“I heard a young woman speak about how she almost dropped out of school in the eighth grade, but after receiving help from the Center she wound up graduating near the top of her class and received a scholarship from a local university.”
Kelly Castleberry
We’re excited to recognize Kelly Castleberry, of Graystone Consulting from Morgan Stanley in Charleston, WV, as a Lifetime Achievement Award finalist for the 2026 Invest in Others Awards. For decades, Castleberry has been a steady presence behind the Childhood Language Center (CLC), the only free speech and language therapy clinic in the Charleston area where no family has ever received a bill for services.
CLC’s mission is to help children communicate and succeed by providing high-quality therapy services that involve the whole family. Today, the Center provides therapy to more than 100 children each year across West Virginia.
Castleberry was a driving force behind CLC’s creation and a cornerstone during its earliest, most vulnerable years. He has served as president of the board of directors and now serves as a special advisor, holding the distinguished title of Emeritus Board Member.
Castleberry chairs the committee for the Firecracker 5K, one of the CLC’s key fundraisers, and has been instrumental in strengthening the organization’s financial foundation, creating and helping grow its $7 million endowment to ensure long-term sustainability. In CLC’s eary days, he also helped establish the governance structure.
Castleberry’s proudest achievement has been helping raise the funds to purchase and renovate CLC’s current building. The Center originally operated out of a donated space from another local non-profit, a space that wasn’t well-suited to including families in therapy sessions, a core value at CLC. Thanks in part to Castleberry’s fundraising, the new space provides an ideal environment for family-centered therapy to this day.
“Kelly Castleberry’s decades of leadership, service, and philanthropic impact have been transformative for the Childhood Language Center and the community we serve,” says Megan Cutlip, the organization’s executive director. “His vision, dedication, and unwavering support have ensured that thousands of children have access to life-changing speech and language services, regardless of their financial circumstances.”
As a Lifetime Achievement Award finalist, Castleberry’s designated charity will receive a $25,000 grant from Invest in Others to help extend that impact even further. We can’t wait to celebrate Castleberry’s decades of service at this year’s Invest in Others Awards Gala.
