Our Impact
Our Impact
Restoring dignity isn’t just a mission, it’s measurable.
Restoring dignity isn’t just a mission, it’s measurable.
Embedded Files
WVSHI Inc. and Riverstone Community Services exist not only to build programs, but to deliver results. This page highlights the tangible outcomes of our work to date and will be updated annually to reflect our continued efforts to preserve history, support families, and strengthen communities across West Virginia.
Preserving the Past
Preserving the Past
Project Dignity launched to restore the cemeteries at the former Weston State Hospital.
Working with the WV Department of Health Facilities to secure a license agreement for access and restoration.
Three engraved memorial stones are in development, along with general site maintenance and improvements.
A deed transfer was formally requested to allow for a multi-organizational legal trust to collectively steward the cemeteries, an approach that would open access and ensure better care. Though the request was declined, the door remains open for future review.
Applied for a WV Historical Roadside Marker commemorating the Weston State Hospital Cemeteries. Although the application was completed and submitted, the marker program is currently paused statewide and submissions are not being reviewed at this time. Written authorization has been granted for installation on WV Department of Highways (DOH) property in Weston, and initial verbal approval was received for a second possible location nearby. Both proposed sites are within view of the former Weston State Hospital.
Ongoing genealogical and historical support provided to individuals seeking answers about family members once institutionalized in former West Virginia state hospitals.
Supporting Families and Communities
Supporting Families and Communities
Essential Needs Assistance Program (ENAP)
Holiday meal kits were provided to families in Upshur and Lewis Counties, and support for community blessing boxes continued throughout the year as funding allowed. ENAP delivered direct assistance to households across both counties, supplying food, pantry staples, hygiene items, diapers, cleaning supplies, and other essential goods. Utility assistance was also provided through direct payments to service providers, ensuring families maintained access to critical services during periods of financial hardship.
Kids Thrive
Kids Thrive expanded into four new schools in 2025, including three located in districts not served during the 2024–2025 school year, marking a significant extension of the program’s reach. Support for partner schools continued throughout the year and included clothing, diapers, wipes, detergent, take-home food kits, and Thanksgiving turkeys. The program sponsored a school field trip to ensure every student could participate, renewed its partnership in Lewis County following proactive outreach from Riverstone Community Services, and began preparation for the 2025–2026 school year before year’s end.
Bed for Every Head
The Bed for Every Head program opened on August 26, 2025, and operated for 127 days before the close of the year. During that time, twenty twin bed kits were placed, along with two cribs, one toddler bed, and one stand-alone twin bed frame, reaching families in Upshur, Lewis, Gilmer, Barbour, Braxton, and Webster Counties. Referrals came through multiple avenues, including local schools, the West Virginia Department of Human Services, Child Protective Services workers, and Head Start programs, as well as direct applications from community members. The program was restocked in the final months of 2025, allowing us to enter 2026 with inventory in place and new placements already underway as of January 2, 2026.
Recognition & Advocacy
Recognition & Advocacy
Submitted a successful nomination for a Governor’s Citation honoring a former Weston State Hospital employee who later became one of the facility’s first tour guides and played a key role in early preservation efforts.
Advocating for respectful public access to institutional cemeteries and transparency surrounding the history of state hospitals, particularly in spaces where access has been limited or withheld.
Actively guiding descendants of former patients through the difficult and often emotional process of obtaining records. We assist families in locating burial information, patient documentation, and historical context to help them better understand their loved ones’ time in institutional care.
Supporting former patients who are still living, many of whom continue to carry the burden of institutionalization. Whether by helping them navigate services, making referrals, or simply standing in acknowledgment of their experiences, we remain committed to those too often left behind.
Formally submitted a proclamation request to the West Virginia Governor’s Office to establish Dignity Day, a statewide day of recognition to honor those who died in former state hospitals, those who survived them, and those still struggling with mental illness today. While the request has not yet been approved or denied, it reflects our continued efforts to shift public awareness and state-level recognition toward justice and compassion.
Launched a mission-supporting eBay storefront
In July 2025, Riverstone Community Services launched an online resale platform, our official eBay storefront, as the first step toward developing Riverstone Community Thrift. All net proceeds from sales directly support WVSHI and Riverstone programs, helping sustain outreach, preservation, and assistance efforts across West Virginia.
Formally submitted a proclamation request to the West Virginia Governor’s Office to establish Dignity Day, a statewide day of recognition to honor those who died in former state hospitals, those who survived them, and those still struggling with mental illness today. The request was approved in August 2025, with the inaugural observance set for September 15.
Moments That Matter
Moments That Matter
Project Dignity Memorial Stone Designs
Project Dignity Memorial Stone Designs
Miniature models for the three engraved memorial stones planned for installation at the Weston State Hospital Cemeteries.
Miniature models for the three engraved memorial stones planned for installation at the Weston State Hospital Cemeteries.
Individual Lives Lived
Model 1 of 3. Represents honoring each life as individual and meaningful.
