Support the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and all of the good work it does in our community.

This fund was created by the Doddridge County Community Foundation affiliate to support charitable needs in the community. Grants from the fund are awarded annually to organizations serving Doddridge County residents through the Foundation's Community Action Grant Program.

The Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation affiliate created the Gilmer County Grantmaking Fund to support the charitable needs of Gilmer County. Grants from the fund are awarded through the Foundation's Community Action Grant program.

This fund was established by the Ritchie County Community Foundation to provide support for charitable projects that benefit the county.

A brilliant red cardinal landed in the empty hallway of Parkersburg South High School on a sunny Saturday afternoon in May. The cardinal allowed the son and granddaughter of an amazing man to pick him up, gently stroke his feathers, and release him into the great outdoors where he flew away peacefully. The meaningful and heartwarming symbol of the red cardinal’s visit is a gentle reminder that, in spirit, we are never far apart from those we love. The Cardinal Memorial was then created from this encounter to celebrate the life of a truly wonderful person.

Joe Smith was that amazing man - intelligent, witty, loving, faithful, kind and unforgettable. He was devoted to his wife, Sherry; his sons, Ryan (Ashley) and Zac, and his beautiful grandchildren, Nola Rosie and Jonah. He loved his family beyond measure. He grew up in Parkersburg, the son and brother of a loving family, and graduated from Parkersburg High School and Marshall University. He worked for thirty-seven years in Wood County Schools as a teacher, school counselor, service personal facilitator/tester and Director of the Caperton Center for Applied Technology. He was involved in his church and community through coaching sports teams, leading church youth groups, tutoring disadvantaged students and counseling kids from troubled circumstances. He never met a stranger and lived life to his fullest, always enjoying company and conversation wherever he went.

When he passed away in February 2021 of Covid Pneumonia at the age of 68, his family was unable to celebrate his life completely because of community health concerns with the disease. The Cardinal Memorial was established out of his family’s unending love, devotion, and desire to commemorate his life. With this fund, The Cardinal Memorial Scholarship will be forever awarded to a graduating senior with plans to pursue a degree in education and share their love for learning.

Irene Conaway and her husband, Bertram Conaway, created the A. Bertram and Irene J. Conaway Scholarship for Wood County Christian School to support graduating seniors from Wood County Christian School as they pursue post-secondary education.

Irene was born in Salem, West Virginia and graduated from Bridgeport High School. She went into nursing in 1944, when hospitals still ran the nursing education programs. However, she did not work as an RN following her first marriage to Harry Moats. She worked part-time jobs doing such things as administering TB tests.

Bert was born in Ritchie County and graduated from Harrisville High School. He served in Germany with the Army from 1945 - 1947. Following his military service, he worked in the oil fields for Pennzoil until his retirement. He now raises Black Angus cattle and is active in the VFW.

Irene and Bert met at St. Luke's United Methodist Church. She had been a friend of his wife but, she explains, did not know him very well until after his wife had passed away in 1996. The couple married in 1999.

Bert and Irene were "amazed that Wood County Christian had no scholarships at all to offer their students." Because of this, they were inspired to create the fund with the Foundation. The advantage of creating the fund at the PACF, they noted, was that it enables students to attend the post-secondary educational institution of their choice, depending on their particular interests and career plans.

The A.F. and Ethel Marple Scholarship was created through a bequest from Ethel Marple. Ethel Marple (maiden name Bell) was born in the early 1900s and grew up living on French Creek in Pleasants County. Before marrying her husband, Floyd, she taught school for a few years in a one-room country school. Ethel and her husband were active in the oil and gas industry in and round the St. Marys area for more than 60 years. Ethel enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling domestically.

According to her family, "Ethel's life began on the farm and it wasn't until sometime in the 1940's that she and Floyd moved into St. Marys - about two blocks from the high school. Ethel was very independent. After Floyd passed away, she continued to live by herself for more than 20 years until the age of 93. She was a joy to converse with as she had a sense of humor and a sharp mind."

Ethel had a love for numbers and believed that mathematics was a very important subject to understand and to be able to use. Ethel continued to do her own bookkeeping and accounting until she was into her nineties. She used to sit at her dining room table and work on her books for hours at a time. This scholarship, which honors Ethel and her husband Floyd, helps students who have that same love for mathematics to pursue their education in this subject. The fund provides support to graduating seniors from St. Marys High School who plan to pursue post-secondary education majoring or minoring in math or a math-related field.

