Submitted by City of Salem
The good folks at Northwest Ace Hardware in conjunction with the Salem Fair once again have made a generous donation to a local non-profit.
This past June, fair fans purchased hundreds of Megapass unlimited ride tickets at area Northwest Ace stores in the region. The purchase of the tickets before the start of the fair enabled the Overstreet family, which owns and operates the chain of hardware stores, to donate $7,725 to 127 Place.
“Northwest Ace Hardware is truly inspired by the exceptional work 127 Place is doing to improve the lives of children in our hometowns and we are honored to make this contribution on behalf of our community,” says Nathan Overstreet, NW Ace Hardware Vice President. “The Salem Fair’s positive impact on the region for more than three decades really compels us to partner with them.”
The 34th Salem Fair attracted visitors from all over Virginia and neighboring states during its 12-day run at the Taliaferro Complex. This year’s fair featured over 40 rides, unique blue-ribbon exhibits and an array of family-friendly shows and musical acts each day.
“The pre-sale passes for the 2022 Salem Fair were once again a big hit with fairgoers,” says Wendy Delano, Salem Director of Civic Facilities. “Buying the passes early not only allowed fairgoers to save money, but it also provided a donation back to this deserving organization. This is truly a win-win for all involved and this is just one more way that the Salem Fair and Northwest Ace Hardware are supporting our community.”
The organization 127 Place has a goal of helping children who are unable to help themselves. The members strive daily to positively impact the lives of vulnerable children, their families, their communities and the world.
“It may be surprising to know that Roanoke has the largest foster care population in the state by far,” says Ray Moore, 127 Place Executive Director. “If we can support families so that children do not go into foster care in the first place, that will be a victory for everyone. We want to support grandparents and other family members who take children to keep them out of foster care.”
Currently, there are approximately 5,000 children in foster care in Virginia. In most cases, the brokenness of family disruption is not something they chose, but rather something that happened to them.
“We are so thankful to Northwest Ace Hardware and the Salem Fair for supporting the work that 127 Place and its partner churches are doing in our community to serve the most vulnerable,” says Moore.