The Big Idea Camp was created in 2015 when Founder Jeremy Holbrook realized that many schools had eliminated arts and humanities programs and shifted their focus to state testing scores and the curriculum that fueled them. The change eliminated many of the subjects that promoted character development and leadership skills, which Holbrook believed to be essential for school-aged children. To fill the gap in learning, The Big Idea Camp adopted the award-winning program Core Essentials and began … [Read more...]

In its 54-year history, the Kanawha Valley Fellowship Home (KVFH) in Charleston, West Virginia, has helped more than 2,000 men recover from alcohol and substance use disorder through an abstinence-based, residential treatment program. KVFH provides a secure environment in which residents can begin a new life by breaking destructive patterns of behavior associated with alcoholism and addiction. The organization consists of a main house with 15 individual bedrooms, six intermediate care … [Read more...]

For more than 30 years, the Childhood Language Center (CLC) in Charleston, West Virginia, has provided speech, language, and feeding therapy to help children communicate. The center, which was founded by the Scottish Rite Masons, operates on the belief that all children deserve the highest quality care possible regardless of their ability to pay. Nationally certified therapists at the center work with children who have speech and language delays, hearing impairment, autism, Asperger’s, Down … [Read more...]

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 … [Read more...]

Williamson Health & Wellness Center (WHWC) in Williamson, West Virginia, has become an anchor organization in the southern part of the state, working to drive community health improvement through collaboration with economic development initiatives and health care and education programs. WHWC serves a predominately low-income population in Mingo County, which has been deemed one of the unhealthiest and most distressed counties in the state. The center operates primary care clinics, … [Read more...]

One organization in our area is making lives better. Founded in 1983, the Facing Hunger Foodbank serves 17 counties in the Tri-State: 12 in West Virginia, four in Kentucky and one in Lawrence County, Ohio. The foodbank provides nutritious fresh, canned, boxed, frozen, and prepared food to nearly 118,000 local individuals on an annual basis. When items are donated or purchased and arrive at the foodbank, the warehouse staff inspects the items for quality. Then, they sort and repack the … [Read more...]

Funds from The Pallottine Foundation of Huntington helped to make smiles brighter this February. The Cabell County Family Resource Network (FRN) received $8,000 in Capacity Building grant funds to make communication easier internally and externally. This is especially vital during months like National Kids’ Dental Health Month, which occurs each February, and National Child Abuse Prevention Month every April. At its core, the Cabell County FRN is a partnership of individuals, families, and … [Read more...]

Tucked between the hills of Ironton lies a house that looks like any other residence. However, what it contains is worth immeasurable amounts to hundreds of children and families. This house contains the main operational hub of Backpack Buddies, an organization dedicated to reducing the effects of childhood hunger by providing nutritious, easy-to-prepare food over the weekend to children residing in food-insecure homes in Lawrence County. Backpack Buddies serves children and families in … [Read more...]