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The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation has received a $15 million bequest from a late Parkersburg businesswoman.
Calling her a "remarkable woman," the major gift from the late Mary M. "Mickey" Welch, who died in August 2019, is the largest in the history of the 57-year-old foundation, said Judy Sjostedt Ritchie, executive director of the foundation.
"It's been said 'Some people leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same,'" Sjostedt Ritchie said. "Mary M. "Mickey" Welch left footprints on the hearts of countless people throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley and elsewhere."
Welch was a successful owner of numerous businesses and was steadfast in her support of her community with "a boundless concern for others' well-being," Sjostedt Ritchie said.
"She always patiently listened when someone approached her with a need or an idea, and often gave support, quietly helping thousands of different individuals and organizations over the years," Sjostedt Ritchie said.
Welch, thoughtful in her giving and instrumental in making many good things possible, in recent years helped launch the Hunger and Safety Net funds for the foundation, both of which are addressing critical local needs during the pandemic.
When she passed away in August 2019, her family and friends were devastated as Wood County mourned the loss of one of its strongest champions, Sjostedt Ritchie said.
"But Welch had one more gift waiting," Sjostedt Ritchie said.
"Like the trailblazer she was in life – the first woman in West Virginia to drill an oil well – and with the spirit of compassion that was her hallmark, she once again stepped up to care for others."
Her $15 million bequest endows the Mary M. Welch Advised Fund of PACF, a permanent charitable fund to forever benefit the Parkersburg area, emphasizing those causes of keen interest to Welch during her lifetime.
"My mother loved her community. It was part of her family. She cared about improving life here for those most vulnerable-children, youth, special needs individuals, and animals," Mary Anne Ketelsen, her daughter and the fund adviser to the foundation, said. "She liked helping organizations that help people to help themselves and that enable families to build a better life."
Among her companies were Welch Oil & Gas, Welch Music, Commercial Office Equipment and Classic Rope, was a business associate of Mister Bee Potato Chips and retired after many years in the oil and gas business in 2014. She was a recipient of the Trailblazer W.E.A.L.T.H. award by the YWCA of Parkersburg and the Altrusa Club in 1987.
Her benevolence and service in life was extended to numerous organizations, including the boards of Camden Clark Hospital, SW Resources, the YWCA, the Parkersburg Art Center and the Oil, Gas, and Industrial Historical Association Museum, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, the Boys & Girls Club, the American Cancer Society, Chamber of Commerce, Moose Club, West Virginia University Foundation, WVU-P Foundation, Girl Scouts, Artsbridge and Mickey's House in Charleston, S.C.
"Mother gave to so many different worthy causes. She chose to place her major legacy gift with the PACF because in working with the foundation for many years, she saw that they, too, worked with a variety of groups, and did so fairly and impartially," Ketelsen said. "PACF is at the forefront of many good things here. She felt she could trust them to manage the gift she planned to leave for our community's benefit. She knew they would help seek out the best and most appropriate ways to use her gift far into the future."
The foundation is appreciative of the gift, according to Cynthia Brown, chair of the foundation Board of Directors.
"We're humbled by the magnitude of the trust that a gift of this size places in the PACF," she said. "Our Board is deeply honored to have been chosen by Mrs. Welch to receive such a wonderful gift that will help so many people in the coming years."
Robin Baylous, CPA, was Welch's long-time friend and business adviser.
"Mickey was a great friend; a deeply caring and generous person. She was also a very savvy businesswoman," Baylous said. "She saw the PACF as forward thinking and well-managed; she liked the fact that needs and times will change but the PACF will still be here."
Welch gave as she did during her lifetime, selflessly, Sjostedt Ritchie, executive director of the foundation since 1999, said. She placed her major legacy gift alongside those of others locally, large and small, all working together to build a stronger foundation for the Mid-Ohio Valley, Sjostedt Ritchie said.
The foundation will honor Welch's giving traditions with the fund, Sjostedt Ritchie said.
"It's important for those seeking resources to know that we will manage requests using PACF's existing grants processes," Ritchie said.
"Twice a year, our Community Action Grants program accepts requests. Annually, local Humane Societies may request help from the Hornbrook grants program and time-sensitive mini-grant requests can be requested anytime using the Foundation's S.U.N. grants process."
Organizations can review opportunities online at pacfwv.com/Receive/Grants or contact Marian Clowes, the foundation's associate director for community leadership, at 304 428-4438 or marian.clowes@pacfwv.com.
"A gift like this is transformational for PACF. It will accelerate our work," Sjostedt Ritchie said.
"Mickey supported so many important causes during her lifetime. Now, in partnership with PACF, with her daughter's guidance, Mickey's Fund will still be caring for the things that mattered to her far into the future, well past our lifetimes," Sjostedt Ritchie said.
"Amidst a difficult year for so many, Mickey's tremendous gift brings us all cause for hope for a brighter tomorrow here. We are proud to serve as her steward and ever-grateful to Mickey for her remarkable gift for our community."
The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Regional Affiliates works with individuals, families, businesses, and civic or nonprofit organizations to make a positive and permanent commitment for the community.