West Virginia and Maryland Member Information

2025 CAUCUS MEETING INFO

  • Thursday, February 11 – 9am – 1:30 pm VIRTUAL (Legislative Day later in the month) Join ZOOM Meeting – Packet to be added
  • Tuesday, June 3
  • Tuesday, November 4
  • (previous year Caucus information found at the bottom of the page)

From the HUB:

 West Virginians are coming together to help Southern West Virginia communities clean up and rebuild

Southern West Virginia experienced severe flooding over the weekend brought on by an exceptionally heavy rain event. Gov. Patrick Morrissey declared a State of Emergency in Boone, Cabell, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mercer, McDowell, Mingo, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.

Williamson in Mingo County utilized their flood walls for the first major test since they were built in 1991 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Williamson, which sits along the Tug Fork River, has a flood stage of 27 feet. The Tug For River crested at just under 49 feet in Williamson on Sunday afternoon.

Bluefield in McDowell County dealt with flooding from Hurricane Helene and are now faced with another flooding disaster in less than a year.

These are just two communities that experienced historic flooding over the weekend. There are communities across the 13-county footprint that need help.

As communities begin the process of cleaning up and rebuilding, we compiled a list of some resources for those affected and how you can help.

Williamson Field House (1703 W 3rd Ave, Williamson, WV 25661) – The Williamson Field House has been converted into a disaster response center. People are there taking supplies for flood victims. For those wanting to help, you can call Jarrod Dean at (304) 785-7602.

Houston Methodist Church (83 Lavinia St. Kimball, WV 24853) – The Houston Methodist Church is taking clothing donations to help victims of the flooding. The church is currently only accepting clothing. For more information on needs, you can contact Brian Dash or Virginia Elliott-Dash at (304) 585-7952.

The Spark of Love Foundation – The organization is teaming up with the Tyler Mountain Volunteer Fire Department (5380 Big Tyler Rd, Cross Lanes, WV 25313) and the Racine Volunteer Fire Department (400 Volunteer St, Racine, WV 25165) to collect needed supplies. People looking to donate supplies directly can drop them off at the two fire departments or call (304) 993-9917 to arrange pick up. Additionally, people can make donations via CashApp using $sparkoflove4thekids or PayPal at The Spark of Love Foundation including “Flood Relief” in the memo.

The Harvest Center (100 Tennis Court Holden, WV 25625) – The Harvest Center is currently accepting donations. They are looking for water, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and non-perishable foods for flood victims. For those looking to help, contact Lisa Blankenship at (304) 785-5896.

Five Loves and Two Fishes Food Bank, Inc. (Coal Heritage HWY Kimball, WV 24853) – Five Loves and Two Fishes Food Bank, Inc. is looking for donations for those impacted by the flooding. If you would like to make physical donations of items, the organization is looking for water, cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods, hygiene products, and sleeping bags. To make monetary donations, you can go here.

Raleigh County Family Support Center (1038 N. Eisenhower Drive Beckley, WV 25801) – The Raleigh County Family Support Center is taking donations of water, cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods, personal hygiene products, and sleeping bags. If you are looking to help, contact the Raleigh County Family Support Center at (681) 539-0370.

United Way of Southern West Virginia Disaster Recovery Fund (110 Croft St., Beckley WV 25801) – The United Way of Southern West Virginia has activated the Disaster Recovery Fund to help those affected by the recent flooding. The United Way of Southern West Virginia is accepting donations of bleach, buckets, trash bags, brooms, shovels, rakes, gloves, mops, water, and non-perishable food. You can donate to the fund here. More resources and ways to help are becoming available as communities learn more what they need. Stay updated on the recovery efforts and share this list with friends, families, and your networks to spread the word.
ADVOCACY MATERIALS

From your Fahe Advocacy Team

The election is over and the landscape for the next administration is slowly coming into focus. As of the 14th, the AP called that Republicans have retained their narrow majority in the House of Representatives, resulting in a unified government. This means new faces in both elected and appointed positions and new policy and funding priorities. 

Over the next 3 months as appointments are made, legislation is introduced, and the budget process begins, we’ll be reaching out to help you navigate these shifts. You can expect: 

  • Support in crafting messaging that speaks to these new audiences.  
  • Information on which programs may be poised for cuts or increases – and how you can influence these decisions.
  • Opportunities to meet with the new staff in the Administration and Congress. 

To be well-positioned to have these important conversations at the Federal, State and Local levels, it’s important to have good relationships with these folks.  Remember one of Advocacy’s golden rules:  Don’t let your first contact with an elected office be when you’re facing a problem or asking for something. 

To help streamline this effort, each Caucus has sent letters of congratulations on your behalf to all of the Federal and State election winners in our footprint.  In addition, Jim has sent letters of congratulations from the entire network to all the Federal representatives in our footprint. We are on track to send WELL over 100 letters! Which is fantastic!

But, we know that local decisions are where the rubber meets the road. So we have a small request:

To help ensure we engage at the local level too (where your relationships are VITAL) we’ve drafted a basic letter of congratulations that you can modify for local leaders (new or returning!). 

You can use the template as formatted, make modifications (remove logos etc.), or copy and paste to your own letterhead.  What matters is that you take a few minutes to personalize and send a note (email or snail mail!) to your local leaders. And, if possible, please tell your Fahe Advocacy Staff Member who you’ve reached out to! You can just shoot us a list, or cc us on emails. Whatever is easiest. If you’re not sure where to find good addresses (email or snail) for local winners, please let us know.

And, if you’re feeling ambitious and you’d like to send something to your State and Federal Representatives, we can provide you with that template as well as the best addresses for those candidates/incumbents. Just reach out to your state point of contact, or Kylie Milliken ([email protected]).

As always, we’re here to talk if you have questions or concerns. Otherwise, we look forward to hearing hearing who you’re connecting with and supporting you in this transition over the months to come.

OPPORTUNITIES from the HUB

The HUB’s Kickstart Community Learning Library HERE

FHLB Pittsburgh District Needs Assessment 2025-2029

FHLB Pittsburgh Targeted Lending Plan

Community Products

First Front Door & Keys to Equity Recorded Webinar

FFD and Keys provide down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers and are offered through participating FHLBank Pittsburgh (FHLBank) members that provide first-mortgage financing. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you have questions, please email [email protected] or call 800-288-3400, option 3.

2025 First Front Door Keys to Equity fund (Keys) application OPENS Tues., March 18 

2025 First Front Door (FFD) application OPENS Tuesday, April 22

From The Fund!

WVHDF Info/Funding Opportunities – Link to WVHDF Programs Page

Board information HERE

Information from Previous Caucus Meetings:

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