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Junior League of Wheeling Marks

As the Junior League of Wheeling celebrates its 75th anniversary, Wheeling resident Candace McBee feels honored and grateful to be serving as the organization’s president for the milestone year.

“It’s a good feeling. It’s very overwhelming. It’s a very honorable position to have, and I am very grateful to be in this office,” said McBee, who was installed in July for a one-year term.

A 10-year member of the league, she is enthused with plans for the diamond jubilee year and excited to see what the future holds for the organization of women committed to voluntarism in the community.

The highlight of the coming year is expected to be a much-anticipated revitalization and renovation of the Jane S. Altmeyer Playground at Heritage Port in downtown Wheeling. Construction of the playground in 1998 was a passion for Altmeyer, a longtime active league member who battled cancer for many years before her death.

This project is “near and dear to my heart,” McBee remarked. “Janie (Altmeyer) kind of pulled me into the league, and the playground is named after her.”

When McBee joined the league, remulching and making other improvements at the playground was her provisional class’ project.

The major revitalization of the playground is the Junior League’s ongoing signature project. Currently, members are raising funds for the $200,000 project. To date, $56,000 has been raised, the leader said.

Work on the playground is to be done in two phases. “We are hoping to begin phase one in May 2016. The second phase is to be done over the summer of 2016,” McBee said.

“The first phase is to replace the structure of the playground with updated materials,” she explained. “In the second phase, we will to go in and take out mulch and put rubberized surfacing to make it ADA-compliant.”

To meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the new surface will allow children in wheelchairs to visit the play area. Special swings will be installed to accommodate children who have disabilities.

A sensory wall is planned for children with autism, sensory disorders or impaired vision.

“It makes me feel good that we’re able to do those things,” said McBee, who is a speech therapist and works with children who have disabilities.

To generate additional funds for the project, league officials are writing applications for grants and plan to send out sponsorship packets, McBee said. “We are hoping to have a timeline in the next couple of months. Then we’ll know if we are on schedule with our project,” she added.

In July, the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley presented a community impact grant to the league for the sensory boards, wheelchair-accessible swings and new surface at the playground.

Meanwhile, the Junior League of Wheeling continues to do other projects in the community, such as a Kids in the Kitchen program presented in cooperation with the House of the Carpenter and Crittenton Services. The league also provides support to Harmony House, the Just for Kidz program at the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling and Habitat for Humanity.

“We also continue to do a lot of projects called ‘Done in a Day,'” McBee said. As the name of that program suggests, the nature of the one-day initiative changes all the time.

The endeavors have included partnering with Easter Seals, cleaning up areas around the city and renovating a room for Youth Services System. This year, the group hopes to revitalize a room at its headquarters located in Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church on National Road.

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The Junior League of Wheeling has approximately 40 active members and more than 100 sustaining members, McBee said, adding that membership remains “pretty constant.”

Prospective members are being invited to attend an open house at Ohio Valley Medical Center’s nurses’ residence, located at 2000 Eoff St., Wheeling, on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Women must be 21 or older to join the Junior League. “That’s the only age requirement,” she said. “Moms and their daughters join, which is kind of neat. Back in the day, primarily younger women joined, but now we are having more women in their 40s and 50s joining, which is pretty neat.”

For much of the league’s history, most women opted for sustainer status when they reached age 40. Now, however, McBee said, “We’re finding that more people want to keep going with the league. More younger people are busier with their kids. As they get older, they have more time to devote to community service.”

Reflecting on the Junior League’s legacy, the current president said, “I always see them as an absolute presence in Wheeling. and they’re a dynamic group of women that are very empowering. I hope that one day you’ll see that become more evident in the community.”

Sharing her wishes for future league members, McBee said she hopes that “they continue to do the things they’re doing and grow and prosper and develop projects. The Junior League is typically known for developing projects and then passing them on to other organizations. I hope they continue doing those projects.”

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The Junior League’s anniversary celebration began with a diamond jubilee event organized by the sustainers at Wheeling Country Club on June 20.

In addition, sustainers are holding a pig roast for active members and sustainers at Hess Shelter in Oglebay Park at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. Other celebrations and events, including an Affair with Flair in March, are planned throughout the year.

Incorporated in 1940, the Junior League of Wheeling is one of the area’s most active and vital service organizations. Throughout its history, the league has implemented community projects and programs that benefit the Upper Ohio Valley and its residents.

During its early years, members provided child care at the Neighborhood House, which was located on Eoff Street. In later years, most activities took place in the evening or on weekends as more and more members were working outside the home during the daytime.

One of the league’s most popular ventures was the publication of three hardcover cookbooks, starting in the 1970s and continuing into the 2000s. Over the years, members also participated in various projects under the auspices of the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley.

An example of a project launched by the league and later turned over to another organization is the Keep a Child in School program, which is now operated by St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Wheeling. For many years, the league offered Lollipop concerts for children, similar to the Eighth Note concerts now organized by the Wheeling Symphony’s auxiliary.

The local group is affiliated with the Association of Junior Leagues International Inc., an organization consisting of 293 leagues throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Great Britain with a collective membership of more than 155,000 women, officials said.

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