From left, Children’s Home Society of West Virginia site manager Jodi Null, director of programming Brooke Heck and director of programming Denise Hughes look through a scrapbook left behind at the former Worthington Elementary School in Parkersburg on Monday. The Society recently purchased the school property and is moving its local operations there. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — When the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia started looking for a new location in Parkersburg four years ago, Denise Hughes didn’t anticipate going back to school.

But that’s where she’s headed after the 127-year-old nonprofit child welfare agency closed earlier this month on the former Worthington Elementary School at 2500 36th St. in Parkersburg for $450,000.

“It was a school for children all along, and now we’re going to be doing services for family and children,” said Hughes, a director of programming for the Children’s Home Society.

She’s also an alumna of Worthington, as is site manager Jodi Null.

“So it is really neat for us to come full circle,” Hughes said.

Children’s Home Society of West Virginia director of programming Denise Hughes, left, describes how a classroom in the former Worthington Elementary School was set up when she was a student to fellow director of programming Brooke Heck and site manager Jodi Null earlier this month. The Society recently purchased the school property and is moving its local operations there. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

The Children’s Home Society provides services throughout the state, but Parkersburg is its largest location with the most programs. It began operations here in 1992 when it took over at the Arthur N. Gustke Child Shelter, a youth emergency shelter for children in the state’s custody.

For the last decade or so, it has operated out of offices at the Easton building on St. Marys Avenue, which has about 13,000 square feet.

“We have slowly been adding programs, and when you add programs, you add staff,” Hughes said.

The school closed in the spring of 2020, more than a year after Children’s Home Society officials started looking for a larger space. But the funding had to be raised before a new site could be acquired.

“We don’t go in debt for our buildings,” Hughes said. “We raise the money and then purchase them.”

Denise Hughes, director of programming for the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia, discusses how the former Worthington Elementary classroom she was in as a first-grader will be renovated into office and storage space this week. The Society recently purchased the school property and is moving its local operations there. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

The school was bought at auction in 2021 by Nick Curry, owner of Curry Transfer and Storage Co. He eventually decided to put it back on the market, and the Society found the campus and its three buildings to be a good fit. With more than 28,000 square feet, including a gym, there’s more than enough room to house existing and expanded programming, Hughes said.

Indoor and outdoor recreational space will be available for kids staying at the Gustke shelter, Hughes said, while adding that no one will actually be housed at the site or spending the night. The shelter will remain at 1604 St. Marys Ave.

The Society has one visitation room for children in foster care to spend time with their birth families. Hughes said a pair of classrooms separated by a sliding partition will be divided into two visitation rooms.

Her first-grade classroom will be renovated into offices and storage space, while the cafeteria area on the stage in the gym will be the new site of the Family Support Center, whose offerings include a food pantry, clothes closet, hygiene pantry, baby pantry and cleaning supplies closet.

The Society works with teens who have aged out of the foster care system, as well as those who are homeless. Showers in the locker room area will be available to those youth, plus laundry facilities, Hughes said.

From left, Children’s Home Society of West Virginia site manager Jodi Null and director of programming Denise Hughes, Harry Deitzler and Steve Tuck, Society advisory board member and former CEO, pose for a photo at the former Worthington Elementary School in Parkersburg after Deitzler presented a $10,000 donation from the Deitzler Foundation to the organization to help renovate the facility. (Photo Provided)

Other services that will continue to be offered at the new site include early childhood care programs like Birth to Three, Right from the Start and Parents as Teachers; Healthy Grandfamilies, which provides education and support to grandparents raising their grandchildren; and Safe at Home and Children with Severe Emotional Disturbances, which provide in-home services with the goal of preventing child removals. They also hope to revive the We Can mentoring program, which connects youths with adult mentors and took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are several youth waiting for mentors,” said Brooke Heck, director of programming.

The Society will continue to operate the after-school program at Jefferson Elementary Center, although it foresees eventually moving the summer feeding program to the new site.

That won’t happen this summer though, as there’s a lot of work to do. All three buildings need new roofs and damage in the main building from leaks must be repaired, Hughes said. Heating and air conditioning upgrades are planned and a number of other renovations are needed.

“We’re hoping to be in by the end of the year,” Hughes said.

The Children’s Home Society of West Virginia recently purchased the former Worthington Elementary School on 36th Street in Parkersburg and plans to renovate the buildings and move its local operations to the site. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

The Society is raising money to cover the work, with a final total not known until contractor bids on interior renovations are received. Hughes estimated at least $500,000 will be needed, and the Society got a start on that with a $10,000 contribution from the Deitzler Foundation.

Improvements to security because of vandalism at the site also will be addressed.

The Society wants to be a part of the community it’s moving into, looking at the area’s needs and seeing how it can contribute, Hughes said. She said she understands there were some concerns about what would be going into the former school and wants residents to feel at ease.

“We want to have some community days and invite folks over,” Hughes said.

The walking track at the school is still used by people in the area and that won’t change, she said. Public meeting space will eventually be offered in the former school.

The gym at the former Worthington Elementary School will provide space for activities for children at the Arthur N. Gustke Child Shelter once the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia moves its local operations there. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

“We’re very good neighbors,” Hughes said. “I hope they’ll embrace us as much as we want to embrace the community.”

More information about the Society, its programming and how to contribute to the renovation is available by calling 304-485-0650.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

***

Want More?

More information about the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia, its programming and how to contribute to the renovation efforts is available by calling 304-485-0650.