Time and Restoration
Model 2 of 3. Reflects the passage of time and the long-overdue effort to restore dignity.
Historical Tie-In
Model 3 of 3. Acknowledges the cemeteries’ place in the larger institutional history. The dove and olive branch will appear on all three final stones but were not included on each wooden model due to spacing limitations.
Dignity Day Proclamation
Governor Patrick Morrisey proclaimed September 15, 2025 as “Dignity Day” in West Virginia, established at the request of WVSHI Inc. through Project Dignity.
Dignity Day Proclamation
Governor Patrick Morrisey proclaimed September 15, 2025 as “Dignity Day” in West Virginia, established at the request of WVSHI Inc. through Project Dignity.
Our Mission at Work
Our Mission at Work
In the News
In the News
Bed for Every Head Program Delivers 12 New Beds Across Four West Virginia Counties
The Record Delta featured Riverstone Community Services’ Bed for Every Head program, reporting the successful completion of its first full round of distributions,twelve new bed kits delivered to children and families across Upshur, Gilmer, Randolph, and Webster Counties.
The article highlights the program’s early success and its growth made possible through support from the People’s Bank Foundation, illustrating Riverstone’s continued commitment to addressing essential needs and ensuring every child has a safe place to sleep.
Governor Morrisey Proclaims Dignity Day
WDTV coverage announced that Governor Patrick Morrisey has proclaimed September 15, 2025 as “Dignity Day” in West Virginia, to be observed each year on the third Monday in September. The proclamation honors those who lived, died, or survived time in the state’s public institutions, while affirming the dignity of individuals facing mental-health challenges today.
The article highlights the role of Project Dignity, a WVSHI initiative, noting the observance was established at WVSHI’s request as a step toward remembrance, respect, and the reduction of stigma.
Weston State Hospital Cemeteries Deemed Eligible for National Historic Register
My Buckhannon recently covered the announcement that the cemeteries associated with the former Weston State Hospital have been deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This development follows extensive efforts by WVSHI Inc. to research, document, and preserve these long-overlooked burial grounds.
The article highlights the role of Project Dignity, a WVSHI initiative, and includes statements from our founder on why this recognition matters, not only as a historical milestone, but as a step toward restoring respect and visibility to more than 5,000 individuals buried on the former hospital grounds.
Bed for Every Head Featured in The Record Delta
The Record Delta recently featured the launch of Bed for Every Head, a program of the Riverstone Community Services Branch of WVSHI Inc., now serving Upshur, Gilmer, and Randolph Counties. The article outlines the intent of the program, the structure of the bed kits, and the significance of reaching children who are without a proper place to sleep.
This first round of bed kit distributions was made possible through a grant from the People’s Bank Foundation. The piece includes direct statements from WVSHI's founder, as well as a look at how the program functions and what it hopes to grow into.
Our Supporters
Our Supporters
Everything we do, every program we operate, every delivery we make, and every step forward we take is possible because of the people who choose to believe in this work. This includes those who have given directly, supported our fundraisers, volunteered their time, offered their services, or simply shown up to remind us that this mission matters.
From local businesses and national brands to community members, educators, families, and friends, your support has helped children sleep safely, allowed families to receive essentials with dignity, and enabled our work to continue when it otherwise could not have.
Whether your involvement was once or ongoing, whether you purchased a chocolate bar, assisted with a meal kit, or shared our story with someone else, thank you. Every gesture has made a meaningful difference.
Affordable Cellphone Repair & Other Electronics (Buckhannon)
Antero Foundation
Barnyard Babyz A2Z Kids Consignment (Buckhannon)
Benedum Foundation
Bridgeport Running
Brenda Hyre Flack
Buffalo Wild Wings (Clarksburg)
Buffalo Wild Wings (Morgantown – Suncrest Town Center)
Emily Mawson
Food Lion
Hill Top Wood Shop (Greg Hill)
Judy Reckart
Kelly Ozias
Lewis County Recovery Resources Network
Lorn Burkhammer
Moon Flower (Buckhannon)
Pamela Rogers Weaver
Panera Bread (Whitehall)
People’s Bank Foundation
Peoples Bank (Buckhannon)
Primanti Bros. (Clarksburg)
RC Stor (Buckhannon)
Ruby Tuesday (Clarksburg)
Ruby Tuesday (Morgantown)
Sam’s Club (Clarksburg)
Sarris Candies
Sheetz (Weston)
Shoe Show
Susan Gay Smith
Target (Clarksburg)
Texas Roadhouse (Clarksburg)
Walmart (Buckhannon)
Walmart (Clarksburg)
Walmart (Cross Lanes)
Walmart (Elkins)
Walmart (Granville)
Walmart (Sutton)
Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund
West Virginia Wesleyan College – We LEAD Poverty Reduction Team
With Special Appreciation
With Special Appreciation
We extend our sincere thanks to Hope Gas for their generous support of our Kids Thrive program, providing vital resources that help children succeed.
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