Thoughtful, committed residents from throughout the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation’s service area have been changing the world – one community at a time – through the work of the PACF’s regional affiliates. Organizing an affiliate enables communities to partner with the Foundation so that together, we can engage local citizens in making a lasting impact on the places we call home.

In 1999, a group of Ritchie County citizens partnered with the Foundation to launch our first affiliate – the Ritchie County Community Foundation (RCCF). Later that year, the Doddridge County Community Foundation (DCCF) was initiated, followed five years later by the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation (LKACF), serving Wirt, Calhoun, and Gilmer counties.

“By working together, we can accomplish so much more than we could alone,” said Judy Sjostedt, Executive Director. “The affiliate model allows local citizens to stay focused on building funds and supporting charitable projects that benefit their local communities while receiving access to the support, staffing, and resources they need centrally. It’s a win-win for our region’s donors as by sharing administration, we can all operate much more efficiently.”

While each regional affiliate is deeply rooted locally, it is also committed to working broadly for the betterment of our shared region. Affiliate leaders work to engage those individuals, families, and business owners who care deeply about their communities and who are willing to help build a legacy for them. Many affiliate community residents are making a big difference in our area.

From the time that Ira M. Haught moved to Ritchie County in 1902, the Haught family has been deeply rooted in its county. Ira built a family business in the oil and gas industry, which later grew under the leadership of his son, Glenn, and his three grandsons, Eldon, Warren, and Alan. The company is now in the capable hands of Warren’s grandsons. Over the years, Haught family members have given their time and talents generously in service to others – from Eldon’s statewide community development work to Alan’s longtime leadership as Ritchie County Community Foundation’s advisory board chair. With Warren’s leadership, the family recently created the Haught Family Scholarship with the RCCF to continue the family’s legacy of support and commitment to Ritchie County.

“Through the Haught family scholarship, and other funds created or supported by family members at the Foundation, the deep roots that they have planted help to ensure that Ritchie County can continue to grow and thrive in the future,” said Sjostedt. “What a wonderful legacy to create for one’s family!”

Like the Haughts, many people across the Foundation’s service area care deeply about their communities and want to give back to the places that have given them so much. The Doddridge, Little Kanawha Area, and Ritchie County Community Foundations – in partnership with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation – are here to help those individuals turn their dreams for their communities into reality.