Trending
Retired school employees across West Virginia are being honored this week, as the state has declared Sept. 25-29 WVARSE Week, recognizing members of the West Virginia Association of Retired School Employees.
The organization, established in 1957, serves as the voice of retired school employees in Charleston, recognizing the importance of retirees in the Mountain State and the contributions they make. WVARSE informs the governor and state Legislature about methods in which retired school employees continue to contribute daily to society. WVARSE also partners with AARP to lobby for benefits for senior educators and service personnel.
Members of the Ohio County chapter of WVARSE, OCARSE, not only contribute to various charities, but also spend hours volunteering as caregivers, in schools, in the healthcare system and in local sports, as well as other parts of the community.
Many OCARSE members keep record of those volunteer hours and submit them to the state chapter, which in turn submits them to the Legislature.
This past year, OCARSE donated cookies to staff members of each Ohio County school and the central office, donated blankets for the homeless, personal care items to Wheeling Health Right and children's books to be used in school book vending machines or neighborhood lending libraries.
OCARSE also offers four scholarships annually, three to students studying education and one to a student in the technology field. OCARSE offers a Wheeling Park senior a $500 scholarship and applications for those scholarships can be found in the guidance office. The OCARSE scholarship welcomed additional sponsors this past year: Paree Insurance, H. Lawrence Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Myles. Any businesses interested in donating to the scholarship fund can contact OCARSE Treasurer Mary Ellen Cook at 122 Brook St., Wheeling, 26003.
Retired Ohio County Schools employees can join OCARSE with $22.50 in annual dues. Lifetime members can subscribe for $150 and only pay $7.50 annually to OCARSE. Friends, spouses and significant others of retired employees can join as an associate for $22.50 annually.
Meetings are held the third Thursday of September, October, November, March, April and May. The September meeting is a kickoff picnic at a local park and the rest of the meetings are held at Elm Grove United Methodist Church at 11:30 a.m.