Volunteers – Page 3

These West Virginia Business Are Giving Back to Their Communities. Here’s How You Can Thank Them.

12.16.16

Photo by Allison Thaxton/‎The Lunch Box Public Facebook Group

We didn’t have to look far to find local businesses in West Virginia that go above and beyond in supporting their local community.

Here are just a few folks who have given themselves the chance to win a free 3-course dinner at one of West Virginia’s finest restaurants during Charleston Restaurant Week. Have you entered yet? What’s keeping you?

Brigid told us about the Lunchbox in Clendenin. “To this day they will feed anyone who is hungry no questions asked. Just by opening they provided a ray of hope to our community.”

Sarah had some love for Mi Cocina De Amor in Charleston, noting its long history of supporting Habitat Again Hunger, the Humane Society and other local charities and arts and culture events.

Shouting the praises of Ferguson Services in Summersville, Stacy said “their generosity, both personally and professionally, is unmatched in our community.”

“Shortcuts in Morgantown cuts hair for the homeless and has been doing so for many years,” said Barb.

John was thankful for the commitment of Stephens Auto Center in Danville to the local volunteer firefighter effort: “managers have always been willing to allow these members to leave work and respond to emergency calls when needed.”

These are just a few of the many people who have entered their names into the draw to win a free 3-course dinner during Charleston Restaurant Week.

Be sure to enter the running by telling us about a great business that supports your local community!

Jake-Lynch

The Inter-Mountain: From Philippi to Africa, Local Volunteers Provide High-Tech Help for Developing Nations

11.17.16

Photo by New Vision Renewable Energy

By The Inter-Mountain

Now that the election is finally over, a local organization is inviting politicians to recycle any unwanted political signs for its “Signs of Hope” campaign.

New Vision Renewable Energy, a 501-C-3 non-profit organization in Philippi, will be putting the signs to use as the base of their solar-powered lights that are sent to families and schools in developing countries around the world.

From Philippi, solar-powered lights are sent to families and schools in developing countries around the world.

The recycled boards are cut into smaller pieces and covered with 3M mirror film. Bright LED light strips are added before being placed in a plastic water-proof encasement made by the 3M Corporation, New Vision’s partner. Battery packs that can be plugged into the lights and into slim solar panels are attached.

So far, with help from politicians around the area, New Vision has collected 2,800 political signs to provide 3,500 clean lighting sources to families in 33 countries.

“New Vision has found a way to bring Republicans and Democrats together for a common good,” said Ruston Seaman, president/CEO of New Vision. “Please help out. Don’t bury the signs in the earth. Let them help another…”

Read the full story at www.theintermountain.com

With Winter Fast Approaching, Urgent Help Needed to Get Flood Families Back Into Their Homes

11.03.16

Photo by Volunteer West Virginia

Can you help families that were displaced by the flood get back into their homes before winter?

Our friends at Old Colony Realtors are putting on the Hands for Hope Home Repair Blitz November 4 and 5 in Clendenin, and we are looking for people to willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved.

The organizers need volunteer laborers, food and donations for materials.

Volunteers will meet at the Clendenin Church of the Nazarene at 9 a.m. on both days.

After the epic flooding in June, there was a wonderful outpouring of help and support, but since then the help has dropped off.

Contact Sandy Campbell, 304-543-6553 for more information and to sign up.

Our neighbors in the Clendenin and Elkview areas are desperate to get back in their homes before winter. We’re trying to get as many people as we can to do a blitz campaign.

After the epic flooding in June, there was a wonderful outpouring of help and support, but since then the help has dropped off.

Our friends need us now. Can you help spread the word and organize a work group on Friday, November 4 and/or Saturday, November 5?

We will have locations and supplies. We need laborers, food for the workers and donations for the materials.

Two hands can make a big difference. Imagine what we can do with a group? Will you help Hands for Hope?

Contact Sandy Campbell, 304-543-6553 or scampbell@oldcolony.com for more information.

In Grafton, 9/11 Day of Service a Gathering of Hardworking VISTA

09.28.16

Photo by The Hub.

We knew it was going to be a good day for the 9/11 National Day of Service Project when we arrived at the Grafton rail yards on Monday and were greeted by an engine with the number 911 on its side.

Our project in Grafton was to prepare and paint a block wall for a mural which will dress up the area around Toad Hall. Toad Hall is a large open area overlooking the rail yard where the town built an open deck last year and that now holds many festivities, such as All Aboard Grafton’s First Fridays.

Armed with mason hammers, ladders, and brooms the members chiseled away excess cement from block seams to smooth the surface, pulled down old vines and then clean up the debris.

The next step was to prime and paint the surface to prepare it for the mural. At this point the wind began to pick up, presenting some challenges for the group, but with determination the project came in almost totally complete before the thunderstorm hit.

In all, seven AmeriCorps VISTA members assembled at Toad Hall in Grafton for the day of service.

