News from The Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon

Our Healthy Communities Initiative opens

January 14!

We partner with nonprofit organizations that inspire change for healthier communities.

January 14

Application opens

February 11

Application deadline

March 21

Award notification and contract issuance

For more information, click here.

A note from Lewis County Family Resource Network

"A grandmother in our program recently got custody of her grandchildren due to substance use disorder within the family. She was in recovery herself and was seeking resources. A school employee pointed her to our Backpack Buddies program, which allowed us to provide snacks for the children and connect the grandmother to resources for food, family support, home visitation support, recovery, and utility assistance. A simple connection to aid with food insecurity led to a great relationship with this family, which now participates regularly in home visitation support concentrating on caregiver-child interaction and protective factors."

Introducing Our New Health Program Officer

SARAH CAMPBELL

The Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon is pleased to welcome Sarah Campbell to the team. Sarah will help develop and implement funding strategies and initiatives that support the foundation's mission in its five-county region.

Sarah previously served as executive director of the Upshur County Senior Citizens’ Opportunity Center. Her experience includes roles as volunteer center coordinator at the Buckhannon Volunteer Center, administrative assistant at New Community Church, and director of Appalachian Impact. She has a master’s in business administration with a nonprofit management focus and a bachelor’s degree in history from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SARAH:

What are you most looking forward to in

your role as health program officer?

"I'm most excited about the opportunity to meet with so many individuals and organizations that are committed to helping their communities get healthy and being able to help them connect, brainstorm, and gain momentum. It's refreshing to be in a position that affords me the time to be on the ground learning alongside our organizations."

What are you passionate about?

"I feel I have a lot of passions, but if I had to narrow it down, it would be positive community change led from a grassroots perspective. Sustainable change requires community buy-in, so empowering local organizations and groups to address the issues in their communities is necessary. And from these movements, we often find unique and effective ways to address issues that might involve collaboration between existing organizations, key community members, and more."

Do you live in the Buckhannon area?

"I have lived in Buckhannon for over nine years now, but I am originally from Middlebourne, West Virginia, in Tyler County."

Are you involved in any organizations in the Buckhannon area?

"I currently serve as the Community Chair for YoungLife Buckhannon and I volunteer for community activities as needed."

What do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?

"I like to hike, read, cook, and have recently started to go to the rock-climbing gym. My hobbies include dog training, crochet and flower gardening. I love spending time with Miner, my miniature goldendoodle, and Madara, my German shepherd puppy. She just joined our family in December. And I also have two cats, Theo and Cyrus."

Pallottine Foundation continues Sisters' tradition of caring for rural West Virginians

The Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon is the culmination of more than 90 years of dedicated service by the Pallottine Missionary Sisters to helping those in need in rural West Virginia communities.

The Sisters' legacy began in 1912 when four devout women left their homes in Germany

for Richwood, West Virginia, where they established their first school and hospital,

guided by St. Vincent Pallotti's motto, "The

Love of Christ Impels Us." In 1921, the Sisters

moved to Buckhannon and purchased a private residence, which they turned into an eight-bed facility named St. Joseph's Hospital.

St. Joseph's operated under the Sisters' leadership until 2015 when it was purchased by the West Virginia United Health System. The sale resulted in the establishment of the Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon, which continues the Sisters' mission by supporting health-focused nonprofit organizations in the area.

Since its first grant cycle in 2016, the Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon has awarded over $890,000 in grants to fund health initiatives of organizations in Barbour, Lewis, Randolph, Upshur, and Webster Counties.

The four founding Sisters of St. Joseph's Hospital

Through the Foundation, the Sisters have supported various community projects, including:

Food pantries
Backpack programs for children
Health ministries
Oral health initiatives
Senior services
Substance use prevention and treatment programs
Services for victims of violence
Child advocacy programs
And much more!

To read more about the history of the Pallottine Missionary Sisters, click here.

Learn more about our grant opportunities

Health & Wellness

Spiritual & Pastoral Care

Capacity Building

OUR MISSION

Impelled by the love of Christ, the mission of the Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon

is the advancement of transformative initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles

for communities in Buckhannon, West Virginia, and surrounding areas.