(Photo by Shelley Hanson) National Council on Aging employees Jessica Conn, Lisa Bowling and Becky Raspperry participate in the Ohio County Family Resource Network’s annual Resource Fair on Wednesday in the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources parking lot.

WHEELING – The Ohio County Family Resource Network hosted about 35 different agencies during its annual resource fair on Wednesday at the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources parking lot.

“We really want to engage the people who work at DHHR, whether it’s children’s services or economic services,” said Claudia Raymer, executive director of Ohio County Family Resource Network. “But we’ve also invited our partners and friends to bring their staff. … This is another way everybody comes together.”

Agencies that participated included: Achieving True Self, Aetna Better Health of West Virginia, Belmont VA Outpatient Clinic, Child Care Resource Center, Crittenton Services, Willow Tree Learning Academy, Disability Rights, Easterseals, Family Service-Upper Ohio Valley, Foster Care Ombudsman, Genesis Youth Crisis Center, Jobs & Hope WV, Modivcare, NAMI Greater Wheeling, National Council On Aging, Northwood Health Systems, Northern Panhandle Head Start, Ohio County Adult Learning Center, Ohio County Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker program, Russell Nesbitt Services, Health Plan, Salvation Army, Unicare Upper Ohio Valley Sexual Assault Help Center, Wheeling Comprehensive Treatment Center, Wheeling Vet Center, WorkForce WV, West Virginia Rehabilitation Services, WVU Centers for Excellence in Disabilities Specialized Family Care Program, YWCA Wheeling, Youth Services System, Children’s Home of Wheeling and Right From The Start.

Among the many tents set up was one for the YWCA of Wheeling. Shannalee Kuri, director of the YWCA Wheeling Women Inspired in New Directions program, said the Y’s programming includes human trafficking awareness, domestic violence prevention, housing for women in need, and the WIND program.

“People are surprised to hear we have teen dating violence advocates in the high school,” she added. “We also have visitation and exchange programs for those who want to see their child while going through the court process.”

She noted the Y also still operates its women’s boutique, which offers gently used clothing to women applying for and starting new jobs. The boutique also sells clothing to the public.

Aleece Abell, marketing and development coordinator for Crittenton Services, said her organization is a mental health-based agency with locations across West Virginia.

“We’re known for our residential program where we take in girls and their babies where they receive residential care, mental health care, therapy, nursing and life skills,” she said.

Crittenton’s Wellspring Family Services offers mental health services for the community via visiting people’s homes and schools.

“Our big thing is trying to break the cycle of generational trauma,” Abell said. “An example is anytime you get upset you are constantly yelling and screaming, which really isn’t healthy but it’s what you’re used to and what you grew up with. So that’s one of the things we try to nip in the bud.”

The National Council on Aging’s tent was being manned by NCOA employees Jessica Conn, Lisa Bowling and Becky Raspperry.

Raspperry is manager of the NCOA’s Senior Community Service Employment Program in Wheeling. She said the program provides lower-income people 55 years old and older temporary job training. It can also help place people into permanent jobs. The participants learn news skills while at their temporary job site and receive a stipend. Raspperry said the agency is always looking for new jobs training sites.

“We help them get computer skills. We help them get their food handlers card or anything like that that would help them get a job and overcome their barriers,” she said. “A lot of them aren’t able to do the more labor-intensive jobs so we have to be more creative and find them an occupation they’re able to do, even if it’s part-time. Because a lot of them aren’t able to survive on Social Security alone or aren’t getting Social Security at all so we’re trying to get them back into the workforce.”

Raspperry said sometimes the job training site will end up hiring the person full-time after their period of training via NCOA is complete.