DECEMBER 2006

We recently received a $10,000 grant from United Way to help our after-school program. This money is being put to use immediately, as this particular program is bursting at the seams! We have several other grants out, including a YouthWorks grant that would allow us to upgrade our gym. We have progressed through several rounds of consideration and hope that we will be among the organizations selected to receive this grant.

NOVEMBER 2006

Wade has record numbers of children involved in its programs. (We have over 100 children regularly involved in our after-school program, for example.) But numbers don't tell the full story.

Even more encouraging are the personal stories of success. At our recent volunteer meeting, our staff reported they are seeing children learning to obey rules and respect boundaries... children learning how to be polite and mannerly... children learning to take studying seriously. One student even brought in a recent test result to show us that she had improved three letter grades, thanks to Wade's tutoring!

What a beautiful time of year! Our playground is covered with leaves, and the kids love it! They have really enjoyed playing in the the leaves and on our new swing sets. Each day, when the school bus lets them off or their parents drop them off, you can see a skip in their step as they come to our after-school program.

Any day when you walk down Wade's halls, you will hear the sound of children -- their laughter, their music, their playing. When we partnered with Heaven Sent Ministries to bring a family farm festival to our front lawn, you could even hear the sound of horses, goats and chickens!

On Thursdays, you'll see 40 high school students studying about how to be a witness for Christ through their athletic activities. And on Wednesdays, you'll see about the same number of college students at our coffeehouse. They listen to great live music and find fellowship and encouragement.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, you can hear the boys club enjoying a karaoke machine and the girls club making delicious treats in the kitchen. You can also hear the important discussions these groups have about important issues in their young lives.

OCTOBER 2006

In our last newsletter, we shared our great need for a van, and it wasn’t long before we received a check in the mail that allowed us to buy a 15-passenger van, a garage, insurance and a lot of gas!

The donation came from Danny and Lecia Smith, two Bluefield natives who were transferred to Roanoke four years ago. Lecia said, “We wanted to reinvest in Bluefield out of our love for the community and our confidence in this organization. I think it’s a wonderful project, and we hope to support it for many years to come.”

Children attending Vacation Bible School at Mt. Herman Baptist Church in Nemours, Va., collected $100 to purchase a computer for the Wade Center’s computer lab.

VBS directors, Susan and Dolly, said they met many of the children in Wade’s neighborhood while working at the Dairy Queen on Bluefield Avenue. After seeing the newsletter advertising our camp, they decided to get their church involved!

Gail Satterfield, who owns the Dairy Queens in Bluefield, W.Va., donated ice cream for our summer camp. Every Friday, each camper and staff member benefited from a cool treat to help ease the heat of the summer sun!

A $15,000 grant from the H.P. and Anne S. Hunnicutt Foundation allowed us to establish a coffeehouse program. A $10,000 donation from the Skewes Family Foundation was given to our general operating budget.

Nelson Linkous donated a video projector. Graydon and Judy Spivey gave a matching funds donation of $5,000. The Appalachian Artist Association donated $1,000 to help us buy supplies for our art room (see picture above).

J.C. and Susan Higginbotham donated money for recreation equipment in honor of their grandson’s birthday. This amazing teenager asked that they make this donation instead of buying him a present!

SEPTEMBER 2006

The Wade Center has been busy this fall! Just look at the picture below. Can you believe our playground was abandoned just a short time ago? Now, it’s overflowing with children and teens!

The flagship of our new strategy to reach into the community is an after school program. It takes place between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. For many latchkey kids, these hours in the afternoon become unstructured, unproductive time spent in unsafe environments. Our facilities will be open for students in first through eighth grades. They can choose to use our new computer lab, art room, gym, game room, library or tutoring areas.

One of the key needs children have is social belonging. This is the reason gangs are so prevalent — they are a group that offers a sense of community and value. For this reason, we are creating a place where children in grades 4-8 can find that sense of belonging. Boys meet on Mondays, and girls meet on Tuesdays. Boys and Girls Clubs, which last from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m. will provide an opportunity to discuss teen issues like dating, drugs, bullies and self-esteem. At the same time, students will have the opportunity to learn basic life skills.

JULY 2006

Summer was very busy at Wade, with every part of our facility being filled with children and teens! Here's a quick tour of what happened:

Each morning at 8 a.m., first through eighth grade students began a full day of fun and learning at Wade. Each morning started with educational activities led by certified instructors. At noon, all classes enjoyed lunch together in the Wade Café. Then, in the afternoons, they have the chance to play basketball, soccer, football and many other sports. The kids used Wade’s newly renovated playground and took several field trips.

