Wheeling resident Paul Smith has been reappointed by Gov. Jim Justice to serve a second three-year term on the West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service, also known as Volunteer West Virginia.
“It’s a great honor to have the confidence of Gov. Justice to be reappointed to the board of commissioners,” Smith said. “The vital work that Volunteer West Virginia does positively impacts citizens in each of West Virginia’s 55 counties. I am proud to serve.”
Created in 1994 by Gov. Gaston Caperton’s executive order, and later codified by the West Virginia Legislature, the bipartisan commission is responsible for advising and assisting the governor in developing and implementing a comprehensive statewide strategy to promote and expand community service and volunteer programs, as well as administering a budget of over $13 million in federal and state funding each year.
Volunteer West Virginia is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History and works to improve the quality of life for individuals and families by addressing critical community needs in education, health, food access, veterans services, disaster services, historic preservation, and environmental stewardship.
The commission oversees AmeriCorps West Virginia, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and ReadyWV disaster services programs, and provides grants to nonprofits, schools and other community organizations. In addition, it administers the Governor’s Service Awards, a recognition program that honors outstanding individuals and groups involved in solving social issues through volunteer service.
In 2023, over $9 million was granted to fund AmeriCorps programs, education awards for AmeriCorps members, and other volunteer service programs. Locally, over $300,000 in AmeriCorps funding is provided annually to help support Grow Ohio Valley’s urban and rural farms and education initiatives.
“You are a valuable asset to the board as it makes decisions that will improve the lives of all West Virginians,” Justice wrote in a letter to Smith informing him of his reappointment.
Smith is the president of Wheeling-based SmithMedia, an award-winning advertising and marketing agency. He is a graduate of the West Liberty University Gary E. West College of Business and has a long history of volunteer service and community involvement.
He has served as an advisor to Special Olympics and on the board of directors for several organizations including the West Liberty University Alumni Association, American Cancer Society, Peterson Hospital Foundation, and the United States Junior Chamber. Smith is a past president of the Ohio Valley Jaycees and in 2004 served as the 65th state president of the West Virginia Jaycees. He is also a member of the board of advisors of the Ohio Valley Jaycees Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, a past president and longtime board member of the Circus Saints and Sinners and is the founder and chairman of the Party on the Plaza Music and Food Festival, an annual fundraiser for WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital.
For more information on Volunteer West Virginia’s programs, visit volunteer.wv.gov