Early in the 20th Century, a group of community minded individuals realized the town of Williamstown, West Virginia, was in need of a local bank. On October 1, 1919, these men met and incorporated a new bank. This bank would be known as the Farmers and Mechanics National Bank of Williamstown.

The newly organized bank opened for business in December of 1919. The first Board of Directors consisted of F.L. Fenton, J.J. Lorentz, E.E. Lane, George Pugh, M. Richter, Frank Lane, D. Reynolds, O.D. King, and B.F. Riggs. The bank's first officers were F.L. Fenton, President; E.E. Lane, Vice President; and J.J. Lorentz, Cashier.

In the year of 1960, controlling interest in the Bank was purchased by A.V. Criss and Douglas Adams. After operating together for several years, the interest of Douglas Adams was purchased by A.V. Criss, Jr. Mr. Criss, Jr. passed away in 1983 and his wife, L. Gay Criss, assumed the position of controlling shareholder of the Bank, until her death in May 2008. The Criss family remains heavily involved in the Bank.

To honor the Criss family, Williamstown Bank established this scholarship fund with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation in 2008. This fund provides scholarship support to graduating seniors from Williamstown High School who have an interest in pursuing a career in finance, accounting, banking, business or a related field.

Since 1954, the Actors' Guild of Parkersburg has been providing quality theatre programming for the community. Longtime Guild supporters Tom and Suzanne Bayley wanted to help ensure that the organization would continue to thrive in the future, so they created the Actors' Guild of Parkersburg, Inc., Preservation Fund to support the preservation, maintenance, repair, and improvement of the theatre property. Research conducted by the Guild when renovating their present theatre showed that it is more difficult to raise funds for capital needs than for programming needs. In establishing this fund at the Foundation, the Bayley's goal was to give the Guild a "safety net" to help maintain their physical plant, now and in the future.

A successful attorney, Mr. Bayley was a Senior Partner in the firm of Burk and Bayley. Active in a wide variety of charitable organizations, he played a significant role in the development of charters for the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, the Actors' Guild, and the Blennerhassett Historical Foundation. Mr. Bayley was a former President of the Parkersburg Country Club and a City Attorney for Williamstown for many years, and he was listed in Who's Who in American Law and the World.

Mrs. Bayley also was active in community organizations, including the Junior League of Parkersburg and the Children's Theatre Bureau. She also helped to found ARTSBRIDGE, served as Executive Director for the opening of "Eden on the River," and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Banquet of WEALTH and Finch College, NY. Mrs. Bayley began her involvement with the Guild by directing and acting in plays. She helped to raise funds for the renovation of the current theatre, located at Eight and Market Streets, which was acquired in the 1970s. She helped design renovations for this facility and worked on an ongoing basis to secure funding for various upgrades.

Founded in 1954, the Actors' Guild is primarily a volunteer organization. Other than a paid manager and superintendent, all other positions are volunteer. The Guild presents at least five shows a year on a season ticket, as well as one or two other shows, such as a dinner theatre or a youth program. The Guild has been a recipient of many state and regional awards for outstanding acting and directing. Many of these award winning actors and directors have been trained by the Guild. Others participate while studying theatre at area colleges, while others come to the Guild with community theatre experience from different areas.

Addie Deem Westfall established this scholarship fund to recognize students who have shown an interest in and have contributed services that benefit their neighborhood or community. The fund provides support to graduating seniors from Ritchie County High School who plan to pursue post-secondary education.

Addie was born in Beatrice, WV in 1902. Her family moved to Harrisville in 1910 and resided on the property that is now the North Bend Golf Course. She graduated from Harrisville High School in 1921 and taught school the following year at Smithville. That same year she married J. Harold Westfall. They resided in Smithville until they moved to Harrisville in 1961. Harold died in 1976 and five years later Addie moved to Parkersburg. Their only child Ruth Westfall Bonnett administered the scholarship until 2001.

Many of Addie's activities were related to community services. She organized the Homemakers Club at Smithville and was county secretary for eleven years. She was county president for thirteen years. Addie served as president of the Harrisville Garden Club and was also a member of the Ritchie County DAR and DAP.

In 1948-49 she served as Grand Chief of Pythian Sisters for the state of West Virginia. Later she served as Supreme Representative for the state. She organized a camp, supported by this group, that was held at the Ritchie County 4-H grounds and attended by girls from throughout the state.

Addie was a Past Matron of the Harrisville Eastern Star and a member of the White Shrine. While living in Parkersburg, she continued to support various churches and civic organizations in Ritchie County. She is among those who purchased a light for the Ritchie County High School athletic field.

Addie hoped that by establishing this fund that the students of Ritchie County will benefit for years to come.