The Children’s Home Society of West Virginia has been making a difference in children’s lives for 112 years. The statewide nonprofit child welfare and behavioral health organization provides adoption, foster care, and emergency child shelter services through 12 locations designed to meet the needs of each specific community.
The mission of the Children’s Home Society is to promote the well-being of children. Efforts are directed at protecting and nurturing children, helping them find lifetime families, and helping preserve and strengthen their families.
The Children’s Home Society benefits from individual, organizational, and corporate volunteers who provide a variety of contributions including time, energy and financial resources.
“The Children’s Home Society couldn’t possibly do what it does without volunteers,” Mary White, director of marketing and development, said. “There is always a need for volunteers. When people in the community see a shelter is there, they work very hard. They want to help those kids and then when we tell them about all the other things we do they want to help with that too.”
The Children’s Home Society provides emergency shelter care for more than 100 children each day, with the children changing on a consistent basis.
“Kids often come with very little," White said. "The state provides them with a clothing voucher but they have other needs.”
Children staying at the shelters are in need of basic hygiene products including shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. Also, because of the shelter's daily use, linens and kitchen materials are items the frequently need replaced. Hosting a drive for such items is a perfect way for businesses to get involved.
Numerous businesses and organizations support the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia. Recent examples include Sam’s Club, the Teamsters, and Lowes. Sam’s Club donates discontinued items to children staying at the shelter. Employees drop off the items in the evening after work. Throughout the year, the Teamsters plan outings, drives, and host a cookout for children in the Charleston shelter. In order to provide shelter children with a safe place to play, Lowes employees participated in a jungle-gym building project.
White encourages businesses to get involved in other unique ways. For example, children staying in the shelters often do not have an opportunity to experience cultural activities. Therefore, the Children’s Home Society is always appreciative to companies who are willing to sponsor cultural outings for the children.
One of the Children’s Home Society’s most successful programs is the WE CAN mentoring program. This program recruits, trains and supports volunteers who serve as mentors/tutors in Logan, Mercer, Wood, Monongalia and Greenbrier counties. Volunteers are asked to spend at least 10 hours a month with their child.
In addition to the programs offered through out the year, the Children’s Home Society holds a special Red Stocking Christmas campaign each year in December. In this campaign, businesses collect donations and display a red stocking in recognition of donations. The 2008 campaign raised over $101,000 for the Red Stocking campaign. In addition to the financial drive, the Children’s Home Society also hosts a food, clothing and toy drive for needy children and their families. This year, 13,000 families had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas as a result of this drive.
The Children’s Home Society also offers other volunteer-supported programs designed to enrich children’s lives and provide them with the necessary resources to excel in life. The programs include:
- Exceptional Youth Emergency Shelter (EYES): Crisis respite care for children with cognitive or developmental disabilities;
- Right from the Start and Birth To 3: High-risk infants, mothers and developmentally-delayed children are provided resources to ensure children get off to a good start;
- Youth Services: Youth with behavioral problems are provided immediate intervention to prevent involvement in Juvenile Justice and/or the child welfare system;
- Adoption Resource Center: Four resource centers are offered to adoptive parents, birth mothers and adoptees;
- Mentoring for Children of Prisoners: Developed to help with adjustment and separation issues;
- The Children First/ Parenting Education for Divorcing Couples: Helps parents learn how their actions affect children;
- Family Visitation and Exchange Program: Non-custodial parents and other family members are offered supervised visitation in Mercer county;
- Mid-Town Family Resource Center: An after-school program offered in Parkersburg that is focused on raising academic achievement;
- Kids First Communities Program: A public awareness campaign designed to provide children with activities to enrich their lives;
- Safe Haven Child Advocacy Center: Child victims of abuse are provided a safe location for interview, referral therapy, medical examination and victims support in Martinsburg;
- Tutoring: Volunteers provide elementary school children in Monongalia County with tutoring services.
For more information or to learn how you can volunteer, please contact Mary White, Director of Marketing and Development, by calling (304) 345-3894 or email MWhite@childhswv.org, or visit www.childhswv.org.
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