West Virginia Chinese Association (WVCA) is a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in Spring 2002. Since then it has been offering support and service to Chinese scholars, researchers and other professionals and their families in the state of West Virginia. Our mission is to strengthen communication among Chinese residents in the state of West Virginia, promote the exchange of Chinese-American cultures, enhance scientific and academic research collaborations among Chinese researchers and professionals, and to provide assistance to new immigrants in West Virginia.
We work hard to achieve three main goals:
1. To promote communication among Chinese families in the community.
To serve as a bridge and a gathering place for Chinese families, we organize family-oriented activities throughout the year. Regular major events include a Summer picnic (May/June) with outdoor activities, a Mid-Autumn Festival (September) to celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival, and a Spring Festival (January/February) to celebrate Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival. We also host sports, entertainment and family-oriented activities all year round, such as ball games, fishing, Karaoke, cooking, home-improvement clubs, and many more.
2. To facilitate research and education with educational seminars for the Chinese community.
A large number of Chinese professionals in West Virginia are scientists, researchers and professors who work in a variety of research fields. WVCA encourages and promotes exchange of knowledge and ideas among community members. The organization regularly hosts seminars and meetings at West Virginia University with topics in the current fields of medicine, chemistry, biology, engineering, technological advancement, finance, and sociology. These seminars are typically up to two hours in length and offered free of charge. Presentations are given by volunteers with multi-media tools such as PowerPoint presentations and videos.
3. To help newly arrived Chinese families.
As many of us have experienced, foreign or new environments are often challenging and frustrating for new immigrants and visitors and their families. WVCA reaches out and gives newcomers a warm hand. We offer to assist them in all aspects.
The headquarter of WVCA is located in the “Mountaineer Country” Morgantown, a city of 30,000+ residents plus approximately 30,000 WVU students near West Virginia’s northern border. Morgantown is a recreational haven year-round and was once rated the No. 1 livable Small City in America and the Best Small City in the East. Morgantown is within easy traveling distance of Washington, D.C. to the east, Pittsburgh to the north, and is easy to reach from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Morgantown has the largest Chinese professional/scholar community in the state of West Virginia. Welcome to “Mountaineer Country”!
西弗吉尼亚华人协会简介
2002年1月10日，西弗吉尼亚华人协会（简称“西弗华协”）在西弗吉尼亚州北部大学城摩根城正式成立。“西弗华协”是由 西弗吉尼亚华人学者协会、西弗吉尼亚华人教授协会和中国旅美科协西弗吉尼亚分会合并而成， 并包括了西弗吉尼亚其他地区的华人协会。其总部位于摩根城，主要以加强西弗州华裔人士间的交流、传播和发展中华文化、维护华人合法权益和促进中美交流等为宗旨。其成员来自西弗吉尼亚大学、美国能源部能源技术实验室、美国卫生部职业病预防中心，Mylan制药公司， 查尔思敦大学，Marshall大学等单位的学生、博士后，医生，教授，研究员，及其他工作人员和当地华人社区成员。
“西弗华协”作为一个正式的社会组织，由理事会和执行委员会组成。其最高权力机构为理事会大会，包括 9-11名理事；执行委员会由“西弗华协”会长, 分管日常事务、科教、外联的副会长，秘书长和财务长组成。协会理事成员和执行团队成员的任命主要以推荐和自愿形式理事会成员投票选举决定。在“西弗华协”成立以来，遵照“西弗华协”的章程（Bylaws），秉承华协的主要宗旨， 在各方面，如中美文化交流，社区活，公益活动，科教活动，与外联等方面积极开展工作，为凝聚和团结西弗华人，并与全美华人加强合作和交流起到了重要的作用。另外，作为中国旅美科协总会（CAST-USA）在西弗的分支机构，西弗华协将行使旅美科协西弗分会（CAST-WV）的职能，促进美国华人之间的科技交流和合作。
近年来，美国发生多起涉及华人重要权益的事件。 “西弗华协”的成立也将有助于团结所有在西弗州的华人，并与美国华人全国委员会（UCA）一道，为更好地争取在美华人的合法权益发出统一的声音。