WELLSPRING
Founded in 2004, Wellspring is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing food, education, and other life essentials to Southern West Virginia's disadvantaged, unhoused, and/or transient populations.
Our Day Haven, now located in Rainelle, WV, provides a respite for our community. Showers, laundry, WIFI, TV, and light refreshments are offered at no cost. Our choice food pantry is offered twice monthly on Tuesdays. We also facilitate various programs throughout the year, all focused on instilling hope and meeting the practical needs of our community.
DAY HAVEN
Providing a comfortable and inviting space to those in need, Wellspring’s Day Haven operates Wednesday and Thursday, 10am-3pm. At the center, we provide free hygiene products, hot coffee, hot showers, laundry service, free WIFI and TV, and ways to apply for our many programs. Most importantly - we at Wellspring are centered on instilling hope into a county riddled with addiction and poverty. During the off hours, we host addiction support meetings, educational and nutritional classes, and various events to breathe hope, love, and art into a community overlooked. If you want to host an event or volunteer at our center, please get in touch with us.
OUR HISTORY
In 2004, Fred and Scarlett Kellerman founded the organization out of the back of their car and straight out of retirement. After seeing so many unhoused and disadvantaged individuals overlooked in Greenbrier County, the Kellermans felt called to lend a hand. Through the support of the faith community and private/organizational donations, the Kellermans grew the organization over the next couple of decades and have touched the lives of many in the community. In 2022, Abby and Josiah Spangler became the leadership of Wellspring. As registered nurses, they guided the nonprofit to embrace more healthcare advocacy, transitioned our location from Rupert to Rainelle, and provided a steadying and compassionate presence to all who entered the doors. In 2025, Abby and Josiah returned to their careers as nurses and musicians, allowing Wellspring to move into its next chapter.
Leadership Team
Amanda Jones - Director
Amanda Jones has spent much of her professional career serving individuals and communities impacted by mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and homelessness. Amanda’s passion and devotion to this field stems from her own personal experiences with addiction. She found recovery in Charleston in 2008 and resided there until she moved back to her hometown of Rupert, WV in 2021.
Amanda holds a master’s degree in communications from West Virginia University. She has experience working in sober living, detox/crisis stabilization, and treatment for individuals experiencing homelessness. Her work is driven by a strong passion for empowering individuals to reclaim their lives, strengthen their resilience, and achieve meaningful, sustainable outcomes. She believes in meeting people where they are, advocating for equitable access to care, and collaborating with partners to address both immediate needs and barriers. She has strong roots in Western Greenbrier County and is ready to hit the ground running to serve the community.
Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband and children, watching college and high school sports, and taking care of the animals on their growing farm.
Liz Reynolds came to Wellspring in May of 2025 and is our operations manager, coordinating our programming and our amazing volunteer community. Liz has been involved in justice work for the past decade, working with different nonprofits in the spheres of restorative justice, environmental advocacy, mindfulness/meditation and death care. She was trained as a Buddhist and interfaith chaplain at University of Virginia Medical Center in 2023 and through Upaya Zen Center in 2024. She also has training as a death doula through the University of Vermont, and as a home funeral educator through the Center for End-of-Life Transitions. Liz is motivated by a belief that community connection and support provides us all with greater meaning and purpose in life, and she is thrilled to be at Wellspring.
Liz enjoys gardening, hiking, astrology and reading. She lives in Ansted with her dog-child, Kochi.
Liz Reynolds - Operation Manager
Tyrell Blair
Hello, my name is Tyrell. I earned a degree in sociology from Concord University and am from Quinwood. I've volunteered at Wellspring since 2024. I work at the Day Haven and volunteer for the Food Pantry. I've lived in Greenbrier County my whole life and want to support the community here.
Kerry Flanagan - Bookkeeper
Kerri Flanagan is a life-long resident of western Greenbrier County, having grown up in Rupert. She now resides in Smooth with her husband, children, and many pets.
She is a retired stay-at-home mom and homeschool teacher. Her interests include animals, gardening, traveling with her husband and hanging out with her best fur friends, her goldendoodle, Murphy.
Kerri has worked with non-profit organizations in the past in many capacities, including our local humane society for 13 years. She appreciates working in the non-profit sector and is thankful to steward the financial health of these very worthy causes.
Kerry is humbled by the opportunity to join the wonderful staff at Wellspring.
