Community Service
SWVHBA Scholarship Program
Marissa Clemens was our scholarship fund recipient this year. Every year, SWVHBA awards a scholarship to a graduating student meeting the criteria for the award.
Women's Resource Center & Pinehaven
Individuals can bring two canned goods for the cost of admission to the Annual Home and Leisure Show. SWVHBA donates these goods to the Women's Resource Center and the Pinehaven Homeless Shelter. Over 850 canned goods were donated in 2010.
Hospice of Beckley
September 11, 2009 - Hospice of Southern West Virginia is giving away a house to pay off the mortgage on its own home. Local businesses have pledged to build a family home for the non-profit to raffle.
The Bowers Hospice House in Beckley is an inpatient home built three years ago with a price tag of $3.5 million. Although the house had major donors and a highly successful capital campaign, it still has a $350,000 mortgage. "We're cash poor because we're continually paying a mortgage," said Lisa McMillion, Hospice of Southern West Virginia public relations director.
In addition to the 12 families it can care for at the Bowers House, Hospice of Southern West Virginia has an in-home program serving 500 families a year."We do receive reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. That was small to begin with and continues to shrink," said McMillion."While we’re making ends meet, there are many things we would like to do and many other needs that we have that we could address if we retire the mortgage on the Bowers House." So McMillion floated the idea of a house raffle and was amazed at the response."These are folks that have been hard hit by this economy, the Homebuilders Association and anyone in that realm has taken a very hard hit and instead of closing themselves off, they’ve opened themselves up to help," she said.
The fundraising project is called "From Our House To Your House" and organizers plan to sell 4000 tickets at $100 each. The home will be located on an acre lot in Stone Creek, a subdivision in Daniels, WV. With a projected appraisal of $230,000, the 1830-square-foot house will have 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths.
The lot was donated by developer R.J. Burgess. He’s also donating all the hardwood flooring, tile and paint for the new home. "I have had family members out of state that have benefited from what Hospice does, so I felt like it was a good decision," Burgess said.
Another local land developer, Tony Culicerto, volunteered to be project manager."We’ve rarely had anybody tells us no," Culicerto said. "All the way from engineering to concrete to excavation, to labor to materials. It’s been excellent. Hospice is usually the first word out of my mouth when I’m asking for a donation, and as soon as that word comes out people are willing to help anyway they can," he said. "I think that speaks well about Hospice and what they do for the area they serve here."
Contributors include Graham Excavating, Eastern Concrete, David Hill Concrete, The Pinnacle Group, American Block and Brick, Arndt Mason Construction, and Beckley Discount Tile. Lloyd Crook and his crew have donated many hours to this project completing the floor construction and installing doors and trim.
This house will be raffled at $100.00 per ticket. All precedes goes to the local Hospice.
Ticket information: Hospice of Southern West Virginia 304-250-6040.