After 40 years of volunteer service in the Wheeling area, the Ohio Valley Jaycees have announced that the chapter has disbanded and formed a new entity—the Ohio Valley Jaycees Charitable Fund.
Declining membership and the deleterious societal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were cited as reasons for shuttering the chapter.
“After several years of shrinking membership and the disruption brought on by the COVID pandemic, it became clear that there wasn’t enough interest in keeping the chapter going,” said Ohio Valley Jaycees Charitable Fund Board of Advisors Chair Tammy Carney. “For many years, we were one of the top chapters in West Virginia and the nation, but times change, and we needed to change with them. This fund was established to continue the legacy of leadership and service of the Ohio Valley Jaycees.”
The money for the fund came primarily from the sale of the club’s meeting hall.
“From the very beginning, we all agreed that we wanted the money received from the sale of our beloved clubhouse to go to a worthy charitable cause,” said Board of Advisors member Paul Smith. “Rather than make a large, one-time donation, we decided to create the Ohio Valley Jaycees Charitable Fund and award an annual grant of up to $10,000 to a deserving nonprofit organization.”
As a donor-advised fund, the Jaycees fund will be administered by the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley (CFOV), while the advisory board will solicit and review applications from local nonprofits and make a grant recommendation to the CFOV. Organizations must provide services in either Ohio, Marshall or Belmont Counties to be eligible.
For more information, go to JayceesFund.org. Grant applications are being accepted until May 26th.
