WV Hub

Explore three new career opportunities at The Hub today.

01.27.21

Are you passionate about the growth of WV communities? Do you want to make our state a better place to live for all West Virginians? If so, we invite you to apply for one of three new opportunities with The Hub:

Community Development Racial Equity Impact Fellow
Projects Specialist
Research Analyst

Read more about each position below.

We seek candidates who value leadership development, demand initiative, provide accountability, and are willing to work hard to achieve success and support communities.

The Hub is invested in building a diverse and qualified team that accurately reflects and is inclusive of the diverse talent represented throughout West Virginia. We strongly encourage and will positively consider applications from people who have been historically underrepresented in leadership roles, such as BIPOC, women, and LGTBQ candidates.

Community Development Racial Equity Impact Fellow

In partnership with Generation WV, The Hub is seeking a WV Community Development Racial Equity Fellow through the Impact Fellowship Program. The primary purpose of this position is to lead the organization’s internal racial equity development work and to support the staff in more deeply engaging rural communities of color and supporting the development of racial equity efforts within the community development field. Applications are due February 28, 2021.

Read the full description »

Projects Specialist

The Projects Specialist will lead the organization’s work in supporting the development of federally-funded community development projects, coordinate the organization’s ARC POWER Support program, and support the development of new partnerships with federal agencies that are committed to funding and promoting rural community development initiatives. The ideal candidate for this position would have experience working with federal agencies and experience applying for federal funding. More importantly, the most qualified candidates for this position would bring creativity, initiative, and partnership-building approaches to their work, understanding that the greatest opportunity lies in multiple stakeholders working together in innovative ways that take risks, drive forward strategies that are community-led, and seek measurable impacts that demonstrate success in ways that generate local momentum. Applications are due February 21, 2021.

Read the full description »

Research Analyst

The Research Analyst will coordinate community development-related research projects relevant to The Hub’s work and to the broader community development field in West Virginia. This position will build organizational evaluation systems for our community development programs, lead multi-year projects to analyze data and document impacts of community development initiatives in West Virginia over the past decade, build systems to track and analyze short-term, intermediate, and long-term impacts of downtown redevelopment in West Virginia rural communities, support the research needs of the West Virginia Community Collaborative Network, and develop research publications to support these areas of work. Applications are due February 21, 2021.

Read the full description »

Know someone who would be a great fit for our team? We invite you to share this post with a friend.

ABOUT THE HUB

The Hub is a statewide nonprofit organization that works directly with dozens of towns, cities, and community teams each year, maintains a network of thousands of engaged readers across our multiple communications platforms, and uses our communications to strategically position the community development efforts of West Virginia communities and organizations as an innovative and leading approach on regional and national stages.

Shinnston VISTA leads community food drive

01.26.21

BY JON OLSEN, AMERICORPS VISTA, THE CITY OF SHINNSTON

My name is Jon Olsen. I’m an AmeriCorps VISTA serving with the City of Shinnston through The Hub. I am primarily involved with volunteer recruitment and management. Additionally, I conduct needs assessments and facilitate community forums to identify solutions to poverty in Harrison County.

When I became a VISTA in late October, one of my early goals was to identify partners with whom the City of Shinnston could collaborate on community service projects. I soon met Amber Blankenship, the Harrison County Family Resource Coordinator with WV Prevention Solutions. She presented to me an idea for an event: a food drive that would benefit the local food pantry in Shinnston. I was thrilled and started making preparations.

On December 11^th, 2020 we held the food drive for The Lord’s Pantry. The Lord’s Pantry is a source of tremendous pride in the City of Shinnston, where many community members come together to support one another. On Thursday mornings, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, families and individuals in need from all over Harrison County come to The Lord’s Pantry to receive food and hygiene items.

The food drive was an overall success. Over 380 food items were donated and delivered as a result of our event. Additionally, the Harrison County Hope Lion’s Club contributed $50 worth of donations and provided a canopy for the booth.

