Each year, Friends of the Cheat invites non-profit organizations who share FOC’s vision to participate in Cheat Fest as part of our non-profit tent.

Below are are the non-profits that attended Cheat Fest 2016.

The Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org/westvirginia

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. How do we achieve this mission? Through the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff, including more than 600 scientists, located in all 50 U.S. states and more than 35 countries. With the help of our many partners, from individuals and governments to local nonprofits and corporations. By using a non-confrontational, collaborative approach and staying true to our five unique core values.

Preston County Family Resource Center
The Preston County Family Resource Center provides information and referral, parenting advise and assistance, and public events to promote well-being of families and children in our community.

Aurora Lights / Mountain SOL School
www.auroralights.org
Aurora Lights supports locally-based projects that strengthen the connections within and between human communities and their natural environment by promoting environmental and social action. Ultimately, we hope to restore a sense of the sacred balance between the Earth and the human community that will promote sustainable and thoughtful land stewardship.

American Whitewater
www.Americanwhitewater.org
Founded in 1954, American Whitewater is a national non-profit organization with a mission “to conserve and restore America’s whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely.” American Whitewater is a membership organization representing a broad diversity of individual whitewater enthusiasts, river conservationists, and more than 100 local paddling club affiliates across America. The organization is the primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United States, and connects the interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve the goals within its mission.

Friends of Deckers Creek
www.deckerscreek.org
To improve the natural qualities of, increase public concern for, and promote the enjoyment of the Deckers Creek watershed.

Sierra Club Mon Group
To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

Big Bear Lake Trail Center / West Virginia Mountain Bike Association
www.bigbearwv.com/pageload.cfm?pageid=38
The Big Bear Lake Trail Center, located within the Cheat River Watershed, is currently a reclamation partner with Friends of the Cheat and is the host of an Acid Mine Drainage reclamation project. The Big Bear Lake Trail Center is focused on providing sustainable recreation opportunities to its property owners and to the general public. The Big Bear Lake Trail Center hosts several West Virginia Mountain Bike Association events each year.

ArtSpring
www.artspringwv.com
ArtSpring serves the people of Tucker County in the West Virginia highlands through community engagement, supporting artistic programming, and serving as an information hub for the creative culture around us. As part of its dedication to promoting and cultivating the arts in public life, ArtSpring presents an annual county-wide Memorial Day weekend festival of the arts in Canaan Valley, Davis, Thomas, and Parsons.

Project REACH
www.hsc.wvu.edu/icrh/Students/Project-R-E-A-C-H
The Rural Education Alliance for Community Health (Project REACH) is a student run rural health outreach opportunity, created by West Virginia University School of Medicine students, to educate rural West Virginia residents about issues that affect individuals in potential low health-access areas. Project REACH attempts to provide counseling about healthy living, including nutrition, exercise, and blood pressure screening, at festivals all throughout West Virginia, like the Peach Festival in Romney, WV and Bridge Day Festival in Fayetteville, WV. Project REACH shares in the Friends of the Cheat vision to preserve the environment and revitalize the community, starting with focusing on the health and wellness of individuals who live in the region.

WV Youth Environmental Program
www.dep.wv.gov
Youth Environmental Program goals: To increase environmental awareness with young people To generate interest and enthusiasm for young people to become better stewards of our natural resources To encourage young people to participate in activities and projects that will improve their communities

Environmental Research Center RWD
www.riverworksdiscovery.org
The mission of RiverWorks Discovery® is to educate people about the commerce, culture and conservation of the great rivers of America and their watersheds

Preston Co Family Resource Center
The Family Resource Network (FRN) is a local community organization charged with service coordination and community mobilization. The Preston Co FRN oversees programs for substance abuse prevention, in-home family visitation, Starting Points playgroups, information and referral, and other community services.

WV Friends of Midwives
www.midwivesallianceofwv.com
The mission of the WV Friends of Midwives is to promote, educate, and advocate for the service of midwives in the prenatal, antenatal, and postpartum cycles of birth.

West Virginia Rivers Coalition
www.wvrivers.org
Our mission is to conserve and restore West Virginia’s exceptional rivers and streams.

Friends of Blackwater/North Fork Watershed Group
saveblackwater.org / www.northforkwatershed.org
Friends of Blackwater is a non-profit conservation organization working effectively in the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian Highlands with a mission to protect key landscapes and watersheds, natural and human communities, and to support economic development that maximizes biodiversity and outdoor recreational opportunities for future generations The North Fork of the Blackwater River is impacted by Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), and associated metal deposits caused by runoff from abandoned deep and surface mines from the early 1900s. The North Fork Watershed Project, established in the summer of 2002, is working to find creative community-based solutions, taking into consideration the rich historic and cultural resources of the North Fork watershed. Water treatment systems combined with historic preservation and interpretation will restore and enhance the beauty and recreational potential of the North Fork and adjacent land.

WV Food & Farm Coalition; WV Farmers Market Association
www.wvfoodandfarm.org
WVFFC and WVFMA are sister organizations. WVFFC: Our mission is to build, support and strengthen a statewide network of those involved in West Virginia’s local food economies, with the interconnected goals of improving access to healthy, locally-produced food for all West Virginians and helping viable food and farm businesses grow. WVFMA: The mission of the WVFMA is to provide resources and support connections that enhance the economic growth and sustainability of West Virginia farmers markets.