Since the ceremonial groundbreaking of Greenbrier Valley family activity center project, much work has been underway to listen deeply to the community, plan with the long term in mind, and consider the community’s greatest needs.

 

Significant community input

 

Nearly 250 residents have taken part in a community needs assessment in addition to inputs from focus groups, and interviews with families, teens, seniors, caregivers, educators, and health and economic development leaders over the last several months. That input — paired with regional public health and economic data — has informed the facility name announced today and is shaping the center’s design and programming around three goals to help all ages thrive in the Greenbrier Valley by:

 

• Improving physical and mental health;

•Reducing isolation and strengthening belonging;

• Building confidence, independence, and life engagement.

 

A Center with Community at its core identity. 

 

One message from the community came through clearly and repeatedly: this must not be a place for just one group, or just one purpose. Participants described wanting a community hub first — a welcoming, accessible space neighbors across all ages can simply be together - where seniors can have coffee after a class, a teenager can find a safe place to be after school, a parent can attend a wellness program while their child is engaged nearby, and youth and adults alike have more opportunities for indoor recreation.

 

Guided by input from the community, the project is now ready to announce its name - the Greenbrier Valley Community Center. With community center as the anchor of its identity, this reflects what it truly is: a place for all of us. While the center will sit in White Sulphur Springs, it will proudly serve White Sulphur Springs and nearby towns that make up the Greenbrier Valley.

 

The Greenbrier Valley Community Center is partnering with organizations including the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center and many more expected. 

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Building Campaign Update

 

The project is committed to building the facility debt-free. More than half of the $5.5 million construction goal has been raised in the campaign’s silent phase, and organizers are now entering a broader fundraising phase to seek additional donations and grant opportunities as well as future endowment. A scholarship and sliding-scale access model is planned to keep membership affordable for all residents.

 

The Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation serves as the fiscal partner for the project and donations may be made by visiting their website at https://gvfoundation.org

 

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