The middle floor was also busy with activity. Thanks to the Hugh I. Shott, Jr. Foundation, we have been able to purchase and install heating and cooling units for each individual classroom. This hard work will pay off for the fall, when our computer lab, computer classroom, art room and tutoring rooms will be fully equipped for use. It’s exciting to see the progress in these rooms, and it is even more exciting to picture them filled with students again!

Our ground floor contains four classrooms and two large bathrooms that were used by visiting mission teams this summer. Each week, groups of about 70 students each came to Bluefield from all over the country to do community improvement projects.

JUNE 2006

Over the summer, bus loads of employees from Philip Morris came to the Wade Center to give our facility a much needed extreme makeover! Each year, they pick one charity to help per region. This year, they selected Wade and brought 140 employees and over $10,000 for a action-packed workday! They powerwashed the building exteriors, built us a new playground, started a garden, added two adjustable-height basketball goals with lines painted on the outdoor courts, prepared three classrooms for use, painted several murals, and much more! Since a picture is worth a thousand words, take a look at all these projects for yourself!

MAY 2006

At our open house on May 7, we honored many local folks for partnering with us in accomplishing the Wade Center's vision. We again thank the following individuals and churches for their support:

• Doug Bourne, Calvin Shoemaker and Ed & Nancy Simmons of Westminster Presbyterian Church
• The Open Door Sunday School class of Bland Street United Methodist Church
• Ronnie Hypes of First Christian
• Church Cathy Buzzo of Sacred Hearth Catholic Church
• Deidre Smalls of J.A. Easley Tabernacle
• Aaron White of John Stewart United Methodist Church
• Greg Shrewsberry from First United Methodist Church
• Jason Vicars, GHS Values Club Advisor and Graham Christian Church Youth Pastor
• Demetrius Stump of First Assembly of God
• Velma Harman of Trinity United Methodist Church
• Karen Harvey, GHS Art Club Advisor and member of Kee Street United Methodist Church

One of our most successful attempts to solicit community involvement at Wade has been through the "adopt a room" program. To the right, you can see our infant nursery, which will be called the Cruise Caring Center. It was adopted in honor of C.L., Emma, Bea and Nancy Cruise with thanksgiving for their unconditional nurturing love, by the granddaughters. It is now used for childcare during programs and events that involve adults at Wade. Next door is the toddler nursery which is being adopted by Quota International of South Bluefield.To the left, you can see two members of Bland Street United Methodist working on the room they adopted, the computer lab. Other organizations are adopting or sponsoring other classrooms by providing all the funds needed for their renovation. Brian's office was sponsored by Chuck and Christy Flynn in memory of their mother, Janet. Would you consider adopting a room? Can your business, organization or family be involved? CONTACT US!

APRIL 2006

It has been amazing to see how blessed we have been to find just the right people at the right time to accomplish a job. That happened in a huge way when the head of Bluefield State College’s nursing department e-mailed us with an idea. Three senior nursing students needed to do a project in the community involving health education and health services. We, at Wade, had been looking for just that for several months. A exciting new partnership has now been formed that benefits Bluefield State College, the Wade Center and most importantly, the community.These students are fulfilling their need for hours of community service while helping Wade prepare for this exciting new area of expansion. They are covering topics such as the dangers of alcohol, drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as proper nutrition, exercise, anger management and much more. In the future, it is hoped that this new room can be a key location for health screenings. The BSC effort will also encompass outreach into local residences to provide education about healthy eating habits. This exciting new chapter in the story of the Wade Center is just one of many examples of how all involved with the project can benefit as we come together for the good of our community.

MARCH 2006

Recent expansions in programming have included a Friday night basketball league that aims to reduce the loitering and crime problem in Bluefield. Teams compete in three-on-three games on Friday nights from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., with competition continuing weekly through May 26. The season winner will be awarded a cash prize of $300. Other prizes include a $100 prize for the season’s best dunk and trophies for the top three teams.

JANUARY 2006

Brian Checchio has resigned from his position as assistant pastor of Westminster Church, effective Dec. 31, in order to work full-time at the Wade Center. The expanding demands of overseeing Wade's programs and the fundraising efforts required that a full-time director work on-site.

