There’s a lot to be said for any organization that’s able to withstand the ups and downs that come during a half-century of service.

But when you’ve had a dedicated team leading an organization such as the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley, then thriving during the past 50 years is no surprise.

Started in 1972 through the vision of six local leaders — Joe Boutaugh, Robert F. Thompson, William H. Homan, Kurt Fox, Hale Fox and Stuart Bloch — the Wheeling-based foundation is now recognized as a model for others across the nation.

The foundation allows donors to make either specific or unrestricted gifts, with that money then filtering back to the community through scholarships, Community Impact Grants or other funds. Just this past year, the organization handed out more than $400,000 to local students to assist with their education after high school.

Encompassing a service area that includes Jefferson and Belmont counties in Ohio and Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Tyler and Wetzel counties in West Virginia, the foundation has grown through the last decade through mergers with the Jefferson County and Weirton Area community foundations.

“I’ve spent some time … looking back at from where we’ve come and who helped us to get where we are today,” Susie Nelson, the foundation’s executive director, said during an event to mark the milestone. “Fifty years is astounding. … I get to see all the good every day.

“It’s a very rewarding job, but none of it would be possible without the donors. They’re the ones putting the money in and making it all happen. Fifty years of that is huge, really huge.”

The Nov. 17 celebration had an added artistic touch. Students from nine high schools from across the region — Steubenville, Tyler Consolidated, Brooke, Buckeye Local, Jefferson County Christian, Valley, Shadyside, Madonna and Wheeling Central – created art pieces that captured what community means to them. Each student group got a canvas, a gift card for supplies and a $500 grant for their school’s art programs. These pieces will now hang permanently on the CFOV office walls.

It’s clear that our region is a much better place due to the efforts of the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley and its donors. As we near the end of 2022, perhaps a gift of your own is in order.

If that’s the case, then the foundation is there to help.