Story by Tom Markland
MARTINSBURG — Issues like substance abuse, suicide and domestic violence are all a concern for a variety of local nonprofits.
Three nonprofits that are working to help people in the Eastern Panhandle have joined United Way’s Unity Campaign, including The Martinsburg Initiative, Community Alternatives to Violence and the Brian O’Neill Jr. Foundation.
Since its founding, the Brian O’Neill Jr. Foundation has worked its way into six schools throughout the Eastern Panhandle with the Sources of Strength program, with the hope of changing norms and behaviors surrounding suicide and making students more connected to give them more social support. This year, funds received through the Unity Campaign will go to expanding the foundation’s Sources of Strength and My Village programs.
Through the Sources of Strength program, students work with adult advisors and peer leaders through trainings that help them learn about their strengths, helping them manage high stress, depression, anxiety or anger. Students then meet with adult advisors to plan campaigns in their schools to spread the word.
Just last year, it started the My Village program as a place for teens to connect, make friends and be themselves outside of school, while giving them the opportunity to participate in workshops that help mitigate their stresses. The program is run monthly, from April to October, by professionals in fields such as mental health, music therapy and substance misuse. In the past, the foundation partnered with outside organizations like Horses with Hearts to give teens unique opportunities to destress.
Another group working with the Unity Campaign that helps the Eastern Panhandle is Community Alternatives to Violence, a small nonprofit that works to prevent abusive behavior through educational programs.
Participants in its 32-week program sit in discussions run by trained facilitators, who guide them through various topics regarding respectful relationships. Participants can be referred by courts, Child Protective Services and various other places, as well as people who realize they need the help.
According to Jo Elliott, the nonprofit’s executive director, the money CAV receives through the Unity Campaign will help offset the fees of people that can’t afford to go through the program.
“A significant number of our folks are underemployed or unemployed and cannot pay a fee,” Elliott said. “Those folks will perform community service in lieu of paying fees, which benefits the community. We do not allow the inability to pay to prevent anyone from getting through this program.”
According to Elliott, between 300-400 people from all three Eastern Panhandle counties go through the program every year. CAV has been operating since 1996 and is the only licensed program in the Eastern Panhandle that can do the work it does.
Substance abuse is a major issue for the Eastern Panhandle, and The Martinsburg Initiative is one local nonprofit that is working to help prevent it by empowering families and community members. The organization formed in partnership with educators, law enforcement and health experts.
This year, funds donated through the Unity Campaign will help support its Garden of Promise — raised garden beds located outside its extension building on Raleigh Street where families can plant and harvest to add fresh vegetables to their meals.
The Garden of Promise will have a designated staff member assigned to maintain, plant and harvest the garden and host nature-based summer activities for children and families in partnership with the Potomac Valley Audubon Society. The staff member also will facilitate activities like yoga for educators and first responders.
To donate to any of the participating agencies during the campaign, visit uwayep.org/UnityCampaign or text the word UNITY to 71777.