The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation recently awarded three grants to West Virginia University through the WVU Foundation totaling $304,300.
These grants will benefit various programs, initiatives, and individuals at WVU including:
· WVFOODLINK Nourishing Networks Program - $152,300- Grant funding received by the program, led by Dr. Bradley Wilson in the department of geology and geography, will be used for county-level planning, projects and policies that address nutritional disparities in the states and promote healthy food access. The two-year pilot phase of the program will directly serve residents in six counties, potentially including Barbour, Boone, Fayette, Jackson, Logan, Mingo, Pocahontas and Upshur.
· Reed College of Media - $97,000 – Funding will support the development of a collaborative publishing and teaching enterprise connecting national and regional media with community organizations to expand the narrative of Central Appalachia. The research will be headed by Dana Coester, associate professor in the Reed College of Media. Through stronger collaboration among regional journalists, delivery of practical application of new skills to regional journalists, building a freelance journalism community, and more, this funding will support journalism in the state.
· West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care - $55,000 – Grant funding received will help identify West Virginians' attitudes toward treatment in their homes when they have a life-limiting illness and provide the impetus for the development of a coordinated community palliative care program. The project is led by Courtney Dunithan in the WVU Health Sciences Center for Health Ethics and Law.
The Benedum Foundation has awarded more than $34,642,000 to projects directed by WVU faculty members over the past 60 years to enhance the quality of life for West Virginians.
“The Benedum Foundation works with leaders throughout West Virginia University as they develop projects which advance the well-being of West Virginians and the communities in which they live,” said Mary Hunt, Program Director of Community and Economic Development at the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation was established in 1944 by West Virginia native and oil and gas industry businessman Michael L. Benedum. The Benedum Foundation provides grant-funding to projects and initiatives throughout West Virginia and Pittsburgh, two places that Benedum and his wife, Sarah, called home during their lifetime together.
Through the Benedum Foundation, funds are made available to projects and programs in the areas of education, economic development, health and human services, community development and civic engagement.
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation gifts were made in conjunction with A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University which runs through December 2017.
-WVU-
hk/4/26/2017
CONTACT:
Bill Nevin, WVU Foundation
304.284.4056; wnevin@wvuf.org