A grant from the Shott Foundation has made it possible to heat each of Wade's individual rooms, which will serve as office space, a computer lab, an art room, tutoring rooms, seminar rooms, counseling rooms, a nursery and much more!

DECEMBER 2005

In December, we entered a float in Bluefield's Christmas parade. Children helped design and decorate our float, which won an award in the city's contest.

This winter, we also were able to complete the heating of the three large areas of Wade, thanks to the generous donations of many local businesses and individuals. Wade also received grants and large donations from the COFY Coalition (Creating Opportunities For Youth), Westminster Church, the 1912 Charitable Foundation of First Community Bank and the Community Foundation of the Virginias.

OCTOBER 2005

Many thanks to First Christian Church, one of the first local churches and organizations who have decided to help the Wade Center through a one-time donation of $5,000 (seen to the left). We would also like to thank Graham High School's Art Club (pictured below) for helping us on a recent Saturday workday. Graham's Values Club, Bluefield College, and several other organizations have also recently helped us out! They have helped us prepare facilities to house our initial programs -- Tuesday Tutoring, Saturday Open Gym, Sunday Worship, and Sunday Day Camp.

AUGUST 2005

The NewSong concert on Fri., Aug. 19, went even better than expected. The Bluefield Recreation Department was filled with hundreds of local folks of all ages, who came to see a talented band, worship God, and raise money for the Wade Center. Many thanks to Adventure Radio for exclusively sponsoring the total cost of this event so Wade could benefit. Our first VBS was very successful as well. This event was a great starting point for relationships with the neighborhood children and a great test run of limited programming that showed support for Wade -- both from participants and volunteers.

Thanks to volunteers John and Pat, the Wade Cafe area has been completely cleaned and repainted. Glenn is reflooring the damaged areas of the hardwood floor in the gym. Ed is cutting down trees (seen below). And many volunteers continue the work of restoring the auditorium.

JULY 2005

The community picnic to celebration the purchase of the building went very well, with about 50 neighborhood children and 100 adults coming to Wade for food and fun. Best of all, they were made aware of upcoming programs, such as a VBS in early August and an after-school program as soon as funding and renovation allows.

JUNE 2005

Volunteers are helping with the renovating effort in work days that are held every Saturday. Below, you can see some of the progress.

MAY 2005

John Feuchtenberger represented the Wade Center corporation at the auction. He placed the only bid and won the auction. Below, he is pictured signing the paperwork and receiving the keys to the building. Many thanks to those whose contributions have allowed us to purchase the building, especially the Katherine B. Tierney Charitable Foundation of Bluefield, WV, for the grant of $25,000 that made this day possible.

The "Dinner and a Show" fundraiser featuring Christian comedy group Bean & Bailey was a great success. Thousands of dollars were raised that will help us begin the work of renovating Wade. Many thanks to our sponsors: Goodykoontz Drug Store, Paper & More Outlet, and Linda Whalen for Bluefield City Board.

EARLY 2005

April 2005 - This month, the Wade Center coordinated a benefit concert held to help raise awareness about Wade and raise additional funds. Our sponsors -- J104, Bluefield College, The Candy Company, Bluefield WV FCA, and Chick-Fil-A -- made it possible to bring in the Christian rap group Grits, and we thank them for their support of our project!

February 2005 - Local community groups are showing support for Wade. The Kiwanis have declared their support and have given a monetary donation. The City Board issued a resolution of support. Discussions are underway with 84 Lumber for providing building materials and a playground free of charge.

January 2005 - The Katherine B. Tierney Charitable Foundation of Bluefield, WV, has awarded the Wade Center $25,000, which will help purchase the building when it is auctioned.

2004

December 2004 - The Wade Center has become a separate legal entity, and is in the process of attaining nonprofit status.

August 2004 - Shannon Atwell has been retained as the new grant writer and is in the process of submitting several large grant proposals to local foundations.

June 2004 - The first announcement to the general public came with a news story on NewsChannel Six.

May 2004 - Our first steps have included taking a tour of the building, retaining the services of Dr. Loundmonclay as our development consultant, discussing possible names, submitting our first grant proposal, and beginning work on local fundraising efforts.

April 2004 - Brian Checchio made the first announcement of plans for Wade in a sermon on Compassion Sunday. First, he preached on the biblical mandate to show compassion and then on one possible application of the principle at Wade.