ST. CLAIRSVILLE — “Why Don’t You Stay a While” — that’s what a new nonprofit asks as it encourages Ohio Valley youth to remain in the region to accomplish their dreams.

WDYSA is an organization centered on youth retention, with three pillars to support the work it does: professional and personal development, civic engagement and fun. It opened in August and is now partnering with Waterfront Hall in Wheeling.

Founder and Chairman of the Board Spencer Porter said the nonprofit is always looking for community sponsors to partner with in different ways.

“Ways that people haven’t even dreamed up yet, because we really, truly are fueled by possibility and opportunity, and maybe things just aren’t even created yet,” she said. “We want to work with people to dream and to execute those dreams.”

The partnership will see the group host events at Waterfront Hall throughout the year.

“Waterfront Hall and Why Don’t You Stay A While share a common mission — create a dynamic, diverse and fun community that grows the hearts and minds of young people,” Dan Milleson, owner of Waterfront Hall, said. “We believe that in supporting this nonprofit. We are reinforcing this idea: There is tremendous meaning and joy in rebuilding where you’re from.”

Porter hopes this partnership will create economic and cultural impact where opportunity can be found and people can be excited for the future at the events.

“That’s what we want, cultural and economic impact, whatever that means to all of us,” Porter said. “And we really, through this partnership, just want to see this area grow and thrive.”

WDYSA has monthly events called “buzz” events that are hosted at small businesses throughout the area. The businesses share what they do, who they are and their journey. These events include a civic engagement chat with an elected official or civil servant who shares what they’re doing and how people can get to know each other better and work in tandem with one another from a policy side.

The events feature giveaways from local businesses, promoting the businesses among people that might not be familiar with them or reinforcing their messages. There is also a D.J. at the events who is a student at Wheeling University as well as refreshments.

Porter said they are hour-long activities to enjoy once a month as attendees celebrate each other.

The nonprofit has memberships available, and members can go to all of the monthly events for free, Porter said. Non-members can pay a $10 fee. She also said the events are always free for college students because the nonprofit really cares about “bridging those gaps and facilitating those relationships.”

“We are partners because our missions simply align. Waterfront Hall is a space for the community to gather, for art to be cultivated,” Porter said. “For celebrations to be had, for people just to enjoy every area of that historic building and piece of Wheeling’s history. So we’re excited to be invited into that space to share what we’re creating. So, it’s really an alignment of missions and outlooks, positive outlooks.”

Porter said WDYSA’s mission is to “inspire youth to actualize their dreams in the Ohio Valley, or if they’re already gone, they’re thinking about coming back to inspire those that are from here to return and to become a part of our community, economy and culture, so creating that safe space for them to return to and help us build the future here.”

Porter said the idea of this nonprofit started after she moved away from the valley, gained a lot of great experiences, met a lot of people and grew as an individual. She said the experiences tested her, pulled her like taffy and helped her reimagine parts of herself and what the world could look like if she returned to the Ohio Valley. She said she met a lot of “brilliant, young and cool” people throughout her work here.

After being a publisher for St. Clair Living and Wheeling Neighbors Magazines, she continued to meet many young, inspiring people who were professionals or had businesses. Porter realized there was a lack of infrastructure to share information and relationships with one another, so she got together with professionals in the area and formed the nonprofit.

“I realized we were so disconnected and we could create so much more here and more opportunity for ourselves and for the whole entire Ohio Valley,” she said. “If we simply knew each other and could pour resources together to create even bigger impact for all of our own personal businesses, organizations we were a part of, and just the greater Ohio Valley.”

The nonprofit’s next event is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at Stages Inc. in Wheeling. Porter said the event is Halloween themed but attendees should not wear costumes because there will be costumes there that people can have tailored and rent for Halloween. Ohio County Growth and Retention Manager Stephanie Hockenberry will be the civil servant there to speak. Real estate associate Timothy Judkins will also be there to speak.

The last event WDYSA had was at Outdated Threads in Wheeling, where people got to shop and try clothes.

Every month, the nonprofit will be going into a different Belmont or Ohio County school. In October, the WDYSA is visiting Bridgeport Exempted Village School District to share its mission with 10th-graders.

Porter wants the high school students to know the nonprofit cares about their thoughts and input and is eager to meet them and learn from them. She said she wants to understand what teenagers want to see, what opportunities they need, what support they need and what the organization can create for them.

From noon to 1 p.m. Nov. 7, the nonprofit will be visiting Ohio University Eastern with its DJ, snacks and refreshments, and Porter will read natal charts.

“We want to deliver personal development, professional development,” Porter said. “If you know anything about natal charts, there’s too much insight in your chart, so we want to just offer insight on a personal, professional level.”

Porter said the nonprofit is making sure it touches the community with experiences.

She also advised young people to do something outside of their comfort zone. She encourages youth to come to the events and meet people.

“Do something that scares you. That moves you forward. A little bit of fear moves you forward,” she said. “All of us can do hard, scary things. Just do the scary things, and I promise you, you will be rewarded.”