The GFWC Bridgeport Junior Woman’s Club is pleased to submit their nomination for Outstanding West Virginia Junior as Gretchen Ross, Bridgeport resident and WBOY Anchor.

 

Ross has been a valuable member of the club since 2013.  Not only does she regularly attend meetings and volunteers for nearly every event, she previously served as the Public Policy Chairperson and currently serves as co-Chair for the President’s Special Project, Feed Our Future.

 

Ross isn’t just a co-chair, but has been the driving force in making this brand new endeavor not only a flagship project for the club, but her true personal passion for ensuring that children in our area do not go hungry.

 

In this role, Ross has spent many hours researching backpack programs in our area determining those with the greatest need.  She coordinated a guest speaker, an expert on our county’s backpack program, to address the club at one of the meetings and to further educate them on the needs of local children.

 

Ross spoke with the local Kiwanas club about Feed our Future, resulting in a donation for Wilsonburg Elementary’s backpack program.

 

In October, Ross helped with the Trick or Trot 5K, which raised $3,646 for the Mountaineer Food Bank.

 

Ross also helped with the club’s newest fundraiser, the Grocery Grab.  The fundraiser, in which the club partnered with Kroger, raised more than $5,000 for local backpack programs.  As a news anchor on WBOY, Ross has helped to ensure a significant amount of media coverage for Feed our Future.  She conducted interviews, and wrote, edited and voiced three stories relating the Grocery Grab Fundraiser and backpack program.

 

In November and December, Ross championed the coordination of backpack donations, which included many, many hours of shopping, sorting, organizing and delivering food to multiple local schools.

 

“Ross has gone so far above and beyond her obligation as a club member and co-chair and has turned a project still in it’s infancy into a booming success that has kept hundreds, if not more, West Virginia children from going hungry,” said club co-president Anna Matheny.

 

In addition to her job as evening anchor on WBOY and her work as a GFWC Bridgeport Junior, Gretchen Ross serves as a Generation West Virginia Board Member and Secretary, a United Way of Marion County Board Member, and is a Marion County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network founding member.  She is also very involved in local arts as an M.T Pockets Community Theater actor and volunteer, as well as a Vintage Theater Rustic Mechanicals Shakespeare Founding troupe member.  Gretchen is also a Southridge Community Church Middle School Volunteer.  Additionally, Ross has served as a judge and emcee and hosts of dozens of events over the past 3 years for non-profit organizations. 

 

In her “spare time” she enjoys running and has completed several races in 2016, including multiple half marathons.

 

Gretchen is the picture of poise and grace and embodies living the volunteer spirit each and every day within GFWC and beyond. She will be recognized at the Annual West Virginia GFWC Junior Woman’s Club Convention at The Greenbrier Resort in March.

 

“It is an honor and privilege to nominate her as our GFWC WV Outstanding Junior,” Matheny said.