On Thursday, August 24th and Friday, August 25th, Wheeling, WV and the northern panhandle will be hosts to leaders from the Kresge Foundation of Michigan. The visit is being hosted by Philanthropy West Virginia in partnership with the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, and the Wheeling Heritage Area.
As part of Philanthropy West Virginia’s commitment in their new organizational focus, “Philanthropy WV is focusing on how foundations, corporate giving, and individual philanthropists can take meaningful action that contributes to thriving communities in the Mountain State”, shares Paul D. Daugherty, president and CEO of the statewide leadership organization for philanthropy. He adds, “We are bringing our friends in the Kresge Foundation to share, collaborative, and take action around their lessons learned with community revitalization from Detroit to Nashville to cities comparable to West Virginia.”
The Kresge Foundation has worked in building effective partnerships and investments amongst business, nonprofits, and government to revitalize neighborhoods and communities. In this time of economic challenge for parts of our state, the program provides an opportunity to learn how West Virginia leaders can collaborate and rebuild our economy and community cores. Last fall, two West Virginia cities received special grants from the Kresge Foundation, including the Wheeling Heritage Area for its capital absorption strategy for business development and the Charleston’s West Invest Collaborative for neighborhood revitalization.
Visit leaders include Wendy Lewis Jackson, Managing Director of the Kresge Foundation’s Detroit Team and Chantel Rush, Program Officer for the Kresge Foundation’s American Cities work. The visit includes a series of tours, meetings, and a public breakfast for leaders from nonprofits, foundations, businesses, government, and community members. The general public is invited to hear about the strategies and work underway that can help advance the great work underway in this region and our state to create stronger and more resilient communities. You can register for the event by visiting: www.philanthropywv.org.
Daugherty shares, “We have promising potential head for our state if we work together across all sectors to build strong and thriving communities again. The Kresge Foundation’s humble efforts are lessons that we can apply in West Virginia.”
For more information, visit www.philanthropywv.org or call 304.517.1450
