Community Bulletin
Women's health care is available close to home at four central West Virginia clinics through Vandalia Health — the not-for-profit founded by the Davis family more than a century ago, whose Foundation still funds local scholarships and programs. Read more →
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BUCKHANNON – The Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur reported that it had gathered $51,789 in its Rotary Club Foundation flood relief fund as of its Aug. 4 meeting.
Rotarian Don Nestor said they have received an array of donations, small and large.
“We have been getting direct deposits into the account, and then we’re getting checks that Dan [Martin] is depositing at the bank. I’ve also had a couple people tell me they would give me cash when I got back in town tomorrow,” Nestor said. “We had the additional $25,000 from Citizens Bank, and we’ve had a few larger donations, a couple thousand bucks apiece. One donation was for $5,000. I’ve asked people if they want to have any public recognition of that from a standpoint of a picture or something like that, and no one has committed to that yet.”
Nestor said the city, county and emergency management office will determine where the money can be used most effectively for flood relief.
“From a legal standpoint, a tax standpoint, we can receive donations just in general for flood relief. If they want to designate a specific area like Buckhannon or Rock Cave or something like that, we could receive that,” Nestor said. “We haven’t received any donations for an area, but we could do that. But we cannot receive donations for a specific family, business or individual. That’s only designated through the county, city and emergency management as they decide it’s appropriate.”
Martin, the secretary for the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur, said the support from the community has been amazing.
“It’s absolutely mind-boggling. I’m doing deposits every day,” he said. “We’ve gotten deposits from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida and a variety of combinations. Other civic groups in the region have donated. It’s just been amazing.”
City recorder Randy Sanders said a committee has been established to determine where funds will be spent from the Rotary Foundation and the Tygart Valley United Way. That committee consists of Mayor Robbie Skinner, Sanders, Upshur County Commission President Kristie Tenney and County Clerk Carol Smith, and Rotarian Kelley Tierney.
“We’re also in the process of putting together uniform screening criteria. Our goal is to work with agencies like Mountain CAP and the Parish House to see what the needs are in the community and utilize their expertise in these efforts as well,” Sanders said. “We will, of course, look at individual family applications and follow the United Way’s lead. They do this all the time.”
He reported the Hill Stump Disaster Relief Fund, administered through First Community Bank, has $51,700 available. The United Way of Tygart Valley has collected $241,105 and spent $22,000 on dehumidifiers, which were shipped to Mountain CAP for distribution.
“We’re very comfortable with the caseworkers at Mountain CAP going through the vetting process and putting these items into the homes of those most in need at this point,” Sanders said. “They’ve also spent $28,000 on housing in Lewis County, so they’re splitting the resources. Half of everything they collect will go into Upshur County, half will go into the Lewis County efforts, and they’re waiving their administrative costs. That leaves about $93,000 from the United Way dedicated to Upshur County.”
Contributions to the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur Foundation Flood Relief Fund may now be made through the Rotary Foundation’s secure online portal. The portal accepts credit cards, allows donors to designate gifts for Upshur County flood recovery and provides electronic receipts.
Checks payable to the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur Foundation may still be presented at any Citizens Bank of West Virginia location or mailed to Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur Foundation, PO Box 2573, Buckhannon, WV 26201. Foundation Treasurer Don Nestor can answer questions at 304-439-0568.