The event was a great opportunity for the City of Shinnston to collaborate with a new partner, WV Prevention Solutions. This is a partnership that has the potential to grow and flourish, and I was given the opportunity to learn the skill of partnership development through my VISTA service.

If you’d like to connect with the food bank to volunteer or donate, contact The Lord’s Pantry Director, Sandra Haggerty, at desotomom39@gmail.com.

Former Hub communities work to reimagine their futures through the Fulcrum Project

01.26.21

A mock up illustration of the plans for Tygart Lake redevelopment — The community of Grafton is working together to envision a revamped Tygart Lake.

BY MORGAN HAAS, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, WVU DAVIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND DESIGN

The work of community entrepreneurship and democracy often encompasses the work of matchmaking. This was the goal of the newly launched Fulcrum Project, a collaboration between the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design and The Hub, funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. This project began last fall to develop partnerships with current and former Hub communities and assist with design projects throughout West Virginia.Working in communities requires building deep and mutually beneficial relationships to leverage individual strengths for a common good. The Fulcrum Project played the connector role in an existing web of community projects throughout West Virginia.

The Fulcrum Project continued the process for communities that had already identified projects through previously facilitated capacity-building activities with The Hub, but community members may not have had certain skills, resources, or time to complete the projects. The program matched communities with a faculty member and student team to complete design work with input from community members. This allowed residents the opportunity to tap into the expertise of faculty and energy of students by developing projects around local food, horticulture, landscape architecture, land reclamation, forestry, wetlands, tourism planning, entrepreneurship, water quality, interior design, and many other subject areas.

A mock up illustration of the plans senior housing in Meadow River Valley. — Meadow River Valley established a design concept for senior housing for the community’s school redevelopment project.

The Fulcrum Project will continue to work closely with The Hub and other organizations to match the university teams to twenty meaningful and achievable projects through 2021. During 2020, ten community projects were completed in the Fall. Some of these projects included downtown revitalization and trail development in Kingwood, designing tourist accommodations in Kimball, building redevelopment in Rupert, riverfront property development in Grafton and Hinton, and more. The communities of Meadow River Valley, Kingwood, Richwood, New Martinsville, Hinton, Kimball, and Grafton were able to have projects completed and view the designs during a virtual event in December.

A mock up illustration of the plans for recreational green space in Richwood. — Richwood is working to envision the redevelopment of a green space for recreational tourism opportunities.

With the first round of projects coming to a close, The Fulcrum Project is now accepting applications for 2021. Just like the first round, communities are encouraged to submit projects that could enhance their local economies and quality of life. Fulcrum Project communities are required to have participated in a Hub program in the past. Find more information and the application here. Applications are due March 5, 2021. Please contact The Fulcrum Project Coordinator Morgan Haas for more information at mhaas3@mail.wvu.edu.

Morgan Hass is the Program Coordinator at WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design. You can reach her at mhaas3@mail.wvu.edu.

Hub board and staff members presented with Beacon Awards

01.19.21

Congratulations to the six Beacon Award recipients of the 2020-21 cohort! This year’s cohort is particularly special to The Hub, as it includes two stars on our team–board member Clara Lehmann and Community Development Coordinator Jenny Totten.

The West Virginia Beacon Awards, presented by Generation WV and the One Foundation, recognize, support, and connect young leaders between the ages of 18-40 who are working tirelessly with their communities to create lasting impact. Beacon Awards Winners are leaning in to existing challenges, digging into possible solutions, and most importantly, turning their ideas into action. The award winners serve as beacons in their communities and across the state, reminding us that even one person’s dedicated positive actions can truly make a difference.

Learn more about the recipients here:

Clara Lehmann grew up surrounded by dedicated and genuine community leaders in Helvetia, WV. In her own volunteering and professional filmmaking efforts, she attempts to mirror their commitment.

Volunteering as president of the Helvetia Restoration and Development Organization, Clara and a handful of volunteers built a playground, restored the museum, preserved cemetery headstones, and hosted traditional events celebrating Swiss heritage.

