Community

Tygart Valley United Way taking ‘bold’ approach to campaign this year

FAIRMONT - Tygart Valley United Way announced the beginning of its 2026 capital campaign Thursday morning the way it always has over the years.

With the most important meal of the day.

The organization's annual Leadership Breakfast heralding the start of the effort was served up at Fairmont State University.

It's a culinary tradition.

Nonprofit directors, workplace donation coordinators and general volunteers who make the local United Way, well, the local United Way ... sat down over scrambled eggs and bowls of fruit to talk about the campaign and all its particulars.

The "tradition" part of the morning, though, was over when the meal was.

Rather than dollars, Brett White, the CEO of the organization that does its work across Marion, Taylor, Barbour, Randolph and Tucker counties, focused on direction, instead.

Don't look for a campaign chair this year either, he said.

The campaign's "Be Bold" theme, White explained, is just that: A grouping of four "Bold Goals" that the CEO said will help Tygart Valley United Way define and hone its mission in the counties and communities it serves.

Its goals:

Community resiliency - an environment where every community is equipped to respond to challenges while thriving through change.

Youth opportunity - an environment where young people have the skills and networks to reach their full potential in life.

Financial security - an environment where money hardships are reduced and pathways are created to save and invest money for the future.

Healthy communities - an environment where overall health and well-being are improved by greater access to preventative care.

The template was set after months of focus groups and listening sessions, White said.

"We're no longer simply asking people to give to a collection of programs," he told the audience assembled at Colebank Hall. "We're asking people to invest in a shared vision."

Which goes back to the renewal of volunteer spirit and bend for community building that is the foundation of Tygart Valley United Way, said Bair Nuzum-Wise, who chairs its board of directors.

"That's really what the United Way has always been about," she said.

As part of the morning, those attending the breakfast also put together knapsacks of hygiene and personal products - rain ponchos, antibiotic ointment, toothbrush, toothpaste and the like - with a mind of helping people in a pinch.

"Something to get you through a day or two," said Casey Gilbert, Tygart Valley's community impact director.