Meeting Community Needs Together

Pictured from left: Fred Kellerman, Scarlett Kellerman, Abigail Spangler and Josiah Spangler.

Wellspring of Greenbrier, a nonprofit organization in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, aims to alleviate the symptoms of poverty in the community. Wellspring started in the trunk of Fred and Scarlett Kellerman's car in 2004. What was once weekly grocery handouts has since expanded to include a community center called the Day Haven, where people can receive hygiene products, do laundry, get something to drink and apply for programs; a food bank; resource center; and more for hundreds in the surrounding area.

In 2022, the Kellermans were looking to retire and pass on their roles to a new generation of community caregivers. Abby and Josiah Spangler, WVU School of Nursing alumni and Greenbrier County natives, stepped up to the occasion.

“At first it was I thought it was going to be hard to find a connection, because it's so different from bedside nursing, but we're definitely in community health,” Abby said. “We kind of quickly realized that the community is almost like our patient.”

Current co-directors of Wellspring, Abby and Josiah had a long tenure in nursing before becoming nonprofit directors. Both were nursing aides before they attended WVU for their four-year nursing degree. After they completed their degrees and externships, the duo moved to Charleston and began working at CAMC Memorial Hospital.

Nearing the time of their career shifts, Abby and Josiah worked in the surgical intensive care unit at CAMC. When they got news of the Kellerman's retirement, Abby and Josiah made the courageous decision to leave bedside nursing to pursue careers in the nonprofit world.

The couple has been in their role at Wellspring for almost a year now, where they spend their time mending the fractures in their community. Wellspring of Greenbrier now has six active community programs helping families in the community with things like home improvements, energy bills, food insecurity and more.

Much like in nursing, Abby says, “We are assessing and diagnosing different problems in the community and planning what could help the most and what might not work, and then we're definitely implementing things based on the need.”

The Spanglers have since figured out new ways to bridge the gap between people who don't have access to the resources they need to thrive. They have introduced partnerships with community organizations and churches and improved existing programs, while also creating new ones. Abby and Josiah are dedicated to keeping Wellspring as a safe haven that the community can depend on.

For more information on Wellspring and how to get involved, visit wellspringofgreenbrier.org.

Read how their Faith Community Nursing training is supporting their work in Greenbrier County.