She’s never shied away from caring.
Not when she was one of six Pennybacker children growing up on Edgington Lane. Not as a student at St. Michael School, Central Catholic High, and Wheeling Park High. Not as a wife. Not as a friend. Not as a caregiver working in social services.
Never.
That’s why after serving nine months as the interim director of Youth Services System, Jill Eddy has been hired as the non-profit’s new executive director. Eddy served in a number of positions during the past quarter century, and as the interim executive director, she’s orchestrated rehabilitation.
“I accepted because I was concerned about the organization, and I wanted to do what I could to make it strong again because I believe this agency has amazing potential for the future,” Eddy said. “I definitely believe we are on track now and I believe we are building a team that will make us the best we’ve ever been. We focus on experience, and we have focused on a specific type of person who has areas of expertise.
“We now have the right people taking care of our buildings, in human resources, in our programs, and in development and communications, too,” said the 1988 grad of Fairmont State University. “Now that the state has divided the Department of Health and Human Resources, we’re going to see a lot of changes, and we’ll have to learn how to change along with it. But it was most important for us to return our focus to youth and families.”
Youth Services System will celebrate its 50th anniversary this Saturday with a banquet event at Stratford Spring. Roger Hoard will perform during dinner, and then Eli and the Mojo Kings will perform once the program is complete. Tickets are available here.
Eddy plans to share with the large crowd the progress she’s witnessed take place in 2024 alone.
“We have been working hard as an organization and we’ve been fine-tuning and working on all of our existing programs. We’ve been accredited after an extensive review, and we’ve renewed all of our licenses, and it’s like we’re regrouping to make sure we’re offering the best care possible,” Eddy said. “We’re also working on our buildings to get everything corrected that needs to be corrected, and that includes getting the Samaritan House open again after having an issue with that hillside.
“We have some damage that needs to be repaired but that’s going to happen soon, and we’ll freshen the building, too,” she said. “It’ll be an expense for us, but once it’s complete we’ll be able to meet more of the need.”
Sadly, The Need Is Real
The first line of the non-profit’s website page titled, “About” offers an honest assessment:
“Youth Services System, Inc. is committed to responding to the complex needs of youth at serious risk.”
At serious risk. Of being abused. Of being a victim. Of being in an environment no child should be in. Some cases are uglier than anyone wishes to realize.
Except Eddy, and that’s because admitting the problem creates the mission.
“I’ve been here while our services have grown, and I’ve been here to see how much our programs and our services are needed by so many people, and I have seen us become very, very good at what we do,” Eddy said. “We’ve learned through the years what we’re good and what we’re not, so it only makes sense to evolve this organization the way it needs to the most.
“Plus, I have watched while some organizations have brought in someone from the outside, and I was concerned it could happen here and that it would change the entire face of this organization. I never applied for chief executive officer. I was asked by the board if I would step in on an interim basis. After about nine months, I accepted the position on a full-time basis.”
Her path to a career in social services began while she was a junior at Fairmont State, but then she was accepted as the first student intern at the Ronald Mullholland Juvenile Center along Chapline Street in Wheeling. Today, the 26-bed facility serves all 55 West Virginia counties and the superintendent is Linda Scott, but YSS also operates youth emergency centers, recovery homes, and transitional living facilities.
“Since then, I’ve written grants, I’ve been a manager, a director, a program officer, and everything else, and now executive director. Why now? I have the history and I know the organization through and through. I’ve developed a lot of community-based services. From there, I hope to grow as we have to grow,” Eddy said. “I remember thinking there was no way I could ever do this job. I believed it just had to be too overwhelming because there’s just so much that we do.
“And it is overwhelming,” the executive director added. “But I get up each day and I’m doing it. And I’m doing it with an amazing team.”
