Nov 13, 2017 5 min read

WAYNESBURG – After more than six years serving as the executive director of Greene County United Way, Barb Wise will be retiring Dec. 21.

Turning 62 in January, Wise said she’s looking forward to spending more time with family and traveling. And, of course, volunteering.

“I’m going to explore other options in my volunteering career,” she said. “It’s just in my heart to help people.”

One of those places she plans to volunteer is at the hospital.

“I hope I have enough to keep me busy,” Wise said of her schedule post-retirement.

She said she has a couple of trips planned now that she’ll have the time to travel, but Wise isn’t one to sit still for long. She’s been the director since 2011, but served on the board for six years prior.

In her time as director, she’s helped to raise $1.5 million, $450,000 of which has been provided to their 17 partner agencies.

“Going forward, I hope people continue to donate to the cause because it’s a worthy cause,” Wise said.

Wise is especially proud of her shelter efforts in Greene County. She was instrumental in starting the Warm Nights initiative in 2015 that offered temporary shelters to those in need on frigid evenings. They’re now preparing for their third season this winter.

Thanks to her, there are also seven Red Cross disaster shelters across the county. When she learned there was only one shelter in Carmichaels, she knew the Red Cross needed a stronger local presence.

After flooding last December, Wise helped to established Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster, a group of organizations that solicited donations from large corporations and also helped get the word out about the scope of the damage. They raised $21,000 for flood victims.

Wise has been keeping records on her volunteer work since 2004.

“I have lots of firsts. I’m just an event planner,” she said as she looked over a lengthy list of boards she served on and other accomplishments.

Of course, it hasn’t always been easy. When Emerald Mine closed in November 2015, there was a big hit to annual donations.

Wise previously said those mine workers contributed about $38,000 to the United Way campaign through donations. At the time, they were the second highest contributor, behind only Cumberland Mine. After that, United Way needed to reprioritize. Though natural gas workers are plentiful, their home locations aren’t necessarily in Greene County.

“People don’t understand that employee campaigns should be in businesses that are home-based here,” she said.

Things aren’t all gloomy, though. This year, Community Bank has sponsored a Yeti cooler package. Every $50 donated gets a ticket for the drawing in January. Wise said it’s the first year in a long time they’ve been able to offer an incentive like that.

Looking through her participation in board and committees over the years, it’s evident giving back has been central in her life. But even with volunteering being so crucial to who she is now, Wise said she wasn’t always as outgoing and willing to help.

Taking the first community builders class with the Community Foundation of Greene County helped bring her out of her shell and showed her how she could make an impact locally. She was honored as the Community Builder of the Year in 2005 and has been taking on projects ever since.

“It’s my calling, and I sure do have fun doing it,” Wise said.

Now, she never sees a day where she’s not volunteering.

“It’s hard for me to say no,” she said, adding that it may seem that she jumps around to lots of projects, but she calls herself “officer material.” She likes to help get things going, usually enjoying doing the things other people don’t like, such as administrative work and event planning. She said she likes it because she’s organized. Wise stays with a project as long as she feels useful and productive.

“I don’t do it for recognition. I get a high helping people. I’ve been called a mover and a shaker,” she said. “You know what, though? It’s all about having fun.”

When she started as the executive director, Wise said she had to teach herself most of what she now knows. There were many mistakes in that first year, but nothing that couldn’t fixed.

“I’m confident they’ll hire the right person to take over,” she said, adding she would come back to help train the incoming director if it was needed.

Greene County United Way board President Marilynn Bartley said they’re in the middle of their search for a new director and have conducted a few interviews.

“Barb did a wonderful job. We’re going to miss her,” she said.

Fundraising and nonprofit experience are a plus for anyone interested in the position.

“A lot of it’s going to be fundraising. We’re a very committed board. We’re passionate about United Way in the community. We’d love to find someone that’s passionate,” she said. “I know we’re a smaller United Way, but we’re really committed to helping our community.”

To the next director, Wise said she encourages them to get out in the community and meet people.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for all my friends and the help we all give each other,” Wise said. “I will miss it, but I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life.”

Anyone interested in the position can send their résumé to Bartley at P.O. Box 255, Carmichaels, PA 15320, or via e-mail at marebartley65@yahoo.com. Interested applicants must be able to meet all clearance requirements and include their salary requirements with their résumé.

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