Golden Girl Group Home in Ceredo, West Virginia, has provided a safe place for abused, neglected, and orphaned teenage girls in West Virginia since 1983. Golden Girl uses a holistic approach to address the behavioral, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual needs of each resident. Girls ages 12 to 18 live in a safe, nurturing environment where they can develop skills to become empowered, successful women.
Golden Girl consists of five separate houses on the same block, with four to five girls living in each home. Residents receive counseling, education, psychiatric care, nursing care, mentoring, and recreational opportunities at the home. As girls age-out of the supervised residential program, they can transition to independent living in one of the program’s apartments.
Therapy & Fitness Instruction
In Spring 2021, Golden Girl Group Home was awarded a Healthy Communities grant to assist with overtime costs for staff members and to contract with therapists to provide an additional 12 hours of therapy each week to residents. The funding also supported the purchase and implementation of a suicide prevention education curriculum and two hours of fitness instruction each week for a period of 26 weeks.
Fitness Center
Golden Girl encourages residents to stay active to reduce their risk of obesity and improve their mental health and self-esteem. The home received a Fall 2020 Healthy Communities grant to purchase cardio and strength training equipment, flooring, and mirrors for a space in the Ceredo Senior Wellness Center that was donated by the Town of Ceredo. The center is within walking distance of the Golden Girl residences.
Many Golden Girl residents have taken charge of their health by actively seeking opportunities to go the fitness center. Exercise has become an outlet for them to release frustration, fear, and stress while improving their physical health. Some residents have even adopted low-carbohydrate eating habits to complement their new workout routines. In addition, staff members say they’ve noticed improvements in the girls’ mood and mindset after exercise sessions at the fitness center.
Staff Education & Training
A 2020 Capacity Building grant from the Foundation enabled two staff members from Golden Girl Group Home to attend an in-person training and education session on planned giving at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The course gave them valuable information regarding legacy gifts and estate planning. The Golden Girl development department is now better prepared to work with donors who wish to donate to the group home through planned giving. A portion of the funding will also be used to create a video regarding legacy gifts that will be communicated to over 7,000 potential donors.
