The Sisters Health Foundation seeks opportunities to collaborate and engage in special initiatives with other organizations and philanthropic partners on a local, state, and national level. Strengthening collaborative relationships is a key part of our mission and modeling collective leadership is a core value of the Congregation of St. Joseph. A few examples of special initiatives we have engaged in include:
- Collaborating with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, the Marietta Community Foundation, the Athens County Foundation, and the Meigs County Community Fund through the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio on responding to community needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing 1:1 matching funds to nonprofits addressing these priority areas: the needs of the senior population, food access and distribution, mental health and addiction related needs, healthcare infrastructure needs, as well as emerging needs. Emergency funding to address rent, mortgage, and utility assistance needs for individuals/households was also established through a partnership with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Consumer Credit Counseling of the Mid-Ohio Valley, and Community Resources.
- Collaborating with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, the Bernard McDonough Foundation, the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley, and the Fenton Foundation on addressing the substance use disorder crisis in the region by hiring a Substance Use Disorder Collaborative Director. The SUD Collaborative Director builds cross-sector partnerships among regional stakeholders, organizations, and community leaders to identify needs and develop strategies for addressing prevention, treatment, and ways to create supportive communities for people in recovery.
- Collaborating with the Center for Rural Health Development, the Mid-Ohio Valley Rural Health Alliance, the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department, the Benedum Foundation, and the McDonough Foundation on the Wild, Wonderful, Healthy WV initiative to create a culture of health by facilitating community health improvement planning through cross-sector community participation. Through this initiative, community leaders work to address social determinants of health (housing, employment, education, nutrition), support sustainable improvements in the health of our communities, and build upon the existing positive changes already occurring in these communities.
- Collaborating with the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation on convening backpack programs for networking and education about childhood hunger in our region.
- Collaborating with the Athens County Foundation, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville, and OhioHealth O’bleness on the Bounty in the Pantries initiative to address the lack of capacity in southeast Ohio food pantries to receive, store, and distribute healthy foods. Since 2013, $425,000 has been awarded to the Southeast Ohio Foodbank and area food pantries.
- Collaborating with the Benedum Foundation, McDonough Foundation, West Virginia Council of Churches, Huntington Food Bank, Mountaineer Food Bank, WV Office of Homeland Security, Step-by-Step, and VOAD to research and test best strategies for providing electricity/solar power to food pantries during natural disasters.