In addition to volunteering, Clara co-founded the creative studio Coat of Arms and directed her first feature-length documentary, “Born in a Ballroom.” Fulfilling a promise Clara made to her late grandmother, the film reveals a legacy committed to ancestry, rich tradition, and community. Clara hopes her grandmother’s story will ignite audiences to treasure the past while designing a fairer future.

**Community Development Coordinator Jenny Totten**

Jenny Totten grew up in Loudendale, WV, where she spent her time daydreaming and building things. After a very brief career as a real live rocket scientist and other interesting plot twists, she returned to her home state as an AmeriCorps VISTA. Today, Jenny works for both the WV Community Development Hub and the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition while living in McDowell County with her four-legged buddy, Oliver.

Jenny is a problem solver, thinker, and explorer by nature and loves playing the role of cheerleader for her community and its youth. She sees a future where Appalachian young people can have an active role in shaping the next chapter of their communities, find meaningful work, and invest deeply in the region.

Additional recipients include:

Liz Brunello
Marissa Rexroad
Takeiya Smith
Danny Swan

See all recipient bios here »

A simple act of gratitude: AmeriCorps VISTAs volunteer to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

01.19.21

*VISTAs hosted by The Hub gathered virtually to create messages of cheer and gratitude for residents of assisted living centers throughout WV.*

BY ERIN SUSMAN, OPERATIONS AND VISTA PROGRAM MANAGER

Every year, we mark the third Monday of January as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In observation of this holiday, Americans are called to mark the occasion by volunteering in their community to honor Dr. King’s legacy. This year, things look a little different. We cannot gather in person to serve our community, so through some creative brainstorming, our VISTA members identified a service project to brighten up the days of community members who could be struggling with isolation.

*A beautiful card made by AmeriCorps VISTA member Amy Chandler (Community Housing Action Partnership) during our service project.*

We gathered on Zoom and spent time together making cards for residents in assisted living facilities across West Virginia. During this time, we reflected on the meaning of connecting with community members in unique ways during these COVID times, and on the legacy Dr. King left behind.

During our time together, we made cards with cheerful messages to comfort those living in assisted living facilities, reminding them that they’re not alone in this. Our VISTAs wrote messages of gratitude to community members, and shared some of their favorite inspiring quotes.

*Positive messages written by AmeriCorps VISTA Member Jon Olsen (City of Shinnston) in one of his cards.*

We’re up to just about 50 cards done, and counting! It is our hope that these messages will reassure our neighbors that they are not alone. We will continue to make cards over the coming days, in hopes of distributing at four facilities.

If you have some time, and want to spread some cheer, you can send cards until February 5, and we will pass them along to facilities across the state. Mail cards to:

WV Community Development Hub
Attn: Erin Susman
424A Shrewsbury Street
Charleston WV 25301

Erin Susman is The Hub’s Operations and VISTA Program Manager. You can reach her at e.susman@wvhub.org.

Five tips for holding engaging (and fun!) virtual conversations

01.12.21

BY JENNY TOTTEN, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR, THE HUB

As the temperatures fall and we are all looking at spending more time inside, things are looking a lot different this year, both professionally and personally. With Zoom and other online platform meetings helping us make connections, it is becoming increasingly important that we should have fun, as well as work online. The Hub hosted a Community Conversation to model ways to create a heavily interactive and fun space for attendees to kick back, relax, and have a great evening with like-minded changemakers. Here are some best practices as you design your meetings and social gatherings online this winter!

1. Make sure you have a theme, and as hosts, over-exaggerate this.

A theme ties a group of individuals together and makes the experience similar to an in-person social event. Our theme was, of course, the holidays, and we wore ugly sweaters and decorated our backgrounds to show this. We created virtual backgrounds for attendees so that they could participate whether their home was holiday-ready or not.

2. Use tools that have already been created.

We borrowed a Family Feud game template to create a fun atmosphere. Templates are available online for many games including but not limited to: Family Feud, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Jeopardy. Even setting up a simple trivia game between meeting attendees can be fun.

