins saying that everyone who gets out of bed to do this work deserves an award.

“Tonight, we will recognize the people who we have seen directly, go above and beyond in the child abuse/child investigation arena, and those that have made a major impact on North Star in general,” he said.

Saturday night’s award winners included Williamstown Bank, Williamstown branch. During April’s High5 Drive, Williamstown Bank sold 879 hands, providing $14,925.00 to North Star. The Williamstown branch sold the most of the four branches accounting for over 500 of the hands.

Wirt County Prosecutor Austin Grimmett and Deputy Roman Rader also received Shooting Star Awards.

“The numbers of Wirt County children have been steady for the last five years, and longer. People assume that those numbers reflect how many abused children are actually in that county. That’s not true at all. The number of abused children we see in any of the five counties we serve depends upon the people that are in the positions that are designed to address this issue. Since the tenures of Austin Grimmett and Roman Radar, our monthly numbers have doubled and sometimes tripled,” Collins said.

The St. Mary Correctional Facility was also recognized with an award for its consistent partnership over the past couple of years.

“The overall support of the prison staff helped create the foundation for CREIGHTON’s closet and take it from a vision to reality. A beautiful room that was designed by staff and shelving was constructed by inmates to hold items that are needed by the children and non-offending custodians that visit our center daily. It was delivered and installed with some items going into our kitchen to store food for the families,” said Collins.

“They are also responsible for multiple fundraisers for North Star, including a very recent Krispy Crème fundraiser by both staff and inmates. That fundraiser provided nearly $1,700 to North Star,” he said.

Other winners were:

* Todd Jackson, Ritchie County Sheriff’s Office

* Beth Larsen, volunteer at North Star CAC

* Jason Reed, Pleasants County Sheriff’s Office

* Judge Tim Sweeney, Pleasants County

* Creighton, North Star assistance dog

* Danielle Stanley, Juvenile Probation Pleasants County

* Ginny Conley, former North Star board member

“All of the Shooting Star Award winners have been part of the solution. This is a hard life when you take on the troubles of our youth. You take them on personally and you always take on a secondary trauma. We deeply appreciate each and every person receiving this award,” said Collins.

Collins gave a report to the crowd stating that this year’s North Star Night Out was the biggest since its inception, with 207 tickets sold and $23,550 in sponsorships and table reservations. “IDATP, Coca-Cola Consolidated and Visionary Eye Clinic were all Platinum Sponsors and we are so grateful for their support of North Star,” said Collins.

Other sponsors of the night included Williamstown Bank, WVU Medicine, Jan Dils, IBEW Local 968, Perry & Associates, Bernard McDonough Foundation, Peoples Bank, Fehrenbacher, Delegate Scot Heckert, Chad Nemesek, Lions Club of Parkersburg and Screaming from the Rooftop (Miranda Decker, survivor).

“Sponsorship of North Star Night Out is where we do the most good for the coming year,” said Janelle Seevers, president of North Star’s Board of Directors. “This year, we nearly doubled sponsorship over our 2024 numbers. We are truly blessed because this is going to be a very challenging year for the federal grant and grants in general. We are so thankful to our community and don’t take these sponsorships for granted because we know it’s a big ask of them,” concluded Seevers.

Jessie Siefert, Managing Director/Education Director of the Parkersburg Art Center stated, “We are proud to work with North Star staff and this wonderful organization. The video at the ceremony really put the work North Star does into perspective.”

To contact North Star, call 304-917-4437 or email nscac@northstarcac.org to learn more about how to help or to request a tour of the facility. Those interested can also contact the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) to leave an endowment or a legacy gift to North Star. More information can be found at northstarcac.org.