Spreading the message of Harless Center

On November 16^th, I traveled to Huntington, WV to attend a meeting of the Presbytery of West Virginia.  The Presbytery is the governing body of the Presbyterian Church and delegates from around the state of West Virginia gather four times a year to worship, do the business of the Presbytery, and share a lot of fellowship. 

At this particular meeting, churches from around the state were invited to bring a display illustrating a mission project that the church sponsors in and/or with their local community.  I was attending to share a display about Harless Center at Central Place.

As a result, I was able to spend time talking with plenty of persons who were interested and curious about our project.  Many had heard of it before due to our previous communications within the Presbytery, but some had not and most were not aware of recent events.

We shared the large display board that shows the artist’s rendering of the planned apartment complex along with the surrounding neighborhood.  This was large and colorful so it grabbed people’s interest immediately and made quite apparent what we are doing.  We shared our “At-A-Glance” handout that gives pertinent information in a one -page format.  In addition, we shared a handout that explained some reasons why a student would live at Central Place.  We had some favors remaining from our ground-breaking ceremony on Sept. 29^th that we handed out as well.

The comments from those who we talked to were overwhelmingly positive.  We were talking with parents and/or grandparents of future students, former students, or current students at WVU.  It was apparent that from a parental point of view, this is a very welcome and desirable project.  Some said, “I wish that this had been there when my daughter/son went to WVU, or “I’ll be sure to let my granddaughter/etc. know about this.”   The possibility of a positive peer culture that is built into an apartment complex offering community-building activities, faith exploration, building interfaith connections, etc. all resonated strongly with folks.   As a parent of a WVU graduate, I, too, experienced the sometimes rocky maturation process that newly independent students must navigate on the road to their college graduation.

So, it was a good day!  I enjoyed talking with folks about Harless Center.  We anticipate that by multiplying this type of event over time, many more persons will learn about and support Harless Center, whether through sending their students or by making donations to the project.

Linda Hagerty, Secretary Harless Center, Inc. Board of Directors