PARKERSBURG, W,VA. — Of the 30 nonprofit organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley receiving grant funding from the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund in support of its vision of “healthy people in healthy communities,” one amount for two communities will be coming to Meigs County.

The grant is for $8,000 to the Meigs County General Health District in Pomeroy, in support of playground equipment for Middleport and indoor fitness equipment for Rutland.

At its fall meeting, the Charitable Fund’s Board of Directors approved a total of $348,000 in funding for the following nonprofit organizations:

Oral Health Priority Area: MOV Health Department; Parkersburg, W.Va., $40,000 in support of the Oral Health Coordinator/Mid-Ohio Valley Oral Health Initiatives.

Healthy Lifestyles Priority Area: Adams House Ministries; Middlebourne, W.Va., $6,000 in support of their Food Pantry; ARTSBRIDGE; Parkersburg, W.Va. $1,000 in support of Arts in Motion: Dancing for Fun and Fitness, Athens Mental Health, Inc., Athens, $12,500 in support of The Gathering Place Health and Wellness Program; Boys & Girls Club of Parkersburg; Parkersburg, W.Va., $10,000 in support of a Volunteer Coordinator; Community Food Initiatives, Athens, $15,000 in support of Internal Systems Management Project; County Commission of Pleasants County; St. Marys, W.Va., $22,500 in support of their Aquatic Center.

MOV Health Ministry Council; Marietta, $12,000 in support of Increasing and Sustaining Health Ministries in the Mid Ohio Valley RSVP-Washington County, Marietta, $5,000 in support of Senior Wheels; Shade Community Center Association; Shade, $8,000in support of Playground for Children ages 2 to 12 years old; Wirt County Ministerial Association; Elizabeth, W.Va., $5,000 in support of the food pantry; Wood County Master Gardeners Association, Parkersburg, W.Va., $7,000in support of Boys and Girls Club Children’s Garden.

Health Equity Priority Area: Appalachian Peace & Justice Network; Athens, $6,000 in support of Bully and Violence Prevention Classes / Athens County Schools;

Fearing Volunteer Fire Department, Whipple, $8,000 in support of Life-Stat® Hands Free CPR Equipment; Gabriel Project of West Virginia; Parkersburg, W.Va. $15,000 in support of Mid-Ohio Valley Chapter’s Healthy Start for Babies Project; Good Samaritan Clinic; Parkersburg, W.Va., $10,000 for general operations; Habitat for Humanity; Wood County, Parkersburg, W.Va. $9,000 in support of a Resource Development Coordinator. Hearts and Hands Ministry; Williamstown, W.Va., $8,000 in support of Core Group Project and Children’s Clothing Exchange.

Marietta College, Marietta, $25,000 in support of human patient simulators in health care education and training; MOV Fellowship Home, Parkersburg, W.Va., $10,000 in support of Resident Provision Project; Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, $10,000 in support of Restroom Accessibility Improvements for the Ohio River Museum in Marietta; Opportunity Council, Inc. West Union, W.Va,. $8,000 in support of STIR (Safety & Texting in Relationships); Parkersburg Day Nursery. Parkersburg, W.Va., $6,000 in support of Furnace/HVAC System Replacement; Volunteer Action Center, Parkersburg, W.Va., $12,000 in support of Transportation for Health and Independence.

Washington County Free Clinic, Marietta, $25,000 in support of Clinical Nurse Manager; Washington State Community College Foundation, Marietta, $6,000 in support of Human Simulation Lab; Westbrook Health Services, Inc., Parkersburg, W.Va., $3,000 in support of equipment to provide basic health screenings for clients, WV Kids Count Fund, Charleston, W.Va., $15,000 in support of Childcare Quality Counts, Quality Rating and Improvement System Funding Advocacy;

WVU Research Corporation; Morgantown, W.Va, $20,000 in support of Asthma Quality of Life Baseline in Children and Parent/Guardian Dyads in West Virginia.

The fall grant cycle marks Cynthia Drennan’s first round of grant making as Executive Director of the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund. “The levels of commitment in addressing community needs reflected in these grantees, support the Charitable Fund’s efforts of enhancing ‘the rich gifts already found in local communities’ in a demonstrable way,’ Drennan observed.

Drennan further said, “In oral health, we are excited to support the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department as they seek to expand their dental services to more adult patients. In our healthy lifestyles priority area, we are pleased to fund projects ranging from mental health support to enabling both youth and seniors to live active lifestyles. Finally, in our health equity priority area, we are anxious to support projects including area free clinics helping the uninsured with greater access to health care and expanding access of human patient simulators and related equipment to enable students to experience real life medical situations.”

For those interested in applying for the spring grant cycle, letters of inquiry will be accepted between Dec. 1 – Jan. 9. Visit www.ssjcharitablefund.org for information on how to apply.