Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation supports Project REACH

Thanks to the Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation, residents at the Genesis Youth Center will receive help in reaching their academic goals.  Upon learning of the challenges specific to the residents at Genesis: stress at being removed from the home, frequent disruptions in the educational process due to multiple placements, and the emotional toll on children who often have to deal with being an "outsider",  their board of directors approved grant funding for Project REACH - Reinforce Educational Achievement to Create Hope.   An in-house learning center and a qualified tutor will be made available to help ensure that our residents have an opportunity to "catch-up" academically during their stay with us.  It would not be possible to pursue our mission, to provide a safe haven for children that fosters hope, without addressing the impact that a solid educational foundation has on the lives of the children we serve.  Pictured above Teresa Seymour, Senior Program Manager for the Mollohan Foundation presents an award certificate to Jayne Landacre, Public Relations for Genesis Youth Crisis Center.  Jon "Sheriff" Tiano, board member for the Mollohan Foundation, Matt Rudder, CEO, Genesis Youth Crisis Center, and Roger Lehosit, board member for Genesis attended the presentation.

United Way's Day of Action Volunteers - Hearts and Hands

It may have been one hot day but that didn't slow down volunteers from the United Way's Day of Action.  Our group, employees of PDC, definitely put their hearts and their backs into helping us today.  With a "divide and conquer" attitude, Kim and Melissa spruced up the courtyard with fresh mulch while Keith, James, and Troy cemented three pieces of outdoor fitness equipment into place.  Our thanks go to the United Way of Harrison County for including us in their Day of Action, to PDC for fostering such a wonderful corporate attitude of giving back to the community, and, of course, to our incredible volunteers!  For more Day of Action photos, visit us on Facebook.

Genesis Summer Camp 2011

This year's annual summer camp will be memorable for a lot of reasons. A broken swimming pool and record breaking heat don't usually spell success. But then there were the kids.......this group didn't let any of it get them down. In the best of all possible ways, the kids this year truly were "Unstoppable".

Increased capacity means help for more kids!

An amended license from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Children and Families, dated March 1, 2011, now hangs in the entryway of 192 Safe Haven Drive. The change is a meaningful one ..... Genesis Youth Center now has three additional beds available for children in need. Last year, Genesis facilities had to deny services to forty-five children because the shelters were at full occupancy. It feels good to know that, because of our amended license, we will be there for more children when they need us most.

Thank you to local federal employees.....

We send a big "thank you" to the federal employees who chose to support Genesis through the North Central West Virginia Combined Federal Campaign and the Combined Federal Campaign of Monongalia and Preston Counties. Many of these generous people chose to remain anonymous but we want them to know their support makes a difference to the kids at Genesis and Alta Vista.

CASA Volunteers Visit

Thank you to our local CASA volunteers for taking time for a "behind the scenes" look at the Genesis Youth Center and the Alta Vista Children's Shelter. The CASA mission, "to provide quality advocacy for abused and neglected children in the Harrison County court system with the goal of timely placement in safe permanent homes", is one we certainly support. On behalf of the Genesis and Alta Vista residents fortunate enough to have one of these special people in their corner, we offer our thanks. For more information on the work of CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, visit their website at www.hcwvcasa.org.

Teens for Jeans Drive 2011

Big smiles and heartfelt thanks go out to the folks at DoSomething.org and Aeropostale for their very successful Teens for Jeans Drive. We stopped counting at 700 pairs, which filled our shelves and left plenty to share with neighboring agencies.

Statistics show the fastest growing segment of homeless people are children and families and that 1 out of 3 homeless people are under the age of 18. In the face of such frightening statistics, the activism inspired by DoSomething.org is an especially vital part of building a better tomorrow.