
Supporting community work: Sisters Health Foundation awards over $1.1M in grants | News, Sports, Jobs
- Members of the Sisters of St. Joseph, from left, Sr. Jane Harrington, Sr. Kathleen Durkin, Sr. Judith Minear, CSJ associate Ann Griffth, CSJ associate Kathleen Roedersheimer, Sr. Virginia Yeater, Sr. Molly Bauer and Renee Steffen, executive director of the Sisters Health Foundation. (Photo provided)
- Renee Steffen, executive director of the Sisters Health Foundation, claps during the foundation’s annual Grant Partner Luncheon on Thursday at the Grand Pointe Conference Center in Vienna. The foundation granted $1.1 million to 102 organizations. (Photo provided)
- Speakers at the 25th annual Grant Partner Luncheon of the Sisters Health Foundation were, from left: Haley Hunter, a pharmacist at the Rising Suns Non-Profit Pharmacy; Sarah Adkins, founder of the Rising Suns Non-Profit Pharmacy; Kat Bigley, director of the Amputee Center; Nancy Miller, founder of the Amputee Center; Sr. Kathleen Durkin; Sr. Judith Minear. (Photo provided)

Members of the Sisters of St. Joseph, from left, Sr. Jane Harrington, Sr. Kathleen Durkin, Sr. Judith Minear, CSJ associate Ann Griffth, CSJ associate Kathleen Roedersheimer, Sr. Virginia Yeater, Sr. Molly Bauer and Renee Steffen, executive director of the Sisters Health Foundation. (Photo provided)
VIENNA — Grants totaling more than $1.1 million were shared by 102 organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley through the Sisters Health Foundation.
The foundation, formerly the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund, held its 25th annual Grant Partner Luncheon Thursday at the Grand Pointe Conference Center to acknowledge the efforts and successes of those organizations who completed their grants in the past year.
Guests included representatives from the local grant partner organizations, foundation staff and board of directors, Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates and funding partners.
The foundation has been active for 28 years in supporting organizations in its 11-county service area, eight of which are in the Mid-Ohio Valley region of West Virginia and three in southeast Ohio. The service area is the same region the former St. Joseph’s Hospital once served for more than a century.
The foundation serves Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood counties in West Virginia and Athens, Meigs and Washington counties in Ohio.

Renee Steffen, executive director of the Sisters Health Foundation, claps during the foundation’s annual Grant Partner Luncheon on Thursday at the Grand Pointe Conference Center in Vienna. The foundation granted $1.1 million to 102 organizations. (Photo provided)
“Celebration of community is the phrase that best describes our annual event,” Renee Steffen, executive director, said. “It is an opportunity for our foundation to extend our gratitude to the extraordinary nonprofit leaders who are addressing health related needs in our community ranging from food insecurity to mental health to access to stable housing. It is always a joy to come together to celebrate our grant partners.”
During the luncheon, two organizations that the foundation supported shared the work they do in the community.
Sarah Adkins, founder and executive director of Rising Suns Non-Profit Pharmacy based in Athens County, spoke about the importance of removing barriers to medication access for those who are under-insured and uninsured. Nancy Miller, founder and president of the board of directors of The Amputee Center in Parkersburg, spoke about the significance of physical, social, and emotional health and support for individuals who experience limb loss.
Healthy Eating, Active Living
* Amputee Center, Parkersburg, for operating support for programming and classes for amputees and community members and training by a physical therapist.

Speakers at the 25th annual Grant Partner Luncheon of the Sisters Health Foundation were, from left: Haley Hunter, a pharmacist at the Rising Suns Non-Profit Pharmacy; Sarah Adkins, founder of the Rising Suns Non-Profit Pharmacy; Kat Bigley, director of the Amputee Center; Nancy Miller, founder of the Amputee Center; Sr. Kathleen Durkin; Sr. Judith Minear. (Photo provided)
* Boys & Girls Club of Parkersburg, to support cooking classes and nutrition education for club members.
* City of Spencer, to improve the Bens Run hiking trail.