Breanna Collins with Turn This Town Around, Grafton;
Emily Birckhead with Try This, West Virginia;
Walter Barnes with Project Hope;
Courtney Roark, Marissa Russell, Nicole Marrocco and Terry Bartley with The Hub.

VISTA members were treated to pizza for lunch provided by Tom Hart of Arts and Treasures of Grafton!

If you’re interested in becoming a VISTA, or just want to learn more, email me!

Louise-Henry

West Virginia’s Finest – In Praise of the Wonder Women of Whitesville

09.27.16

Just some of the hardworking women behind Whitesville’s Turn This Town Around effort. Photo by Turn This Town Around Whitesville.

Last Saturday I was out having lunch with some friends and was skimming through the new issue of WV Living magazine when I came across the 2016 list of “West Virginia’s Wonder Women.”

I was excited to see that our very own Stephanie Tyree was part of that list.

But I was even more excited when I saw a picture of five amazing women representing all the wonderful women from Whitesville. I have had the pleasure of working with these women over the last two years and can say they have been instrumental in turning their town around. And they haven’t stopped!

Striving everyday to make their community a better place to live.

Marsha Shonk was able to raise money to have all the fire hydrants in town painted by volunteers. I knew it was going to be great, but was shocked – in a good way – when I saw the photos of the completed hydrants. There are some very creative folks living in Whitesville!

Sheila Combs continues to do amazing things in the community. She recently received a Try This mini grant to start a fishing and biking club for the youth in Whitesville. I have been keeping up with the group on social media and can’t wait to see everything they accomplish in the coming months.

And of course I can’t forget Betty Ann Williams and the wonderful crew of folks helping to plan the second Whitesville Fall Festival. I wonder how many folks will show up this year!

I want to say a huge thank you to all of the wonderful women in Whitesville who are striving everyday to make their community a better place to live. I feel lucky to have met and worked beside many of you.

See you all in October at the Fall Festival!

Does Your Community Need a Pick-Me-Up? There Are People Out There Waiting to Help You.

09.23.16

Generation New River Gorge at work. Photo courtesy Generation New River Gorge.

I participated in my first litter clean-up in the spring of my junior year of high school with my PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment) Club. At the time I didn’t really think much of it other than that it was a pretty Saturday to be out with my classmates earning bonus points.

West Virginia is rich in outdoor recreation opportunities, especially in our most rural parts of the state. As more and more people are utilizing trails, parks, rivers, and lakes there is also a greater need to maintain those spaces so groups around the state hold fall and spring clean-ups.

Cleanups are an opportunity for West Virginians to get out and be physically active while also taking pride in their community.

In my role with the West Virginia Physical Activity Network, I’m now able to see these clean-ups as much more than an opportunity to earn bonus points. They are an opportunity for West Virginians to get out and be physically active while also taking pride in their community and some of it’s greatest assets.

I can now see that these clean-ups promote physical activity in multiple ways: they allow volunteers to be active while picking up debris, to become more familiar with their community’s trails and socialize with other people who also care about those spaces, and they beautify these spaces for locals and guests to be able to fully enjoy what West Virginia has to offer.

There are a ton of cleanups happening tomorrow as part of National Public Lands Day! Here’s a list of those, and other clean-ups happening across the state this fall:

National Public Lands Day, East Lynn Lake – September 24 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Jennings Randolph Lake Clean-Up – September 24
National Public Lands Day Service Project, New River Gorge National River – September 24
Stonewall Jackson Lake Clean-Up – September 24
Guyandotte River Clean-Up – September 24 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Fayette County Park – September 30 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tygart River Clean-Up – October 8 9 a.m. For more info contact Jeff Kresch at 304-940-11106
Harrison Rail Trails – November-January
Little Kanawha River Trail – No date set
Coal River Group Clean-Ups coming up in Boone and Lincoln Counties

If you’re interested in organizing a clean-up in your community later this fall or in the spring check out these resources and opportunities for funding:

Make WV Shine Application
Adopt A Highway Information
Minigrants available from Volunteer West Virginia.

If you know of any clean-ups scheduled for this spring please let me know, and as you schedule clean-ups let me know and I’ll help promote them. Maybe I’ll even role up my sleeves and join you!

Courtney-Roark

Gazette-Mail: In Boone County, Kayakers Cleaning Up the Coal River

09.20.16

Photo by Coal River Group

Charleston Gazette-Mail

More than 30 volunteers in a flotilla of kayaks, canoes and flat-bottomed boats removed at least 650 discarded tires from a 9-mile stretch of the of the Coal River in Boone County on Saturday.

The effort was led by Trash Your Kayak, an informal group of river users determined to remove tires and other forms of litter from the Coal River and its tributaries.

Trash Your Kayak founder Michelle Martin and group member Melissa Haddix planned Saturday’s event after having spent portions of nearly every weekend for the past year removing trash and tires from the Coal River system, according to Bill Currey, chairman of the Coal River Group, whose members took part in Saturday’s cleanup.

