MORGANTOWN, W.Va. The Children’s Home Society of West Virginia serves the northern part of the state, providing a variety of family resources, including adoption, adoption counseling, and foster care services. They are also launching a capital campaign for a new facility.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” Site Manager Abby Miller said the agency serves 40 to 45 children on a regular basis, including some post-foster care children, at their current facility at 11 Commerce Drive in Westover. Site Manager, Abby Miller, says they provide for children coming out of foster care through the age of 23. The services provided are vital to helping those people learn life and soft skills for the future.
“They’ve been institutionalized; they’ve lived in shelters, so they’ve never had to line up on their own,” Miller said. “They don’t know the basic things like how to do laundry, make a doctor’s appointment, and things like that.”
The agency has launched the capital campaign with a goal of $2 million in order to purchase a larger facility. The programs and outreach efforts are outgrowing the current Westover location, and more space is needed to maintain supplies for families and operate programs in an efficient manner.
“We are just hopeful we are able to get enough money to get into a bigger building to help us better segregate the populations we work with,” Miller said.
Permanency Supervisor Traci Bodkins said they have a Community Resource Room open to families in need at the Westover location that is frequently used.
“It is open to anybody who needs some help,” Bodkins said. “They can come in and get what they need with no stipulations, and if we don’t have it and we get it in, we’ll give them a call.”
The organization has a variety of events they promote on their Facebook page, including a Black & White Gala coming up in February 2024 and a Trunk or Treat on October 13 at the Commerce Drive location. Bodkins said the events are very important to families who need help and create opportunities for residents to identify ways to help and get involved.
“We also do community giveaways throughout the year,” Bodkins said. “We’ve had a few in the past, and at each one we help about 300 families, so it’s always a great turnout.”
Any resident who would like to make a donation to the campaign can also request an information package from the organization or call 304-284-0992.