BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – The Center for Restorative Justice at West Virginia Wesleyan College recently received its second Generous Promise grant from The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a religious order and philanthropic organization whose grant-making philosophy focuses on systemic change through justice and peace initiatives.

The $30,000 award will support the efforts of the Center’s partner organization, The West Virginia Restorative Justice Project, a diverse network of persons and agencies dedicated to addressing harm restoratively in K-12 education, the criminal courts, juvenile justice, and addiction recovery.

The Honorable Michael John Aloi ‘80, who is a member of the advisory team, notes that “the work of healing the harms suffered by so many in our communities, especially the most vulnerable, is more important than ever. I am honored to be a part of the West Virginia Restorative Justice Project, and grateful to the Center for Restorative Justice and to Dr. Debra Dean Murphy ’84 for bringing together practitioners from across the state who are passionate about changing narratives and changing lives.”

Murphy, co-director of the CRJ at WVWC along with Dr. Jessica Scott ’04, and also a member of the WVRJP advisory board, wrote the grant.

She added, “The shared work of the Center for Restorative Justice and the West Virginia Restorative Justice Project is not only transforming lives around the Mountain State through a range of initiatives, it is shedding a positive light on and bringing renewed visibility to the College’s commitment to serve West Virginia, Appalachia and the greater region.”