Rotarians Herman Dixon (left) and Tom Midkiff (right) talk with Dr. Charles Chandler, Director of Mission WV.

"Be agents for change through the both the sacred and the secular, through both public and private sectors." That was the challenge set forth by Cecil Understood at a prayer service before his second inauguration as Governor in January, 1997.

That was the start of Mission West Virginia, Dr. Charles Chandler told Putnam Rotarians today.

Gov. Underwood donated the funds remaining in his campaign fund, about $250,000, to start the organization, and this was boosted by a grant of $750,000 from Wheeling-Pitt Steel Corporation (now Severstal North America).

The new non-profit at its inception had only one goal -- To improve the lives of West Virginians.

One of the several components of MWV is the Wellspring Center which encourages community involvement through governance training for churches and other community groups.

Under a grant by the Benedum Foundation, Wellspring is selecting four areas in the state wherein people will be encouraged to become more active and seek involvement in local initiatives.

Technology initiatives are coordinated through MWV's e-IMPACT program which provides hardware and training to "help people bridge the digital divide."

"We have a 'partnership' with the United States government," Chandler explained. As equipment is replaced in offices --"in Tallahassee, Nashville, Cincinnati, Baltimore" -- the broken and obsolete machines are collected in a Huntington warehouse.

"We cannibalize them, refurbish them, and sell them to churches, school groups and government offices," he said.

"We just filled an order from DHHR for 400 laptop computers which the department provided to low-income families."

Computers and computer labs provided through e-IMPACT are in evidence in churches and senior citizen centers throughout the state.

MWV's Operation Sharing makes surplus goods available including infant supplies, beverages, toiletries, office supplies, school materials, home repair goods and janitorial supplies. Any non-profit house of worship, municipality or educational program can apply to participate.

The Frameworks initiative, Chandler said, includes several programs to support and strengthen families in the state. Included in Frameworks are the following projects:

• One Church, One Child promotes adoption through places of worship.
• Relatives as Parents provides relative caregivers with resources, information, referrals and outreach for relatives who are raising children of other family members.
• Wendy's Wonderful Kids, initiated through Wendy's restaurants, seeks to find homes for children considered especially hard to place because of age, disability or being part of a sibling group.
• The Heart Gallery is shown throughout the state, a portrait exhibit to bring awareness of need and attract families for adoption.

Mission West Virginia seeks volunteer support from civic groups and individuals. Information is available at the Mission's web site or by phone at 304-562-0723,