The Women’s Giving Circle of North Central West Virginia (WGC) held its annual Spring Bash this week and welcomed a princess.
A component fund of Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia Inc. (YCF), the WGC hosted Sarah Culberson and presented her with a surprise donation of $4,000 for her nonprofit, Sierra Leone Rising.
The event was open to all community women who wanted to learn about the WGC and how to get involved in a community of thoughtful, effective women philanthropists. Culberson was the featured speaker.
A Morgantown native, Princess Sarah is an internationally known thought leader and an honored recipient of the prestigious Trumpet Impact Award. Her story, A Princess Found, has been shared globally and is currently being adapted into a major motion picture for Disney Studios by award-winning filmmaker Stephanie Allain.
“We are so privileged to have distinguished speaker Princess Sarah attend our event to speak about the importance of philanthropy and how women can impact their society on a grassroots level,” said WGC Chair Bessie Fooks.
Princess Sarah Culberson hails from Sierra Leone but was adopted and grew up in Morgantown.
Since she learned of her connection to Sierra Leone, Culberson has worked to bring improvements to her homeland. Her father, Joseph Konio Kpsowa, is part of the ruling family of the Mende tribe, in the country’s southern province. Thus Culberson’s title.
As a toddler, she was adopted by Jim Culberson of Morgantown and the late Judy Culberson.
With her Culberson family and Kpsowa family, she helped found Sierra Leone Rising, a nonprofit that helps build schools and technology networks, while providing medical services and feminine hygiene products for young women.
The WGC is dedicated to engaging women of all generations in the power of community philanthropy. The mission is to build a community of thoughtful, effective women philanthropists and create a legacy to address the needs of women and girls in north-central West Virginia.
Each year, the WGC awards grants to organizations serving women and girls in the region. Since its inception in 2014, the WGC has awarded over $125,000 to local nonprofits.
For more information about the WGC, visit its website at womensgivingcircleofncwv.org.
To learn more about YCF, visit its website at: ycfwv.org, or call 304-296-3433.
To learn more about Princess Sarah and her work, visit her website at https://sarahculberson.com/.