“The job of cleaning up the rivers is a dirty, ugly and physically draining activity,” Currey said. “Thankfully, people like Michelle Martin just thrive on removing these tiresome and terrible tires from the rivers.”

The section of river on which the cleanup took place is a popular segment of the Coal River Water Trail, labeled “L-2” on trail guides. It extends downriver from the a stream access site near the Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center at Julian to a public boat launch just off Corridor G near Boone County Water Park. Most of the tires were removed from a 1.5 mile section of the stream…

Read the full story at wvgazettemail.com

The Perfect Excuse to Dish Out a Helping of West Virginia Goodness

09.16.16

Photo by Volunteer West Virginia

Take a wild and wonderful road trip this fall and volunteer. Grab some old work clothes, a map and soak up some West Virginia goodness.

September kicked off the state’s annual gathering of neighbors and strangers joining together to make a difference, Day to Serve. From September 11 – October 10, volunteer opportunities will cover the mountain state from top to bottom.

Day to Serve is a perfect opportunity to plan a day trip or to give back in your own community.

Last year more than 11,000 West Virginians teamed up to clean up trash, spruce up community gardens, build free little libraries, install smoke alarms, and more.

Day to Serve is a perfect opportunity to plan a day trip or to give back in your own community. Find a volunteer project at the Day to Serve website.

If you are feeling inspired, plan your own volunteer project. Mini-grants are available for communities to host a Day to Serve project. Qualifying nonprofits may be eligible for an award of up to $300. Groups are encouraged to register their projects to help raise awareness and recruit new volunteers.

The Day to Serve began in 2012 as a collaboration between the Governors of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and the Mayor of Washington D.C. Organized by Volunteer West Virginia, the initiative invites all citizens, faith groups, businesses and community organizations to join the cause. Community members and local organizations are encouraged to meet the needs of people in their own backyards.

Dana-Myslinsky

Saving Our Memories: Operation Photo Rescue To Fix Flood-Damaged Photos

08.19.16

Photo by Nick Roach/FlickrCC

A nonprofit organization that restores damaged photographs is coming to West Virginia to help families whose photos were damaged by the flood.

Operation Photo Rescue will be in Charleston next Friday and Saturday (August 26 and 27) and Richwood Sunday and Monday (August 28-29) to provide free photo restoration.

They will make digital copies of up to 20 photos per family, do the restorations, and then print and ship the photos to the family for free. Operation Photo Rescue has volunteers coming in from several states across America to help catalogue the pictures.

Operation Photo Rescue got its start after Hurricane Katrina when photo journalists doing a story on the flooding observed families throwing away damaged photos. With thousands of photos needing restoration, Operation Photo Rescue was formed and enlisted volunteers from around the world to help restore photos.

Local volunteers are needed to man registration tables at the event. If you’re interested please contact Margie Hayes from Operation Photo Rescue, at mhayes@operationphotorescue.org.

For more information visit www.operationphotorescue.org/

Jake-Lynch

Everything You Wanted to Know About Flood Relief Volunteering But Were Afraid to Ask…

08.05.16

Photo by Sherry Cole St Peters

Q: Are volunteers still needed and how do I sign up?

A: Yes, volunteers will be needed throughout the long recovery and rebuilding process. Click here for more information. For those who want to volunteer, call the local center directly. Visit this webpage regularly as information changes often.

You can also connect with a disaster relief organization to affiliate and train for response.

Q: What types of volunteer positions are available?

A: Current opportunities to help include providing administrative support for volunteer and donations management, assisting with loading and unloading donations, and helping families clean up homes.

Q: How does rebuilding and recovery occur?

A: For the rebuilding and recovery process, agencies like Habitat for Humanity, Missionary USA, Samaritan’s Purse and the United Methodist Committee on Relief will begin working together with Long Term Recovery Committees and state and local government partners to help families in need. These agencies are part of a network called Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Volunteer West Virginia is a state agency and one member of VOAD.

Q: What is Volunteer West Virginia?

A: Volunteer West Virginia is the state’s Commission for National and Community Service. Our small staff does a lot: we oversee the state’s AmeriCorps programs, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Governor’s Service Awards and more. Review our annual report here.

While we are not a disaster relief agency, we are active members of West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and as a partner agency are charged with supporting local volunteer coordination efforts during a disaster.

Volunteer Opportunity: Clarksburg Area to Greenbrier County

Join a team of volunteers on Sunday, August 7, at the Kroger on Emily Drive in Clarksburg at 6:30 a.m. The team will be leaving for Greenbrier County shortly after. Bring old clothes, rubber boots, work gloves, a sense of humor, and a giving heart! And, yes, be prepared to get your hands dirty!

Volunteer Opportunity: Charleston

Want to help with the flood response but can’t get an entire day free? Believe in WV are recruiting volunteers to help load and unload trucks full of furniture and make minor repairs. Opportunities occur every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for several weeks.

Keep updated on the latest information about flood relief volunteer needs at wvflood.com.