Visitors stand outside Bridge to Hope Academy at Community Bridge on Feb. 21, 2024, in St. Albans. Community Bridge is providing space in its facility to Bridge to Hope, which said it would be West Virginia人妖色情片檚 first recovery high school.
During a tour of the facility on Feb. 21, 2024, King人妖色情片檚 River Lead Pastor Chris Kimbro, left, speaks with Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., seated, inside a classroom at Bridge to Hope Academy in St. Albans.
Visitors stand outside Bridge to Hope Academy at Community Bridge on Feb. 21, 2024, in St. Albans. Community Bridge is providing space in its facility to Bridge to Hope, which said it would be West Virginia人妖色情片檚 first recovery high school.
During a tour of the facility on Feb. 21, 2024, King人妖色情片檚 River Lead Pastor Chris Kimbro, left, speaks with Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., seated, inside a classroom at Bridge to Hope Academy in St. Albans.
ST. ALBANS, W.Va. 人妖色情片 When it was announced in February, Bridge to Hope Academy was supposed to be the state人妖色情片檚 first drug recovery high school, possibly with instruction beginning this fall. However, the 2024-25 school year began nearly a month ago, with no sign of the program opening.
Members of Bridge Valley人妖色情片檚 five-person leadership team said that they人妖色情片檇 initially be rolling out a virtual curriculum. The team hoped to expand as they secured funding to maybe have teachers on site in the future.
However, modest plans to welcome a couple of students each from Kanawha and Putnam counties isn人妖色情片檛 happening yet.
人妖色情片淲e thought we were going to be able to get some grant funding through different sources, but we didn人妖色情片檛 get that. We really hoped to have something in place this fall, but that just is not happening,人妖色情片 said Tina Ramirez, director of , who serves on the leadership team for Bridge to Hope.
When asked when they plan to open, she replied, 人妖色情片淣ot a clue.人妖色情片
The school人妖色情片檚 opening is on hold with no new timeline in place.
Ramirez explained that the process is ongoing 人妖色情片 albeit slow-moving, because everyone on the task force has a full-time job on top of their responsibilities with Bridge to Hope.
While she has been working on the project for 人妖色情片渟everal years,人妖色情片 the endeavor has hit a significant roadblock.
人妖色情片淭here is no funding at all,人妖色情片 Ramirez said. 人妖色情片淭he biggest thing is we need a director. Right now, we don人妖色情片檛 have anything in place other than the building.人妖色情片
Chris Kimbro, pastor of King人妖色情片檚 River Ministries in St. Albans and a member of the Bridge To Hope Academy leadership team, said, 人妖色情片淲e need someone who can dedicate their time to this full-time and get it off the ground.人妖色情片
Ramirez said they人妖色情片檙e also working to set up nonprofit tax status. Harbor Compliance, a compliance software company, to start a nonprofit organization in West Virginia but the filing of certain forms can increase the cost over $600.
No funding from state, no word from fed officials
Kimbro explained that King人妖色情片檚 River Ministries offered its Community Bridge building for the school. Kimbro, with Community Bridge, said Community Bridge is a separate nonprofit that supports area churches.
Kimbro said there was excitement from the community at the prospect of a recovery high school, with U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., visiting the site in February.
At the time, Miller said she would look into funding and other grants Bridge to Hope Academy may qualify for, as well as show her support any way she is able.
人妖色情片淪he toured our facility. We talked to her about the school, I believe they were talking to her about possible funding and I do not believe anything ever materialized from that,人妖色情片 Kimbro said. 人妖色情片淚t人妖色情片檚 definitely known there人妖色情片檚 a need for this; getting the initial funding seems to have been the hurdle.人妖色情片
Despite multiple requests, Miller人妖色情片檚 office did not respond to questions about funding opportunities for Bridge to Hope.
Ramirez said that the West Virginia Department of Human Services人妖色情片 Office of Drug Control Policy was also supportive of the endeavor in many ways, except financially.
While DoHS has funded collegiate recovery programs on several campuses across the state, it has not allocated funding for this community effort.
A statement from the DoHS said, 人妖色情片淭he DoHS been supportive of the concept of recovery schools in general, as evidenced by ODCP Assistant Director Rachel Thaxton人妖色情片檚 involvement. She participated in community meetings about the Bridge to Hope project and traveled with organizers to tour a similar recovery high school in North Carolina. However, ODCP did not provide financial support for the Bridge to Hope effort. This decision is based on the fact that ODCP does not have appropriated funding available for the support of recovery high schools at this time.人妖色情片
Kimbro said not meeting the original opening goal was 人妖色情片渁 little discouraging.人妖色情片
人妖色情片淲e人妖色情片檇 hoped to have it done by then but there were several other hurdles we have to go through. Of course, we have to establish a curriculum. I know Tina is working feverishly to get these things together.人妖色情片
Meanwhile, Ramirez says she is taking her time to do things 人妖色情片渢he right way,人妖色情片 which is why they have turned away 人妖色情片 which would provide fiduciary oversight, financial management and other administrative services to help build the nonprofit 人妖色情片 before.
人妖色情片淚 know it人妖色情片檚 not always the best to partner with someone who has money because it becomes their ideas only. Some people come in and you think they want to do the right thing ... but it becomes their way or no way.人妖色情片
Sierra Marling covers health and education. Contact her at 502-783-6738 or smarling@hdmediallc.com.
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