MEET AN AMERICORPS ~ RAVEN

By Raven, Preserve WV AmeriCorps serving at Marion County Historical Society

My name is Raven Thomas and I am excited to be starting my second year of service as a Preserve West Virginia AmeriCorps member in my hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia. I am continuing my service at the Marion County Historical Society, Inc and Museum until 2015. I enjoy giving back to my community and preserving the heritage of my family and every other family that has roots in Marion County.

Part of my service to the county is to completely restore and preserve the attached portion of the Marion County Jail for future use. This is an ongoing project and once the jailhouse is finished, it will be open to public tours. The training at Jackson’s Mill provided a nice refresher course on hazardous materials and historic preservation and restoration techniques that are used for structures such as the jailhouse. I used the information that was given during the training to properly test the jail for lead paint and other materials and purchase the appropriate safety gear for myself and the volunteers for this project. I am looking forward to the coming year and the progress of this project.
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The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is made possible with grant funds from Volunteer WV and the Corporation for National and Community Service.