DuPont Washington Works donates snacks, drinks to Children’s Listening Place

PARKERSBURG -- The DuPont Washington Works remained a staunch supporter for the abused children of the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Employees at the plant Thursday dropped off snacks and drinks they collected for the Children's Listening Place Child Advocacy Center and the children and families the center serves.

"Snacks and drinks are one of the things we provide when a child and their non-offending family or guardian comes to our center, and the cost associated with the purchase of those items can get high," said Greg Collins, executive director of the center. "Kids often come to us hungry and are always excited to see so many tasty snacks here just for them. We have kids that eat their weight in snacks because they are so hungry."

The center is fortunate to have partners like DuPont and local churches, he said.

This is the second time in Collins' tenure that DuPont Washington Works employees have heard about the snack and drink need and began a collection drive for CLP.

"DuPont Washington Works employees are integral parts of our outreach efforts and enjoy being able to make a difference in our community," John Kovaleski, Washington Works plant manager, said. "DuPont Washington Works employees and the site give annually more than $200,000 through employee donations as part of our United Way Community Fund program and throughout the year to non-profit organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley."

Employees also serve as board members and volunteers to many organizations where they can help, he said.

"With the upcoming sale of DuPont to the Celanese Corp., we will look different, but we will be the same workforce, the same community members, the same people that care about this valley and always have, those groups make an impact in our community." Kovaleski said. "We are determined to find additional ways to help The Children's Listening Place in the future, because what they are doing for our community is that important and we can't not help our kids."

The Children's Listening Place is fortunate to have an Ambassador working for DuPont in Darliss Eichhorn, Collins said.

"I have such a big heart for the work that the Children's Listening Place does to help abused children. It's an absolute honor and privilege to do something to help a non-profit organization that helps our community the way they do," Eichhorn said. "When Washington Works employees became aware that the CLP once again had a need for additional help, the donations began pouring in. I'm grateful to work with such giving people."

Dupont also has been generous with financial donations to support CLP, especially in the past two years. The plant has collected more than $8,500 in cash to assist the center, the most recent being a $2,500 donation to help pay for nationally recognized speakers at a recent statewide conference at Stonewall Resort, Collins said.

"Our conference was a huge success in large part because of what DuPont allowed us to do regarding quality instruction," Collins said. "There were people there from every corner of West Virginia, and it was amazing to be able to help each of them help our physically and sexually abused kids a little more."

The Children's Listening Place has served more than 600 physically and sexually abused children in the area in each of the last two years at no cost. The center has so far seen 509 children in 2022, which is on pace to meet or exceed previous numbers.

The center is one of three Child Advocacy Centers in West Virginia to provide a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination for the child. Otherwise, the child would have to travel to Bridgeport, Morgantown or Charleston for a forensic medical examination.

The center serves Wood, Wirt, Ritchie, Pleasants and Calhoun counties, with 77% percent of the cases between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, coming from Wood County.

To help or for more information, call 304-917-4437 or toll free at 833-245-4437. Collins can be emailed at gregcollins@childrenslisteningplace.com.