3. Have a fun ice breaker so attendees can get to know one another.

In our party, we showcased two forms of ice breaker activities. If you have a small group, simply asking a fun question (like “What’s your favorite holiday food?”) as people are introducing themselves can be a memorable way to let attendees get to know one another. With a larger group, we modeled how to give two options, such as preferring an artificial or real tree, and then had each attendee turn their camera on or off for their answer. Pro tip: for even more options, this can also be done with the reactions feature on Zoom.

4. Make sure activities are inclusive of all participation levels.

Think of how one might design experiences at a large social gathering–you have a mix of activities for different interaction levels. Make sure the same happens virtually so all of your attendees feel comfortable. For example, we showcased a singing activity where teams were asked to come up with as many holiday themed songs as they could, and then competed by singing those songs on camera. All team members were part of the brainstorming process, but only three had to be singing at any one time. This allowed those that were more introverted or camera shy to participate in a way that worked for them.

5. Give social time in breakout rooms.

Unstructured social time is hard to come by in the online world, so giving some space for these connections is encouraged. Much like a mixer, this gives your group opportunities to connect over subjects that may not be directly related to the theme of your meeting. We created and kept break out rooms open at the end of our party so our attendees could have these conversations and make new connections.

We had so much fun at our Community Conversation and hope that you’ll utilize some of these best practices as you design your online social experiences. If you have questions about creating your own engaging virtual conversation, we’d love to help you through them.

Jenny Totten is The Hub’s Community Development Coordinator. You can reach her at j.totten@wvhub.org.

Lewis County community paves the way for beautification project successes

01.12.21

*Team member Rod Wyman helps re-paint playground equipment as one of the Lewis County team’s beautification projects.*

A message from the Lewis County Blueprint Communities team:

Our biggest success through our participation in the Blueprint Communities Program was engaging community members from across Lewis County. We brought people together through our four mini kickoff events at various locations throughout the county, with a business kickoff held at Lambert’s Winery, and a countywide kickoff. Community members came out to give their input about what they would like to see in their county, and we listened!

We started small with some community improvement projects including cleaning, staining, and repairing some local playground equipment and cleaning a local alleyway in downtown Weston. The Lewis County Blueprint team partnered with the Weston Democrat, our local newspaper, and other volunteer organizations to revitalize an alleyway located in central Weston. We are in the process of renovating the alleyway by highlighting an existing historical mural, installing string lights, redoing pavers, and installing tables and chairs for the community to enjoy the space.

Rebecca Young of the Weston Democrat said, “I love working on Blueprint projects, especially those focused on beautification. Everyone has something they can offer, and Blueprint allows for everyone’s involvement. Citizens from different walks of life can feel like they are part of their community. This to me is the most important aspect of Blueprint: everyone has an opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

The beautification projects are just a glimpse into what we were able to accomplish over the last year and there is so much more happening and still to come! Blueprint has been an incredible journey that will continue for many years to come. Our community and county are committed to continuing the work, engaging new people, and making Lewis County a better place for everyone.

Partner receives “40 Under 40” honor from Pittsburgh Magazine

12.18.20

Megan Krider, Manager with Affordable Housing & Community Development at Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank) has been recognized with the honor of ‘40 under 40’ by Pittsburgh Magazine.

Megan has been a partner of The Hub through FHLBank’s Blueprint Communities Program for over two years. FHLBank has been partnering with The Hub to implement this program for many years.

“This is so well deserved,” says Kaycie Stushek, coordinator of Blueprint Communities with The Hub. “Megan is clearly focused on supporting the communities of West Virginia, and her passion for, and responsiveness to, their specific identities has really set this program up to equip participants with what they need to define and achieve success in their communities.”

The current Blueprint Communities are Kingwood, Lewis County, Meadow River Valley Region of Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties, Monticello Neighborhood of Clarksburg, New Martinsville, and Parsons.

Blueprint Community, Parsons, creates a recreational haven

12.18.20

A message from the Blueprint Communities team of Parsons:

Yes, it’s been an unbelievably crazy year, and yes, you’d think a city probably couldn’t make much progress during this time, but Parsons defied all odds. And most of this progress is due to the assistance provided to us as a Blueprint Community.

