During The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation’s (TGKVF) Annual Report to the Community the Class of 2025 Change Maker Award winners were announced. Each year TGKVF honors organizations that are making positive changes in the communities we serve.
While each of our grantee partners show dedication and perseverance in the face of our region’s challenges, the organizations we highlight as Change Makers have exceeded our expectations in terms of innovation, resilience, and collaborative strategy.
TGKVF is excited to recognize each organization, showcase their work, and share their impact with others as an example to watch. Selection criteria includes leadership, long-term approach, organizational effectiveness, and field expertise.
The Class of 2025 Change Makers includes five nonprofit organizations from the areas of Arts & Culture, Basic Needs, Community and Economic Development, Education, and Heath.
Charleston Ballet, Inc. is honored as they begin their 70th anniversary season. Kim Pauley, Artistic Director and CEO knows ballet is more than artistic expression it teaches discipline, perseverance, and personal growth.
Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area, Inc., serves an often overlooked population with their Work Readiness Program and the impact their independent living skills program at Lincoln County High School. This partnership helps ensure that students who might otherwise feel overlooked are given tools, support, and encouragement they need to succeed. Jean Mansfield, Work Readiness Instructor sees lives transformed as students realize their potential and learn skills that work to gain a path towards independence.
The Heart + Hand Outreach Ministries, Inc., located in South Charleston works with families in Kanawha and Putnam counties. Jenny Keener, Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator and her team assist over 15,000 people each year through their food pantry clothing and household vouchers, and other community centered programs. Every day 15 to 245 carts of groceries are distributed to families in need.
Mountaineer Food Bank, Inc. based in Gassaway, serves as the state’s largest hunger relief network, distributing food through a network of over 460 partner agencies, including food pantries, meal programs, and community feeding sites. CEO Chad Morrison acknowledges the importance of community support in making their mission a reality, knowing every meal distributed brings a moment of hope to someone in need.
Read Aloud West Virginia, Inc. distributed over 29,000 books last year to support their mission of fostering a love of reading in children. Through their partnership with TGKVF, Read Aloud was able to expand its reach and bring book distributions to schools in Eastern Kanawha County. Executive Director Dawn Miller believes providing books for children to take home is an effort aimed not only at nurturing existing readers but at reaching children who haven’t yet discovered the joy of reading.
Films showcasing the work of these programs were premiered in May at the Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community event. These and previous Change Maker films can be found on the Foundation’s website www.tgkvf.org.
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, established in 1962 is a community foundation serving Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam counties. As one of the top 100 community foundations in the nation, TGKVF administers 580 funds with assets of $348 million.
