By Loretta Jett-Haddad, President and CEO

As President and CEO of the Schoenbaum Center, it is my distinct pleasure to be the first person to contribute to our new blog. I invite you to check back regularly for future postings from our Board of Directors, service providers and other community leaders. We plan to feature postings on a variety of informative topics such as child care, nutrition, wellness, financial sustainability, elder care and emergency assistance resources.

Let me introduce you to the unique and wonderful Schoenbaum Center!

With the vision and generous support of Alex and Betty Schoenbaum, the Schoenbaum Center opened in 2002 and is West Virginia’s premier multi-tenant non-profit complex located in the heart of downtown Charleston. Our mission is to provide or coordinate needed resources for people, families, and businesses through services, community partnerships and opportunities. With eight community service providers under one roof, the Schoenbaum Center helps more than 20,000 people each year with resources to improve their health, safety, education, income and happiness. In addition, we provide more than 70 jobs, plus many volunteer opportunities for members of our community.

As always, our doors are open to everyone in our community and Hope Grows Here through a wide range of programs and services offered by our service providers (a list of these nonprofit organizations is provided under the Links section in this blog as well as on our website) including:

• Full-day child care for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years
• Adult education and workforce training for youth & adults
• Early intervention (birth to three)
• Child advocacy & consultation on child concerns
• Mentoring programs
• Information and referral to services
• Fraternal financial services and community programming
• Small business operational consulting
• Emergency assistance
• Personal assistance/homemaker services

The Schoenbaum Center serves as a shining example of hope and compassion by enriching families, businesses and the community.  I would like to close by sharing one of my favorite quotes from our Founding Benefactress, Betty Schoenbaum, “The joy of living is the joy of giving”.  Please consider supporting the Schoenbaum Center in your charitable giving. We need your support to continue to serve the wonderful people in West Virginia…our family, our friends and our neighbors.

And lastly, please stop by the Schoenbaum Center for a visit! I promise you will be amazed at who we are and what we do!