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In the last decade, the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund has contributed about $1.4 million to organizations in Washington County.

This year, the charity continues to celebrate its 10 years of service to 11 counties in the Mid-Ohio Valley by holding four events around the area. One of those events will be a program held Tuesday at St. Ambrose Church in Little Hocking.

In 1996, the charity was formed through the sale of Parkersburg ’s St. Joseph’s Hospital, originally a nonprofit agency, to private ownership. As part of that sale, more than $20 million was earmarked to continue to support nonprofit efforts. Thus, the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund was born.

Since 1996, the charity has approved almost 500 grants to 288 nonprofit agencies, a total of about $9 million. Allen Brokaw, a member of the grants review committee, said the charity has been very successful with its initiative to improve the health and wellness of area communities.

“I think this is the best kept secret in the area,” Brokaw said.

Brokaw said the committee sees about 90 grant applications a year and aims to release about $1 million a year into the community. With so many projects in need of funding and only so much to go around, Brokaw said his job of selecting the grants is a tough one.

“It’s really grueling,” he said. “The projects are very worthy.”

One of those agencies which has seen the generosity of the Sisters of St. Joseph year after year is Caring Connection in Marietta.  So far, the organization has received more than $100,000 for its prescription drug program from the charity.

“We couldn’t do it without them,” said Jim Tilly, director of Caring Connection. “It’s funded about 40 percent of our yearly costs.”

The Marietta Memorial Health Foundation is another community nonprofit that has been helped substantially by the Sisters of St. Joseph. They have received more than $155,000 for projects like a senior fitness center and end-of-life care.

“We want to make the best use of our local health care dollars, and I think our partnership has certainly fostered that,” said Jacky Miner, director of the foundation. “We’re very fortunate to have that group here in the valley.”

Ann Frost, assistant director for the Sisters of St. Joseph, said partnership with other nonprofits only extends their outreach into the community and increases the ways they can help.

“As a partner, collaboration is really important to the fund,” Frost said. “It’s interesting to see how many people even the smallest projects can impact.”

Libby Brokaw, Allen Brokaw’s wife and a board member for the Sisters of St. Joseph, said because the charity focuses on projects that will enhance health and wellness, they are always looking at the best way to achieve that goal as new grant applications come in.

“We’re constantly evaluating the directions we should go,” she said. “We’re always looking at what the current problems are.”

On Tuesday, the Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund will hold a program to celebrate its 10-year anniversary at the St. Ambrose Church in Little Hocking. The program will include a reflection on the last 10 years of service and spotlight the current needs in area counties.

The Sisters of St. Joseph support initiatives in 11 counties, including Washington, Meigs, and Athens counties in Ohio and Wood, Wirt and Pleasants counties in West Virginia.

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