Volunteer, Engage, Impact

By Jacob Hayhurst In 1994, Dr. Ruthellen Phillips and Dr. Belle Zars designed a program to address three clearly identified needs of children: summer learning opportunities, adequate nutrition during summer months and safe and secure environments. The pair of doctors, who were working for the West Virginia University Extension Service, broke ground by piloting a…

Camp Brookside Environmental Education Center: A Hub of Activity in Summers County

Angela Allison Last May marked the opening of the newly restored Camp Brookside Environmental Education Center. This 32-acre island within the New River Gorge National River once provided a summer retreat for the children of Union Carbide’s Alloy plant. From 1946-1993, company employees sent their children to Camp Brookside, where they spent their summers learning…

West Virginia AgrAbility: Making Agriculture Accessible to All

By Matt Browning According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 200,000 farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers acquire occupational injuries each year that limit their ability to perform essential work tasks. The West Virginia AgrAbility program exists to assist these farmers and their family members with education and resources, ensuring our state’s farmers…

Using the Past to Educate the Future

By Shannon Lester Nestled in the hills of Southern West Virginia, Heritage Farm Museum & Village connects early Appalachian settlers’ survival ingenuity and ancestral problem solving with today’s technology to empower a brighter future. Home to more than 15 hand-hewn log structures—including indoor event space for up to 200 people, five log cabin inns, a…