Community Food Initiatives
* Athens, for multi-year flexible operating support to help foster equitable access to healthy local food in Athens and surrounding communities.
* Frontier Local School District, New Matamoras, to purchase playground equipment for the Newport Elementary School playground.
* Henry J. Kaiser Elementary PTO, Ravenswood, to support the purchase of outdoor music making equipment for a creative, accessible outdoor playground experience for elementary students.
* Jackson County Commission on Aging, Ripley, to provide operating support for their pool.
* Meigs County Commissioners, Pomeroy, to support engineering costs to design a multi-modal path connecting Pomeroy to Middleport.
* Memorial Health System (Sistersville General Hospital), Sistersville, to support the purchase and delivery of produce and oversight for the FARMacy program for residents of Tyler and Pleasants counties.
* My Sister’s Place, Athens, to support the construction of a new playset in the shelter backyard.
* Ohio State University Extension of Washington County, Marietta, to support the purchase of food and materials for school-based farmers’ markets for Washington County fourth graders.
* Pleasants County Parks & Recreation, St. Marys, to support the construction of an outdoor health complex at Pleasants County Park.
* Rio Grande Community College, Pomeroy, to purchase items for a community garden for students.
* River of Life Care Closet, Rutland, to support the repair of their box truck’s liftgate and the purchase of additional traffic cones and speed bumps for weekly food distributions.
* Roane County Commission, Spencer, to purchase and install a mid-size commercial play structure at Camp Sheppard, Roane County’s 4-H Camp.
* Rural Action, The Plains, to support the transition of the Live Healthy Kids Program from Live Healthy Appalachia.
* The 1982 Foundation, Grantsville, to repair the walking trail located on Wayne Underwood Field.
* The Arc of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Parkersburg, for operating support for the People First Café, where people with different abilities gain employment and vocational skills.
* Upper West Fork Volunteer Fire Department, Chloe, to purchase a merry-go-round for the Upper West Fork playground.
* Village of Beverly, to support the maintenance of the community pool.
* Washington-Morgan Community Action, Marietta, to support their summer program which provides hot nutritious lunches to children in New Matamoras, Beverly, Lower Salem, Lowell, Belpre, and Vincent.
* Wirt County Committee on Aging, Elizabeth, to upgrade exercise equipment in the fitness room.
* Wood County Schools, Parkersburg, to purchase materials for an outdoor cafe and calm-down garden at VanDevender Middle School.
* WVU Extension – Family Nutrition Program, Charleston, to purchase produce for the Kids Market @The Store program, which enables children to access free produce in communities with limited food access in Ritchie, Tyler, and Pleasants counties.
* WVU Parkersburg, to support the purchase of a greenhouse for their agriculture program.
Thriving Neighborhoods
* American Friends Service Committee, Milton, to support policy and advocacy work related to restorative justice, ending restrictions on SNAP eligibility, and reentry support.
* American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley, Parkersburg, for multi-year support to promote blood donations, collection, and distribution to assist those fighting cancer.
* Athens City-County Health Department, to support the hiring of a director who will develop and implement action plans to improve quality of life for older adults and the wider community in Athens County.
* Boys & Girls Club of Pleasants County, St. Marys, for supplies for an Outdoor Learning Center for club members and the community located within Pleasants County Park.
* Calhoun Homes, Grantsville, to purchase commercial washers and dryers.
* Camden Clark Medical Foundation, Parkersburg, to support the purchase of mechanical compression CPR devices.
* Circles Campaign of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Parkersburg, for multi-year operating support to assist families in their efforts to transition out of poverty.
* Habitat for Humanity of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Parkersburg, for multi-year support for the building of an accessible home for a person living with a disability and for a home repair program.
* Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, Columbus, for high-quality, free legal information, advice, and representation at on-site eviction prevention clinics in Athens and Washington Counties.
* Meigs County Council on Aging, Middleport, for multi-year flexible operating support to provide multi-generational services, programs, and resources in Meigs County communities.
* Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, Parkersburg, to support oral health programs for adults and children
* O’Neill Senior Center, Marietta, to support the purchase of a vehicle for medical transportation services for seniors.
