BUCKHANNON — One of the founders of the Pallottine Foundation of Buchhannon has announced her retirement.

Janell Ray, the founding executive director of the Pallottine Foundation of Buchhannon, will retire effective Dec. 31, officials announced Wednesday.

“It has been an honor to continue the Pallottine Sisters’ mission through my work with the Foundation,” Ray said. “The Sisters have served and supported the Buckhannon community and surrounding area for more than 100 years, and the Foundation was created to ensure their legacy continues.

“The Foundation’s ongoing support of local nonprofit organizations will provide vital resources and services to those in need for many years to come.”

In 2015, Ray worked with the Pallottine Missionary Sisters and the Foundation’s Board of Trustees to establish the Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon, after the sale of St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Under her leadership, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.1 million in funding to nonprofit organizations administering health-related programming in Barbour, Lewis, Randolph, Upshur, and Webster counties, officials said.

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees has selected Laura Boone, Senior Program Officer, to serve as the next executive director, starting in January. Ray will continue to serve the Foundation in an advisory role through June 2024.

Boone will move into the executive director role after serving as the Foundation’s senior program officer for four years. Her previous experience centered on grant program design and oversight, health programming and policy development, and advocacy.

She has worked at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the West Virginia Long Term Care Partnership, and the national Alzheimer’s Association.

“I look forward to building upward from the amazing base Janell has established for our Foundation,” Boone said. “Over the next year, we will continue to provide opportunities for collaboration and multifaceted support for our community partners and increase outreach across our region to identify potential new partners and deepen our relationships with current partners.”

The Pallottine Foundation of Buckhannon was established with proceeds from the sale of St. Joseph’s Hospital, and continues the legacy established by the Pallottine Missionary Sisters of caring for the spiritual, emotional and physical health of those in the region.

The Foundation focuses its efforts on six primary areas: food insecurity, health and wellness, leadership development, spiritual and pastoral care, substance use disorder, and tobacco use prevention and cessation.