Family receives outpouring of support from community
WAYNESBURG — It came as no surprise to those who knew Charles “Chuck” Calvert that the outpouring of support shown for the 12-year-old fifth grader and his family would be overwhelming.
Calvert, a student at Waynesburg Central Elementary School, died Dec. 23 as a result of injuries sustained in an all-terrain vehicle crash near Calico Run Road in Wayne Township
State police said the youngster had been riding the ATV in a wooded area near his home in Spraggs when it apparently flipped over on him at 4:45 p.m. He was flown by medical helicopter to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., where he later died.
“He was such a lovable kid,” said Jane Adams of Spraggs. “I went to school with his parents and I taught Chuckie in Sunday School. He was a real thinker.”
Adams said she went to the viewing Saturday at the Owen-Neely Funeral Home in Blacksville, W.Va., and said, “People were lined up into the parking lot. It was pouring and cold but no one minded.”
The community support, however, went beyond visitation and the funeral Sunday.
A “GoFundMe” crowd-funding website was started to help the Calvert family pay for funeral expenses. By early this week, more than $22,000 has been raised, exceeding the initial goal of $12,000. The page can be found at www.gofundme.com/24g6nscc.
Central Greene Superintendent Brian Uplinger said grief counselors for students and staff will be in place when school resumes Jan. 4.
“We always have those plans in place when something like this occurs,” he said.