* Pleasants County Emergency Ambulance Authority, St. Marys, to assist in purchasing a Power-Pro Lift Cot.
* Rising Suns Non-Profit Pharmacy, Athens, for multi-year operating support for their new nonprofit pharmacy to assist people in obtaining necessary medications while reducing cost barriers.
* The Betsey Mills Corporation, Marietta, to replace the flooring in a childcare room.
* Town of Grantsville, Grantsville, to purchase playground equipment for the town park.
* Tyler County Family Resource Network, Middlebourne, to purchase eye screening equipment that will check children’s vision health.
* Wood County Technical Center, Parkersburg, for the purchase of one full Juno patient simulator for their nursing program.
* WV Health Right, Charleston, for multi-year flexible operating support for the Roane County mobile dental unit.
* WVU Extension Wood County, Parkersburg, to support the purchase of meals for volunteers and children’s books focusing on diversity and inclusivity for Energy Express.
Mental Health and Addiction
* Athens Photographic Project, Athens, to expand access to arts-based mental health and addiction recovery support services in Athens County through Peer-to-Peer expressive photography workshops.
* Calhoun County Schools, Grantsville, for tobacco prevention classes and trauma-informed, suicide prevention learning opportunities for the school and surrounding community.
* Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Parkersburg, to support their financial literacy program helping people in recovery.
* Ely Chapman Education Foundation, Marietta, for multi-year support for the position of the Health and Wellness Facilitator who will help foster children’s mental and physical health and well-being.
* Field of Hope, Vinton, to provide mental health and trauma counseling for people recovering from substance use disorder and first responders in Meigs County.
* Integrated Health Centers of West Virginia, Harrisville, to purchase psychological assessment tools to complete specialized evaluations for high-need patients, enabling the organization to meet patient needs and to initiate an internship program with West Liberty University.
* Marshall University Research Corporation, Huntington, to assist individuals in recovery in Wood and Jackson Counties to attain employment and/or to pursue education opportunities.
* Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home, Parkersburg, for multi-year operating support for Covid related expenses.
* North Star Child Advocacy Center, Parkersburg, for multi-year flexible operating support to help provide services to children who experience abuse.
* OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, Athens, to support the hiring of a full time youth bereavement counselor serving Athens County and contiguous counties.
* Parkersburg Area Coalition for the Homeless, Parkersburg, to support the renovation of the organization’s new building.
* Square One GJM, Gallipolis, to support the licensed social worker serving Meigs County residents.
SW Resources, Parkersburg, to support a training and employment program for people in recovery.
* The John W. Clem Recovery House, Athens, to purchase furniture for the sober living house for men.
* Voices for Children Foundation- CASA Program, Parkersburg, to help recruit and train volunteers to serve as court-appointed representatives for children who have experienced abuse and trauma.
* Washington County Homeless Project, Marietta, for operating support for the drop-in center to expand summer hours.
* Women for Recovery, Athens, to support women residents in a sober living environment with healthy eating habits and a sense of community.
* Wood County Board of Education, Parkersburg, to support the implementation of the Project T.R.A.I.N. program to teachers at four middle and elementary schools in Wood County to reduce stigma among families struggling with substance use disorder.
Basic Needs/Direct Service Grant Partners:
* Adams House Ministries, Middlebourne, for fresh produce vouchers for Tyler County residents.
* Baptist Temple of Parkersburg, to purchase food for the Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry.
* Beechwood Presbyterian Church, Parkersburg, for fresh food for their emergency assistance program.
* Belpre Area Ministries, to purchase food and food vouchers for the food pantry.
* Bethel Baptist Church, Given, to support the purchase of fresh produce and meat as well as a new refrigerator for their pantry.
* Caring Connection, Marietta, for emergency assistance for utilities, housing, and prescriptions.
* Catholic Charities West Virginia, Wheeling, to purchase food for the mobile pantry serving the Mid-Ohio Valley.
* Crossroads United Methodist Church. Waverly, to purchase food for Williamstown Elementary weekend Bee Bags.
