Organization News
Senior Citizens Newsletter Online
The monthly distributed by the Belmont County Committee on Aging is now available online free of charge to subscribers. The July 2025 edition is now available ONLINE. Print copies may be picked up at individual centers in the coming month.
There are four Senior Citizen Centers in western Belmont County:
Barnesville – 229 E. Main Street, Nik Sells, coordinator, and Kindra Blackstone, assistant director
Bethesda – 118 S. Main Street, Sue Hines, coordinator, and J.B. Flood, assistant director
Centerville – 44642 Main Street (Jacobsburg mailing address), Donna Steadman, coordinator, and Bonnie Borovich, assistant director
Flushing – 208 High Street, Maxine Jurovcik, coordinator; Lee Nichol, assistant director
VFW Community Donations
Over the past several months members of Barnesville Post #2792, Veterans of Foreign Wars, provided donations totaling more than $11,000 to the following organizations and causes:
- Barnesville Golf Program
- Barnesville Wrestling Teams
- CVMA Honor Flights
- Homeless Vets
- Knights of Columbus
- Marlin Harper Fishing Tournament
- Mid-Ohio Valley Food Bank
- National Home for Children (van purchase donation)
- Route 800 Ballpark
- St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
- Somerset Township Park
- Summer Lunch Program
- Union Local After Prom Party
- Union Local Youth Baseball Program
New Banner for UL Rotary
(Union Local Rotary photo)
The new Union Local Rotary Banner was recently unveiled at a Wednesday club meeting at The Pike 40 restaurant near Morristown. Dirk Davis, left, and Bernie Thompson, right, spread out the banner at a recent club meeting.
Barnesville Junior Women’s Club
The Barnesville Junior Women’s Club recently announced a donation of $1,000 for the Barnesville Summer Lunch Program. Volunteer and cash donations are always needed for the program. Workers need not sign up, just show up at the Main Street United Methodist Church weekday mornings at 9:15 a.m. Work finishes each day at around 11 a.m. Delivery drivers are needed and appreciated.
Foster Hope Belmont County Delivery
The local nonprofit organization that supplies backpacks for regional youth in foster care, shared this past week that during the 2023-2024 school year, 16,000 children were in foster care in Ohio.
“Today, 59 of these children are in Belmont County”. The group recently delivered another 70 backpacks in the county to “prevent new foster children from carrying their belongings in garbage bags”.
Barnesville Rotary Club Election
The installation of officers for the new leadership year for the Barnesville Rotary Club took place this week at a banquet at the New Life Center on West Church Street. Past District Governor Dick Brixner installed Mary Sidwell as the 2025-2026 President, Jill Hissom as President-Elect for the 2026-2027 Rotary Year, and new board members Tom Morrison, who representative for past presidents, and Patty Riemenschneider, representative for non-past presidents. Rounding out her year at the Rotary helm was Brandi Little. New officers assume their posts on July 1.
Recent Barnesville Kiwanis Programs
During recent weekly meeting luncheon programs for members of the Barnesville Kiwanis Club, members learned about the Belmont County Head Start Program, Barnesville’s Kindness U Club, the Underground Railroad Museum – Ohio Valley, grant writing, Olney Friends School and the Barnesville Summer Lunch Program.
Fran Steed
Fran Steed, Barnesville resident and director of the Head Start program of the Community Action Commission of Belmont County, shared there are five centers in the county providing pre-school programs, including one in Barnesville. Other centers are located in Martins Ferry, St. Clairsville, Flushing and Bellaire.
The program also provides care for 24 county children who are birth to age three as Early Head Start, and in Martins Ferry, a hot lunch program for youngsters.
The county program is blessed to have an anonymous donor that has provided non-program assistance for families over the years. This help includes furniture, bedding and other household needs the families may not have the resources to provide.
The federal program dates to the 1960s when it was enacted by Congress as part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty.
Families interested in the program should contact the county office at (740) 338-3077, rgrear@cacbelmont.org or www.cacbelmont.org/head-start
Peyton Steed
Helping out runs in the Steed family. Fran’s son, Peyton, a BHS student, is now the leader of the Kindness U organization. It was founded by former high school student Lillian Ford who is now in college studying in the medical field.
The goal of the group is to instill a habit of volunteering in our young people. “Kids need to be part of something larger than themselves,” a wise Peyton shared.
The organization’s goal is to connect student volunteers with worthy projects. Member Jill Hissom noted the Barnesville Chamber has called on Peyton’s crew multiple times for projects ranging from Christmas in the Ville to parading around downtown in inflatable costumes for special occasions.
In addition to Peyton’s many talents and high school activities, he is a member of the Barnesville High School Key Club, a group sponsored by the Barnesville Kiwanis.
Anyone interested in help or volunteers eager to serve, please contact Peyton by text at (740) 296-3398.
Kristina Estle is a busy person who wears many hats throughout any given week. She is the owner of her own grant writing company, Lakeside Grants. She is the volunteer director and only employee of the Underground Railroad Museum – Ohio Valley located in Flushing. She is Philanthropy & Donor Stewardship Manager for Olney Friends School, and she is president of the budding Belmont County History Detectives.
And if that is not enough, the Piedmont Lake area resident recently completed a triathlon, and is the parent of two student swimmers. She also serves as a boy scout leader.
As a college student, she signed on to help underground railroad museum founder John Mattox while working on her college degree in public history. When Mattox tragically passed, she stepped in to continue his legacy. The museum is guided by a nine-member board.
Today, the museum is preparing for a move next year to the historic c. 1807 Black Horse Inn in Morristown. A multi-million-dollar Appalachian Grant will cover building repairs on the National Road-associated structure that is associated with the Underground Railroad.
Estle needs volunteers for the museum’s operation and move. She may be reached through the organization’s website or by email director@ugrrm.org
A certified grant writer, Estle’s Lakeside Grants, primarily serves nonprofit organization efforts. She’s currently working with the Village of Barnesville to raise funds for the depot roof project.
At Olney in addition to managing donor roles, she produced several podcasts for I-Heart Radio under the title “Friday Fun with Friends.”
The Barnesville Summer Lunch program is up and running! Founded several years ago by retired minister Jean Cooper and the late retired teacher Susan Groves, this is the first year the program has taken flight without its creators.
Joyce Spigarelli is one of the officers running the program this year. Each weekday morning shortly after 9 a.m., the basement of the Main Street United Methodist Church is a beehive of activity as volunteers prepare lunch bags for almost 300 youngsters in the Barnesville, Belmont-Bethesda and Somerton communities.
Donations of food come from several churches. For example, the Bethesda Chirstian Church provides potato chips for the entire summer.
Each free lunch contains healthy options including fruits and vegetables included in the meals.
During the week, sandwiches range from ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, bologna and cheese, hot dogs and a hot chicken sandwich midweek.
Monetary donations in the past year have helped the program gain footing. Generous donations give in memory of Groves as well as longtime supporter, the late Dr. Aaron Samuels, helped the initial push this year.
More donations are needed, Spigarelli said, noting the program costs between $15,000-$17,000 each year.
Volunteers are needed to pack lunches and deliver meals. Check donations may be made out to Summer Lunch Program and sent to P.O. Box 11, Barnesville, Ohio 43713.
Volunteers need not sign up but those who wish to or to find out more information on the program are asked to reach out to Spigarelli at (740) 340- 7127, Linda Stanley (740) 359-4949, Diane Blattler (740) 238-0250, or Kim Henderson (740) 310-7867.
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In other club news, the Barnesville Kiwanis recently supported the Barnesville Fireworks Display to the tune of $50 and issued a check to the Summer Lunch program for $500.
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