Contact: Jack Bailey (304) 766-4109

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service’s Healthy Grandfamilies program hosted the first Grand Conference Aug. 8-9 at the Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport, West Virginia. “Our main goal was to unite county leaders throughout the state for the first time and introduce them to new Healthy Grandfamilies extension staff and updated training requirements,” said Healthy Grandfamilies director Melissa Lilly, who organized and led the conference. “We had 134 participants, with 53 out of 55 counties in West Virginia represented. This conference was an excellent opportunity for networking and sharing ideas for successful programs.”
WVSU President Ericke Cage gave the conference opening address, while several other speakers discussed topics such as the history of the Healthy Grandfamilies program, upcoming projects and events, generational differences, navigating legal issues and resources, successful collaborations between Healthy Grandfamilies and the school system and the release of the first children’s book in West Virginia that addresses families dealing with drug addiction.
The event was sponsored by Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (GKVF), Pallotine Foundation of Huntington and CVS Aetna, who provided a generous donation of $30,000.
“We wanted to partner with Healthy Grandfamilies because we both work with the two most vulnerable populations – seniors and youth,” said Princess Young, CVS Aetna Community Development Manager. “Both programs work hard to identify needs and find solutions to problems. Healthy Grandfamilies is filling a void and changing lives by giving people hope, education and guidance.”
For more information on the Healthy Grandfamilies program, contact Melissa Lilly at .
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