Wheeling Salvation Army Commanders Transferring to Charlottesville, Virginia
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WHEELING -- Salvation Army Captains Mark and Jennifer Van Meter will be leaving Wheeling for a new appointment in Charlottesville, Virginia, on June 18, bidding farewell to a command the two have called home for the last four years.
Mark Van Meter said that, after their departure, the Salvation Army's work in Wheeling will continue.
"Every appointment has its challenges and opportunities," he said. "Wheeling has been no different. We've made this our home for the last four years, but we have a job to do, and ultimately the army needs us elsewhere right now. We're going to miss this community though, and the relationships we've built.
"You know, I believe that the Salvation Army is Wheeling's oldest social service agency, opening its doors way back in 1883," Van Meter continued, "and I believe it still deserves a seat at the table, now and in Wheeling's future. The mission is the same, 'Preach the Gospel of Jesus and meet human needs without discrimination.'"
Among the challenges the Van Meters faced was one not faced in modern history -- a COVID-19 pandemic that began just months after their appointment. They watched case files rise from around 200 per month to 2,000 per month during the pandemic.
Despite that hurdle, the Salvation Army in Wheeling saw its share of successes during the Van Meters' tenure.
The Salvation Army revamped a shelter program that has now seen more than 200 men go from homeless to permanent housing in the last three years, turned the thrift store on 16th Street into an enterprise that helps supports the larger mission of the agency, and saw a marked improvement in community volunteer engagement during the Christmas holidays.
Among those improvements were the introduction of a Christmas Chair, bell-ringing competitions and the reintroduction of an annual volunteer appreciation luncheon. The Van Meters also spearheaded the "Rock the Red" Kettle holiday kickoff event at WesBanco Arena and built an engaged advisory board of individuals that help drive the mission of The Salvation Army and provide a stabilizing hand during periods of transition.