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Helping others is the major principle behind the work of the United Way of Jefferson County.
It's also been a way of life for members of the Abdalla family.
"I'm going to brag about my dad for a minute," Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr. said while helping to open the United Way's annual campaign on Aug. 31. "He was a man of action. I remember years before he became sheriff, people would come to our house in Stratton and knock on the door, and it could be in the morning, or in the middle of the day or in the dead of night, and they would sit at our table with a problem and talk with our father."
That Abdalla had the opportunity to remember his father was appropriate -- this year's United Way Day of Action was held in the memory of Fred Abdalla Sr., who served as sheriff for 37 years before his death on Feb. 21, 2022.
"We would sit and eavesdrop all of the time, listening and trying to find out what was going on," the younger Abdalla remembered while speaking at the JeffCo Event Center. "The people would leave, and our dad would come in, and he would be getting ready, and we would ask him, 'Are you going to be able to help them dad?' And he said he was going to try.
"That was instilled in us when we were growing up -- if you have an opportunity to help someone, our parents instilled in us that you try. That was instilled in my father by his parents. My father said to me one time that you should promise people what you can deliver on, and then you try to deliver more. And I think that's what he did. I'm very proud that he's my dad."
For many years now, the United Way's annual campaign has opened with the day of action or day of caring.
It offers an opportunity for volunteers from all parts of the area and all walks of life to do work for an area nonprofit agency. It might be specialized work -- electricians who help with upgrades -- or it can be general efforts -- like painting or just helping to clean up an area.
This year's event attracted about 135 volunteers, one of the largest numbers in years.
While he was alive, the older Abdalla built a reputation as a non-nonsense sheriff. But he also was involved with countless area organizations and was a strong advocate for the underprivileged. He always was ready to help and always found the time to provide an escort for the area's high school teams when they played on the road -- most fans took it for granted that no matter how far they had to travel, it was a safe bet you would see Sheriff Fred on the sidelines.
And while the new sheriff; his sister, Monica, who was on hand for the breakfast meeting; and his sister Jennifer, who was not able to attend, knew that their father was very involved throughout the area, they were not sure of just how deeply that stretched.
"I didn't realize all of the things that our father did for the community -- he didn't come home and talk about it," Abdalla said.
"He really did a good job of sheltering us from all of the things, all of the negative things. He didn't bring it home -- he checked all of that stuff at the door.
"But when our father died and I became sheriff, I had to go to his office. I didn't want to throw anything out. I wanted to preserve every single thing that was in there. There were notes that he had written down, some to me, but I opened up the closet in his office, and there was just box after box after box of cards and letters that he must have kept his entire career -- I mean stacks and stacks and stacks. I sat there and would open them up and read them. I really realized at that moment all of the things he had done."
This year's campaign goal for the United Way is $350,000, money that will help 13 different nonprofits to do their work, Laura Rauch, United Way executive director, explained. But the efforts of each of those agencies are vital -- whether it's providing shelter or food or other help.
"People have said to me that I have big shoes to fill," Abdalla said. "I'm not going to be able to fill his shoes, but I'm going to do everything for the people of Jefferson County to the standards that he held for me and my sisters when we were growing up, whether it was doing my homework, doing my chores or how he taught me and my sisters to love each other -- there were certain standards that he expected.
"The nonprofits in our county work relentlessly for the people of Jefferson County," he added. "I've watched for years as they would come. My dad would call upon them, whether it was the United Way, it didn't matter. He would call on a lot of different agencies at times to help, and they always came, they always came like the cavalry to help the citizens of Jefferson County."
That spirit of community, that sense of rallying around one another when things go bad, makes our area a special place to live.
"If you look around this room and look around Jefferson County, there's a lot of good things on," Abdalla said. "I've told everybody that I talk with that what we have to worry about in Jefferson County is our neighbor. And, if that neighbor worries about their neighbor, and their neighbor worries about their neighbor, the ripple effect will be a tidal wave."
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times. He served as board president of the United Way of Jefferson County in 2011 and 2012.)