2017 Nonprofit Excellence Award Winners
The West Virginia Nonprofit Association (WVNPA) held our Third Annual West Virginia Nonprofit Leadership Summit in partnership with Volunteer West Virginia on October 12 – 13 in Charleston. Over 160 people attended the conference. Steve Zimmerman, Principal of Spectrum Nonprofit Services in Wisconsin and author of The Sustainability Mindset: Using the Matrix Map to Make Strategic Decisions, gave the opening keynote address. The closing address was given by Rebekah Mathis-Stump, Chief Operating Officer at Ethos Leadership Group, LLC in Parkersburg. Attendees of the conference dined and networked at local restaurants and attended group sessions and workshops on serving nonprofits and strengthening West Virginia.
For the second year in a row, the WVNPA presented the West Virginia Nonprofit Excellence Awards during the Summit. Sponsored by the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, these awards were created to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of West Virginia nonprofit organizations and increase awareness of the impact of the nonprofit sector in communities throughout the state. Awards were given in three categories: small organizations, medium-sized organizations, and large organizations, according to budget size. 18 WV Nonprofit organizations submitted applications to be considered for the awards.
The winning organization in the small budget category was Pocahontas County Family Resource Network (PCFRN). The PCFRN works together to better meet the needs of children and families in Pocahontas County. Over the past 10 years, this organization has generated over 2.8 million dollars in funding through state and federal grants, mini-grants, and fundraisers. In June of 2008 they were an agency with an operating budget of $40,000 with one state grant. Since that time, they have expanded their programming and written multi-year grants for a Family Outreach and Wellness Center and Tobacco Prevention Coalition Funding.
The medium-sized organization award went to Consumer Credit Counseling of the Mid-Ohio Valley (CCS MOV). CCS MOV is dedicated to helping its community achieve financial independence through exceptional education and proven counseling programs. The organization has over 200 clients currently being served through their Debt Management Program and more than 600 clients being assisted through their Representative Payee Program. Many of those individuals receiving support have come to view the organization as an unofficial life coach and a sounding board for working through issues not always necessarily associated with finances. “This award validates my belief that we have an incredible group of people at CCCS, dedicated to improving the lives of so many residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley, “ said John Jackson, the organization’s Executive Director. “I am so fortunate to be able to witness first-hand their daily efforts in helping our clients regain their financial independence.“ Consumer Credit is recognized as a member agency of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and maintains annual accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA). In 2016, CCCS paid out over $1.3 million to creditors on behalf of their clients.
Covenant House, based in Kanawha County, brought home the award in the large organization category. Covenant House is dedicated to working for justice by offering direct services for people in need while creating social change through advocacy and education. Covenant House’s programs include housing assistance, a clothing center, a drop-in center, emergency assistance, a food pantry, HIV prevention, smoking cessation programs, and more. The organization is guided by their belief that poverty can be eliminated by creating genuine wealth and well-being in the community, that education is integral to ending the cycle of poverty, and that every person has the right to food, clothing, a clean and safe place to live, clean water, and access to basic health care.
“We are so honored and humbled to be recognized by the West Virginia Nonprofit Association,” remarked Covenant House’s Executive Director, Ellen Allen. “This recognition is due entirely to our small, yet powerful staff of 11 employees and two AmeriCorps service members. In total, our team brings more than two centuries of social justice activism to our city. They inspire me every day by the amount of kindness and compassion they bring to their work, by their actions to treat all humans like humans, and by their continued dedication to help our region’s most vulnerable meet their basic needs.”
WVNPA Executive Director Laura Lee Haddad was impressed with the field of applicants for this year’s awards. “Everyone on the selection committee was excited about the caliber of applications we received this year,” Haddad remarked. “It’s just a small example of the great work that nonprofits do in this state.” Winners were announced during the opening session of the Summit representatives from each organization were given beautiful glass awards created by West Virginia artisan Todd Turner of Appalachian Glass in Weston.
