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

The Community Sponsors Campaign invests in the Foundation's vision of a vibrant region and provides ongoing support for the area's arts and culture, community improvement, education, health and wellness, human services, recreation, youth development, and so much more!

Your gift today enables the Foundation to do more to improve our region’s quality of life and to brighten the outlook for our area’s future.

• Partner in Philanthropy: $1,750 & Above
• Regional Sponsor: $1,250 - $1,749
• Area Champion: $750 - $1,249
• Community Builder: $500 - $749
• Benefactor: $250 - $499
• Associate: $100 - $249
• Friend: Up to $99

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.

Parkersburg Bridge Partners recently made a $15,000 donation to the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF). The creation of a donor advised fund with PACF will allow Parkersburg Bridge Partners (PBP) to award grants to organizations and causes that are important to the company and community.

This is one of PBP’s first charitable investments in the Mid-Ohio Valley. With construction on the rehabilitation of Parkersburg Memorial Bridge scheduled to begin this month, the company is following through on its commitment to make long-term investments in the community.

“We are happy to partner with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation on this charitable giving fund. We can make a larger impact on the area by working with the foundation and recommending grants through their process. We look forward to learning more about the area’s non-profit organizations, their needs and how we can support them moving forward,” said Ken Szeliga, Vice President of Construction and Operations for Parkersburg Bridge Partners.

Interested applicants can learn more about the donor advised grant process and apply for donations through the foundation’s website, www.pacfwv.com.

“We applaud Parkersburg Bridge Partners for its corporate commitment to strengthening our community’s critical infrastructure, both in the form of its work to rehabilitate the Memorial Bridge, as well as through its commitment to building a company donor advised fund with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. Since 1963, the PACF has worked to build lasting resources for the betterment of the Mid-Ohio Valley; we welcome this new partnership to support PBP’s charitable goals. With its support for the new advised fund, the PBP team clearly demonstrates its long-term dedication to our region’s benefit and its desire to be a good neighbor. An advised fund will enable PBP to easily and efficiently invest in the social good of our community,” said PACF’s Executive Director, Judy Sjostedt Ritchie.

About Parkersburg Bridge Partners

Parkersburg Bridge Partners (PBP) is the owner of Parkersburg Memorial Bridge. A subsidiary of United Bridge Partners, PBP will fund, design, build, operate and maintain Memorial Bridge. PBP has assembled a national-caliber design, engineering, construction and operations team with substantial experience successfully delivering bridge projects across the United States.

For more information about the Memorial Bridge project, residents are encouraged to visit www.parkersburgbridgepartners.com or follow PBP on Facebook and LinkedIn.

After James A. “Jim” Rader passed away in May 2022, his siblings, Susan White, Jessie Spero, and Fred Rader chose to honor his memory through the creation of two endowment funds with the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation.

Son of the late Raymond and Carolyn Sims Rader, Jim was a life-long resident of Wirt County who was a 1974 Wirt County High School graduate and a graduate of West Virginia Institute of Technology. He was a math teacher at Wirt County High School, an avid supporter of Wirt County Schools and Tiger sports teams, and served on the Wirt County Board of Education. Devoted to local history and genealogy, particularly maintaining the Sims family history, Jim was also a faithful member of the Elizabeth Baptist Church.

The new Elizabeth Baptist Church Endowment Fund will provide permanent annual unrestricted support to the Church. The Two Runs Baptist Church Cemetery Maintenance Fund will provide a perpetual fund for cemetery maintenance and upkeep.

Although the family initiated these endowment funds to honor Jim, they hope that others who wish to support either of these causes will consider donating.

“My family and I started these funds to honor our brother and to encourage other concerned citizens to include a donation to these funds through their estate plans,” said Fred Rader. “By doing so, they are ensuring that the Elizabeth Baptist Church and Two Runs Baptist Church Cemetery are taken care of long after we’ve passed away.”

After James A. “Jim” Rader passed away in May 2022, his siblings, Susan White, Jessie Spero, and Fred Rader chose to honor his memory through the creation of two endowment funds with the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation.

Son of the late Raymond and Carolyn Sims Rader, Jim was a life-long resident of Wirt County who was a 1974 Wirt County High School graduate and a graduate of West Virginia Institute of Technology. He was a math teacher at Wirt County High School, an avid supporter of Wirt County Schools and Tiger sports teams, and served on the Wirt County Board of Education. Devoted to local history and genealogy, particularly maintaining the Sims family history, Jim was also a faithful member of the Elizabeth Baptist Church.

The new Elizabeth Baptist Church Endowment Fund will provide permanent annual unrestricted support to the Church. The Two Runs Baptist Church Cemetery Maintenance Fund will provide a perpetual fund for cemetery maintenance and upkeep.

Although the family initiated these endowment funds to honor Jim, they hope that others who wish to support either of these causes will consider donating.

“My family and I started these funds to honor our brother and to encourage other concerned citizens to include a donation to these funds through their estate plans,” said Fred Rader. “By doing so, they are ensuring that the Elizabeth Baptist Church and Two Runs Baptist Church Cemetery are taken care of long after we’ve passed away.”

This non-permanent fund is designed to support the Lion Club of Parkersburg’s work of providing assistance for children with low vision or vision impairment.

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.