West Virginia Children’s Home Society Director of Programming Denise Hughes, center, did the ribbon cutting Monday at the Society’s new Parkersburg location at the former Worthington Elementary School. The building has undergone almost two years of renovation work and opened last November. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — The Heart of Worthington is where children and families can now receive help in the local community through the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia.

The Society held a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house at the former Worthington Elementary School at 2500 36th St. in Parkersburg with over 50 people, including local elected officials, business leaders, the Chamber of Commerce and others.

The Society took over the building a couple of years ago and has been renovating the former school’s buildings to be able to carry out a number of programs.

West Virginia Children’s Home Society CEO Mary White said Monday was a “monumental historical day” for the Children’s Home Society.

“We have worked on this project for some time,” she said. “We knew we needed someplace for growth so we could take care of more children and more families.

The West Virginia Children’s Home Society had a ribbon cutting/open house event Monday at its new facility at the former Worthington School on 36th Street. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“We are so fortunate that this is our home now.”

White said they looked at a lot of facilities in the area. However, she remembered coming to Worthington School and saying “this is it.”

Fundraising occurred to buy the building and to renovate it.

“Because of all of you, these buildings…have been completely paid for,” White said. “Thank you all so very much.”

Former CEO Steve Tuck talked about the history of the local programs going back to the 1970s when it was the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Youth Corporation. He talked about Judge Arthur Guske spending time with the kids they served. The local programs merged with the Children’s Home Society in 1992.

West Virginia Children’s Home Society CEO Mary White spoke Monday during a ribbon cutting event at the Society’s new location in Parkersburg at the former Worthington Elementary School on 36th Street. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“I hope you will share the excitement that we have about what this facility builds on what we have done before,” he said.

The Children’s Home Society commemorated its 129th anniversary on Sunday, known to the organization as “Founder’s Day.”

The facility has been named the Heart of Worthington in honor of the school and other locations in the vicinity that have the name of Worthington.

Director of Programming Denise Hughes said the renovation project came about through some major donations from area foundations including the Antero Foundation, the McDonough Foundation, the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, the United Way and others as well as corporate and individual donations which have gone into the project.

“Our mission is to promote the well-being of children,” Hughes said. “We work with families to keep families together, work on problems that might work against the families and more.”

A ribbon cutting and open house was held at the West Virginia Children’s Home Society’s new Parkersburg location at the former Worthington Elementary School location, now called “The Heart of Worthington.” (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

They also work on foster care and adoption as well as early child care programs along with developmental delays. There are food pantries and clothing closets on the site to help the families they serve. There are also special visitation rooms where parent/child visitations can happen and more. They have two rooms, one geared toward younger kids and one geared towards older kids.

Hughes said construction work converted former classrooms into offices, the visitation rooms, meeting rooms and more. The roof was fixed and air systems were put in. Strong Tower Contracting and Steers Heating and Cooling did the work.

The school stood empty for a couple of years and fell victim to vandalism.

“We did have to do a lot of repairs to windows, replacing 16 windows initially,” Hughes said.

The new facility opened in November 2024 and has been serving children and families.

Visitors took a tour of the West Virginia Children’s Home Society’s new Parkersburg facility at the former Worthington Elementary School. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Hughes said they loved their old location on St. Marys Avenue in the Easton Building.

“It was fantastic for the time we had it, but we quickly outgrew it,” she said. “It was essential that we found a bigger space.”

The next project is to renovate the gym. They are currently raising money with a goal of $400,000. The space will be used for community functions and they want to put a kitchen back into the former cafeteria space as well as do roof repairs and install a new air system.

The facility serves 13 counties surrounding Wood County. Over the last year, the Children’s Home Society served 3,492 in this area while the Society served 18,661 statewide, Hughes said.

The Children’s Home Society is one of the organizations people can donate to today as part of the Give Local fundraising event.

Around 50 people from around the community attended a ribbon cutting/open house event at the West Virginia Children’s Home Society’s new facility in Parkersburg at the former Worthington Elementary School. People were lined up to see the renovations done to the building which created offices, service areas, meeting space and more. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Although they have moved, many in the community have found them and now they are in an area where they can continue to reach out and help a variety of people in the area, Hughes said.

“It is fantastic,” she said. “We love this community. It is a much bigger space. The space will enhance our ability to provide services.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

A children’s clothing pantry at the West Virginia Children’s Home Society’s new Parkersburg facility at the former Worthington Elementary School. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)