* First Baptist Church of Parkersburg, to purchase clothing racks, undergarments and socks for its men’s clothing closet.
* First Lutheran Church, Parkersburg, for fresh food and hygiene items for the pantry and bus tickets for walk-in clients needing transportation home.
* Foundation for Appalachian Ohio/Meigs County Foundation, Nelsonville, to purchase food for monthly distribution to families with school-aged children in Meigs County.
* Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Parkersburg, to purchase food for bags to distribute to people experiencing homelessness in Wood County.
* Greater Marietta Community Food Pantry, Marietta, to purchase food for distribution to families under the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
* Jackson County Public Library, Ripley, to purchase personal care items, clothing, shoes, and undergarments for people who have experienced domestic violence.
* Living Hope Ministry, Elizabeth, to purchase food and supplies to prepare hot meals for distribution at sites in Elizabeth and Parkersburg.
* Logan Memorial United Methodist Church, Parkersburg, to purchase food for hot meals for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and/or substance use disorder.
* Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio, Columbus, for non-perishable food and fresh produce to support their mobile food pantries in Athens and Meigs Counties.
* Meigs County Farmers’ Market, Pomeroy, to support food vouchers for veterans and produce for the donation station.
* Nelsonville Food Cupboard, to purchase a commercial cooler.
* Ohio University Diabetes Institute, Athens, to cover housing costs for campers and their families from the Mid-Ohio Valley who attend a diabetes camp.
* Ohio University Office of the Dean of Students, Athens, to provide emergency microgrants to Ohio University students who are having difficulty meeting their basic needs.
* Packs of Plenty, Harrisville, to support the purchase of food and food vouchers for Ritchie County students and families in need.
* Parkersburg Urban Ministries, to assist Wood County residents with utility payments.
* Pay It Forward Committee, Friendly, to purchase single-serving size, staple food items for Pleasants County elementary and middle school students’ weekend food packs.
* Ripley Church of the Nazarene, to purchase diapers, wipes and other hygiene items for babies and hygiene products to address incontinence for adults.
* Ritchie County Family Resource Network, Harrisville, to purchase food, cleaning and hygiene products for their Basic Needs Pantry.
* Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh & Morgantown, to support the costs of lodging for families from the Mid-Ohio Valley while their children are in the hospital.
* St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, Elizabeth, to prevent utility shut offs and assist with vehicle repair needed to obtain or retain employment or to access medical care.
* Strait Creek Food Pantry, Brohard, to purchase food for the pantry.
* The Salvation Army of Marietta, to supplement the cost of motel stays during extreme weather conditions for people in Washington County who are experiencing homelessness.
* The Salvation Army of Parkersburg, to provide rental assistance to individuals and families to ensure that they are able to remain in stable housing in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
* The Wirt County Missional Group, Elizabeth, for food and supplies for their pantry.
* Voices of the Streets Essentially Yours, Parkersburg, for the purchase of personal care and hygiene supplies, household cleaning products, bath towels and shower curtains for their clients who are transitioning from homelessness to stable housing.
* Washington County Harvest of Hope, Marietta, to purchase lean meat for distribution to food pantries and congregate meal sites.
* Welcome Home SIS, Byesville, for food, clothing, hygiene and garden items.
* Wesley United Methodist Church, Vienna, to purchase food for the Snack Pack program serving Neale Elementary School students.
* West Central Regional Drug Court, Parkersburg, to assist drug court participants with clothing, toiletries, and rental assistance to help maintain safe, sober living.
Collaborative Grant Partners:
* Hocking/Athens/Perry Community Action, Glouster, for Bounty on the Bricks in collaboration with the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville and OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, which supports the Southeast Ohio Foodbank and its member pantries.
* Marietta College, for Nonprofits LEAD, for multi-year support for the operations and programming of Nonprofits LEAD to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
* United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Parkersburg, for the SUD Collaborative, which focuses on improving the lives of those impacted by substance use disorders in Wood County and its surrounding communities by catalyzing collaborative projects, providing technical assistance and reporting unbiased data.