The West Virginia Humanities Council documents, sustains, and shares West Virginia’s rich history and living cultural traditions through the kindness and generosity of friends and supporters who want to tell the real stories of our beloved Mountain State. Now when you contribute to that good work, you can sport a piece of classic West Virginia folklore.
Become a Council GEM by joining our Give Every Month program at a monthly level of $5 or more, and receive our specially designed Grafton Monster pin touting the Council’s West Virginia Folklife Program. GEMs who give $15 or more receive two pins: the Grafton Monster (2023) and the Flatwoods Monster (2022). The Mothman pin, which debuted in 2021, is SOLD OUT. Designed exclusively for Council GEMs by Morgantown artist Liz Pavlovic, these enamel pins measure about 2” by 2-1/2” and feature cryptids of the Mountain State embracing the West Virginia Folklife Program’s official logo.
Sign up to become a Council GEM now and receive a limited-edition wearable piece of West Virginia folklore. On the donation form, check the box marked Monthly Recurring. Your gift will automatically repeat each month.
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The Grafton Monster loves West Virginia Folklife—and we love our Council GEMs!
Your monthly gift will:
- Support educational projects and programs statewide
- Preserve and document West Virginia’s vibrant cultural heritage and living traditions through the West Virginia Folklife Program
- Send our popular History Alive! speaker series to communities of every size around the state
- Maintain the MacFarland-Hubbard House, our historic 1836 headquarters property, as a public programming and event space
- Carry West Virginia’s story around the world through e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, available online at www.wvencyclopedia.org
- Support the West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, which offers a stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists/practitioners working with newer practitioners to facilitate the transmission of their respective forms, traditions, and techniques
Benefits of monthly giving:
- It's flexible. You can increase, decrease, or cancel your monthly gift at any time, without obligation.
- It's convenient. Your monthly gift lets you sustain our humanities work year-round through a single transaction.
- It’s tax-deductable. Each February, all donors receive an official letter confirming the prior year’s total contributions.
- It makes you a Council member. Your monthly gift gives you all the benefits of Council membership, including receiving our official newsletter, People & Mountains, our bimonthly publication The Broad Side, and more.
- It makes you a friend West Virginians can depend on. With your monthly gift, you make a commitment to help us help all West Virginians document our state’s rich and varied history; caretake and shape West Virginia’s living culture and its future; and research, write, and teach that great story, of which we’re all a part.
- It's green. Because you'll get fewer paper mailings, you'll allow the Council to conserve resources as you help provide humanities programming throughout the Mountain State!
Frequently asked questions:
Below are commonly asked questions about our GEM program. If we have not addressed your question below, please call our office at (304) 346-8500.
Q: Once I’ve made an online gift, how can I make changes to my account (i.e. change amount, change my credit card number)?
A: Please call our office at (304) 346-8500 to make your desired change. Your change will take effect during the current processing period.
Q: What if I need to stop giving. Can I stop whenever I want?
A: Of course! Just call (304) 346-8500. Your cancellation will take place during the current processing period.
Q: Will I receive verification of my donations for tax purposes?
A: Yes! All monthly donors will receive a letter at the beginning of each year reflecting the prior year’s total contributions. This letter is typically mailed in January.
Read about the origins of our cryptids on the e-WV:
Grafton Monster
Flatwoods Monster