Board of Directors
Vivian Eichelberger
Vivian is a board member who sees Wellspring's clients as her neighbors and brings a personal touch to her work, coordinating program requirements and volunteer activities. A degree in social work, 16 years as an Army medic and equipment maintenance specialist, plus work at the local elementary school adds to her value on the Board. Aware of Wellspring since 2005, Vivian has volunteered most weeks since 2015, helping with programs, welcoming neighbors, providing referrals to other resources, seeking community partners, and stimulating grant ideas. Her personal connection to the cause is evident when she recalls seeing the Wellspring co-founder, Scarlett, pull her two small sons in a little red wagon around the Day Haven. She went on to say, "We will never lose sight of the fact that our programs are essential, but our most important mission is to offer hope and love to two little boys in a wagon."
Diana Godbey
Diana was raised in Fairmont WV and graduated from WVU School of Nursing (SON) in1980. She has always had a heart and compassion for nursing and serving others. She and her family moved all over the state before settling in Lewisburg in 1989. She was a home health nurse for 40 years and worked in 17 counties in WV. She has been active with Wellspring of Greenbrier since the beginning with volunteering, leading different programs and being on the board /board president years ago. Her involvement has increased greatly since retirement. She has seen the needs and services change over the years and is thrilled to see that Wellspring continues to pivot and meet these differences. She is a certified Parish Nurse through WVUSON. She works directly with WVUSON foundation to provide programs at Wellspring. She utilizes her Parish Nurse role regularly with Shepherd Center in Lewisburg and Lewisburg United Methodist Church.
Al Emch
After 23 years in the Air Force and West Virginia Air National Guard and a long, distinguished legal career with a West Virginia-based, nationwide law firm, Al "retired" to Lewisburg. Quickly engaging with the community, among other activities, Al became a Fiduciary Commissioner for Greenbrier County and is currently president of the Greenbrier Historical Society. His vast experience as a high-profile trial and appellate lawyer and leader of a major law firm brings unique experiences to the Board as Wellspring navigates the future. A pilot in Vietnam and Desert Storm, he joins two other military veterans on the Board. Al said, "Shortly after I was introduced to Wellspring and its leaders, I knew I wanted to be part of its future. Not only can Wellspring make a major difference to an underserved population, but I am also convinced that it can be a model of how to bring comfort and hope to similar pockets of poverty throughout the state and even the nation."
Emily Chittenden-Laird
Emily Chittenden-Laird has spent her career helping organizations build stronger leaders, healthier teams, and more effective systems in service of children, families, and communities. In addition to her professional work, she has served on numerous local and statewide boards, contributing her experience in governance, strategy, and nonprofit leadership. A steadfast believer in the inherent dignity of every person, Emily is proud to support Wellspring's mission of offering hope, stability, and compassion to those facing hardship. Emily shared, "I began volunteering at Wellspring during my own period of hardship, and I found love, support, and community in the network of volunteers and neighbors. What a gift it is to contribute to the mission.
Scott Miller
As a long-time resident of Greenbrier County, Scott has brought his life-long concern for people living on the margins to Wellspring. After retiring, he first worked as a volunteer packing and distributing food, then applied his grant-writing skills to access new sources of funds, and recently was elected as Vice Chair of the Board. His varied experience with social justice initiatives and advocacy programs adds vital perspectives to strategic planning and day-to-day operations. Scott and his wife of 31 years, Mariah, have six children, three of whom live locally. When asked about his vision for Wellspring, he said, "We want to be mission-driven and relentlessly focused on welcoming and helping everyone who walks through our doors. To do that, we need a new facility offering current services and free medical care."
Jerry Thompson
Jerry is the founder and CEO of IMPOWERU, an implementation platform focused on helping organizations turn vision into action by improving how work happens. Through IMPOWERU’s Alignment, Focus, and Flow framework, he works with leaders to create the structure, clarity, and momentum needed for meaningful and lasting change.
Before founding IMPOWERU, Jerry built a distinguished career in senior leadership roles at KPMG, Ingram Micro, Deloitte, and Arthur Andersen, where he helped guide complex organizations through strategic finance decisions, governance matters, acquisitions, integrations, and large-scale transformation. His experience connecting financial strategy to organizational change brings important perspective to Wellspring as it strengthens its financial foundation and explores how to expand its mission in thoughtful, sustainable ways.
Jerry is especially drawn to Wellspring’s potential to serve not only as a place of practical support, but as a hub for hope, wellbeing, and deeper community connection in the region. He believes strong organizations can help create the conditions for people and communities to flourish, and he is honored to support Wellspring as it builds toward its next chapter.