Ward Cemetery is located in eastern Kanawha County 
on Kelly's Creek Road, one mile northeast of the 
town of Cedar Grove in the state of West Virginia.  

Official Site
Kanawha County, WV
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Ward Cemetery

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ABOUT THE WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Incorporated July 30, 2014

Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization licensed to conduct business and fundraising in the state of West Virginia.  The Committee's primary purpose is to to assist with the preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery, and to provide a public service to the community and to family and friends who have loved ones interred at Ward Cemetery.  Committee members are volunteers. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee's preservation and beautification efforts are supported by families of those interred in Ward Cemetery and by donations from the area's local residents and businesses. Without this support the Advisory Committee could not function and Ward Cemetery would become completely overgrown as there is no other organization, no owner, and no government entity charged with the care of the cemetery.  

Thank you for your support!

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is exempt from charitable solicitation registration in West Virginia.  The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee does not employ a professional solicitor or fundraiser, and does not raise or receive contributions from the public in excess of $25,000.00 during a calendar year.

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, Inc., is NOT connected in any way to the former Ward Funeral Fund and Accident Association, Inc., which terminated September 18, 2000. 

WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE OFFICERS

                                                    PRESIDENT

                                                    John Kidd


                                                    VICE PRESIDENT

                                                    Wanda Bass

SECRETARY

Wilma Kidd


TREASURER

Sherry Smith

ACTIVE MEMBERS

Pat Allen

John Inghram

Rick Phillips


BURIAL RECORDS MANAGER

Jan Smith Richardson 


MAILING ADDRESS

Ward Cemetery

c/o Sherry Smith

3012 Dorsey Drive

Belle WV 25015


WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WV CERTIFICATE OF EXISTENCE  - CLICK HERE

Ward Cemetery has been cared for by volunteers for many years and depends on their efforts with the help of donations from the local community and the families who have loved ones buried in Ward Cemetery. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is a federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by cemetery volunteers to assist in their mission of preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery.   Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee also has Public Charity Status under section 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue code.   The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee was also incorporated on July 30, 2014, in the State of West Virginia as a nonprofit organization and is operated for charitable, educational, and preservation purposes.   The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is NOT connected in any way to the former Ward Funeral Fund and Accident Association, Inc., which terminated September 18, 2000. 

Ward Cemetery is a community cemetery whose community is now gone.  In West Virginia, there is no state cemetery board or similar government agency responsible for the care and maintenance of community cemeteries.  Some incorporated town/city governments maintain town/city cemeteries within their corporate limits, but Ward Cemetery is located in an unincorporated area of Kanawha County, West Virginia. Kanawha County records have been searched by several caretakers, courthouse staff, and an attorney, and no private owner of Ward Cemetery has ever been identified.  Since there is no government agency or private owner responsible for the care of Ward Cemetery, Ward Cemetery would become totally overgrown if not for the work of the volunteers who are aided by donations.  The cemetery volunteers perform a much needed public service.  The cemetery consists of approximately twelve acres and it is expensive to maintain.  The majority of committee funds are donated by the families and friends of those buried in Ward Cemetery with some funds and/or services donated by local area businesses.  As the younger generations move away, and the older generations pass away, the pool of contributors is sadly becoming smaller and smaller.
The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee does not employ a professional solicitor or fundraiser and does not receive donations or grants over $25,000 during a calendar year, which makes the committee exempt from charitable solicitation registration in West Virginia.  In fact, the committee receives way less than this amount 
and often struggles to accomplish the grass mowing and other beautification and preservation projects.  The 
Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee satisfies the annual IRS reporting requirement by electronically submitting 
the IRS Form 990-N e-postcard.  The committee's financial records are open for public review upon request.

WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE IRS INFORMATION - CLICK HERE

MISSION STATEMENT

Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee shall exist to assist with the preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery located on Kelly’s Creek near Cedar Grove in Kanawha County, West Virginia.


PURPOSE AND GOALS

  • To assist the Ward Cemetery in continuing to serve the surrounding communities as an active burial ground, and to aid in the preservation of the fencing, buildings, and infrastructure of the cemetery for the primary purpose of providing a volunteer public service to family and friends who have loved ones interred at Ward Cemetery, and to provide a volunteer public service to the community as a whole.
  • To assist with the beautification of the Ward Cemetery including mowing, planting, seeding, fertilizing, raking, pruning, and other activities related to caring for the grounds, in an attempt to provide a more accessible community resource.

Please Note: Terraces, curbs, and similar structures, headstones, statues, and other grave monuments, are the personal property of the family who purchased them or built them.  The family of the deceased is responsible for the installation, care and maintenance of these items.   If you are the owner of a headstone, repairs and replacements may sometimes be covered by your homeowner's policy.  The government will sometimes replace worn or damaged military headstones upon request of the family.

Ward Cemetery has no paid staff and no office.  The smaller cemetery gates are always unlocked for visitors.  However, due to past problems with theft, vandalism, and damage caused by off-road vehicles, the larger double gates will remain locked for the protection of the cemetery.  If you need access through the locked double gates, please contact cemetery volunteers John Kidd or Wilma Kidd at (304) 727-5695 or email wvkidds@suddenlink.net or contact Wanda Bass at 304-595-1245 or email wandabass@hotmail.com  to make arrangements for someone to unlock the gates IN ADVANCE of your visit.

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee members and officers are volunteers who donate their time to serve on the committee.  Ward Cemetery is an old community cemetery.  It is NOT a perpetual care cemetery and there are no deeded plots.  The cemetery is very old and depends on donations and volunteers to assist in its care and preservation.  There is no private owner on record for Ward Cemetery and there is no one to care for the cemetery except for the volunteers.  The volunteers do the best they can as time and money allows.  


Only so much can be accomplished with limited funds and limited volunteers.  If the current volunteers abandon their work due to lack of funds, lack of support, or unwarranted criticism, the cemetery will become completely overgrown, as there is no one else to care for it.  The care of the cemetery will revert back to each family being responsible for taking care of their own family graves as it was in times past.


If you are unhappy about the condition of the cemetery or think the length of the grass is unacceptable, you are invited and encouraged to attend the Advisory Committee Meetings, become a volunteer, and donate your time to help improve conditions.  If you cannot attend the meetings or physically help with the work, donations are always appreciated, as the cemetery grounds cannot be maintained without sufficient funds.

The next meeting of the Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee will be Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at 1 p.m. at Shrewsbury Baptist Church, 1096 Ferry Street, Shrewsbury, WV.  Everyone is invited to attend and all will be welcomed. 

If you have questions or need information about the Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, please contact John Kidd or Wilma Kidd at (304) 727-5695 or email wvkidds@suddenlink.net. Or contact Wanda Bass at 304-595-1245 or email wandabass@hotmail.com.  Caretaker Sherry Smith may be contacted at sherry@wardcemetery.com.  Members of the committee are unpaid volunteers.
 
 

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit organization with public charity status.