A STATEMENT ON COVID-19 FROM THE WEST VIRGINIA HUMANITIES COUNCIL
UPDATED APRIL 20, 2020
West Virginia Humanities Council CARES Act Emergency Relief Grants:
https://wvhumanities.org/cares-act/
The West Virginia Humanities Council, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, considers public health and safety top priorities for its staff, board, program partners and participants, and grantees, as well as all humanity.
On Sunday, March 22, 2020, the Council began fulfilling all its primary office operations remotely. No staff member is expected to work on site until further notice. All regular committee and board meetings will be held remotely until further notice as well.
The Council is committed to mission continuity. All regular operations, including our year-round grantmaking programs, are active and ongoing. We anticipate no interruption in regular service to our grantees and partners, and are encountering no delays in responding to phone or email queries.
As of today, Monday, April 20, 2020, the Council is postponing or reformatting for digital delivery all on-site public events at the MacFarland-Hubbard House, our home base in Charleston, through at least the end of May 2020. We strongly encourage all our program partners and grantees across West Virginia to do the same with their event programs. The Council is committed to supporting and working with our grantees and partners to problem-solve creatively, as they opt to reschedule Council-supported events, or to reformat Council-supported events for digital delivery.
Members of the public should direct any inquiries regarding the status of Council-supported event programming in their home communities to the sponsoring organization directly, or to the event venue as a secondary option.
The Council is developing new, original in-house programming for delivery online and in social media spaces, to help foster and sustain a sense of community and connection during a time when many may feel isolated.
No attentive observer can deny that the COVID-19 crisis demonstrates how thoroughly connected we are to one another, locally and globally. Now more than ever, the Council recognizes its mandate to exemplify, honor, and promote awareness of our shared, common humanity. The health and peace of mind of our professional and public community will guide our decision-making throughout the coming weeks, even as we continue our mission to promote a vigorous program of the humanities everywhere in West Virginia.
All official statements regarding COVID-19’s impact on direct Council operations will be communicated to our members, partners, and grantees via email, across all Council social media platforms, and on our website, https://www.wvhumanities.org. Any changes to our in-house programming schedule will be communicated across those same platforms, and will also be noted on our online calendar of events.
Centers for Disease Control’s coronavirus information page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
The World Health Organization’s coronavirus information page: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
If you have questions, please reach out to Council staff via email at wvhuman@wvhumanities.org, or at 304-346-8500.
