WVU's DerMarr Johnson teams up with Monongalia County Warming Shelter
Mar. 3—MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University's new Men's Basketball Assistant Coach DerMarr Johnson teamed up with Holden Hands Non-profit to donate to the Monongalia County Warming Shelter.
In January, WVU Men's Basketball Head Coach Bob Huggins announced that he would once again be working with Johnson. Johnson played basketball at the University of Cincinnati under Huggins when he was head coach for the Bearcats.
"Everyone here has been so great to me. The guys have really taken well to me and the city has showed me a lot of love. ... I want the West Virginia basketball team to do as best as they can do and I just want to give back to the city as much as I can," Johnson said.
Holden Hands Non-profit was started and is based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, but they serve nationwide and have been on a "Legacy Tour," since the beginning of 2023. Holden Hands Founder and President Tyshon Holden said they reach out to professional athletes or "notable names," to collaborate and "pour love" into communities that need it.
"We just take them back to their roots or places where they received a significant amount of love and find out what has shaped them. We surround them back in that environment, pouring love back into where they came from in various different ways," Holden said.
Holden Hands member Joe Cook shared similar sentiments.
"Holden Hands created the Legacy Tour to highlight athletes and others returning to their roots to bless communities in need," Cook said.
Holden Hands' trip to Morgantown was their fourth stop on the Legacy Tour. Future stops include Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Houston, Texas, but they have more collaborations in the works.
At the Monongalia County Warming Shelter, they brought in 16 pizzas, wings and cheesy bread and 500 items of clothing for those in.
Warming Shelter Director Becky Rodd said she was thankful for the donation.
"People in the community have been so generous and certainly having this from the basketball team and from WVU really means a lot," Rodd said.
The Monongalia County Warming Shelter, located in Hazel's House of Hope at the old Ramada Inn, opened on Dec. 1, 2022 and was expected to serve between 15 and 20 guests a night. Rodd said that since the first cold snap, they have had between 60 and 65 people a night.
"So, we're really overwhelmed with the amount of people who need safe shelter during the winter," Rodd said. "What we need is for the community to come together and really think about how we can work on this issue and the needs of those living without shelter, as a community.
"There are so many issues — the lack of affordable housing, drug addiction, mental illness, needed social supports. We as a community need to look at what we're going to do next winter and then look at what we're going to do the entire year, so we don't have this number of people who are living without shelter."
Monongalia County Warming Shelter will be open until March 15. Rodd said any possible donations should be taken to the Bartlett House or Morgantown Health Right, as they serve the same population. For more information on the Monongalia County Warming Shelter, visit their Facebook page.
Reach me at sshriver@timeswv.com or 304-367-2549.