The program kicked off with community events. Citizens of Parsons were invited to the program kick-off, which was held in Mill Race Park, as well as a Chat and Chew event and a Cake Walk. At these events, our partners gave our local Blueprint team valuable input and decided what they wanted Parsons to become in the next few years. We took a serious look at that information and our community assets to determine how we could build on them.

Recreation partners came together to gain input and determine what a plan of action could be. This led to a serious discussion of the outstanding hiking and biking trails and the pristine waters of our five rivers that are being underused for recreation. The team also held a business forum which led to much discussion of priorities and led to the new Facebook group: We Are Parsons.

The city obtained a dilapidated building on the main street in Parsons and demolished it for much-needed green space downtown. We were awarded a competitive grant from the Mills Group for the design of the area, and a pocket park is ready to be built. A pergola will be the feature of the pocket park also with a mural on the PRO Plaza Building. This area will provide an outstanding meeting and greeting place.

PRO On Trac, which has worked in conjunction with the Blueprint Community Team, is currently renovating the first floor of a building on the Historic Register to be used for two retail businesses—all are hopeful that one of them will be a coffee shop that will open out onto the pocket park area. Another dilapidated building has been demolished, and there is a potential for multi-family housing to be constructed there.

Short-term plans include implementing a “Paint a Bench” project to accentuate the river banks in downtown Parsons, a loan program for businesses to fix the façade of their buildings, continuing plans with the Parsons Economic Development Authority to have our first industry located in our industrial park in early 2021, and working together to define and better utilize our recreation industry.

While we are all busy fixing up the town, being a Blueprint Community has made us take a serious approach to these outstanding natural resources in our area. This mindset of prioritizing our rivers as an asset needed to take place. The City of Parsons mayor, Dorothy Judy, sums up the attitude towards our rivers beautifully. “After the flood of 1985, we became afraid of our rivers and the damage they did. After studying our assets, we now know we need to celebrate our rivers and the opportunities they bring our community for enhanced water sports, such as whitewater rafting, kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming and floating.” City Administrator Jason Myers further expounded upon our natural resources, “Our hiking and biking trails provide a scenic visit through our Mon Forest Town and community.”

The Parsons Blueprint Team is assisting in moving forward to meet the needs of our citizens and visitors alike. As Corridor H nears completion, Parsons is defining itself as a safe, family-friendly recreational haven in Almost Heaven.

Generation WV seeks Impact Fellowship hosts

12.15.20

BY AMY FAUBER, FELLOWSHIP DIRECTOR, GENERATION WV

Generation WV is a nonprofit organization working to attract, retain, and advance young people here in the Mountain State. GWV runs a variety of programs to help achieve this mission. One of those is the Impact Fellowship program, working to connect employers with top entry-level candidates and cultivating the next generation of leadership in our state.

Since launching in 2017, the Impact Fellowship has:

Connected 23 employers from a variety of fields with qualified talent based on their hiring needs including Terradon Corporation, CAMC, Core10, TC Energy, West Virginia Child Advocacy Network, The Just Transition Fund, and McKinley Architecture & Engineering – just to name a few
Recruited and placed 39 qualified employees across sectors including architecture, engineering, communications, marketing, software development, public health, business administration, human resources, information technology, research and data analysis, higher education, and financial analysis
Held an average 80% in-state retention rate across all years of Impact Fellowship, meaning Fellows are choosing to stay in West Virginia after the program ends
Donated 10,920 community service hours through the program’s Volunteer Fridays, giving host employers a presence with local nonprofits and connecting fellows to their communities

Whether you are looking to bring on a new team member or support a current employee already working with you, the Impact Fellowship is an incredible opportunity to invest in the next generation of West Virginia’s leadership and workforce. Learn more on GWV’s website »

If you have any interest in becoming a host, please me know directly: amy@generationwv.org, but do it quickly as the January 7th deadline is fast approaching! Once we hear from you, we will follow up with next steps to becoming an Impact Fellowship Host Employer.