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Children's Home Society News Archive
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Christmas at Society Sites |
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Each holiday season, the Children's Home Society sees groups and individuals go far beyond the basics to help the Society's children and families in need. Click here to see some of the many efforts taking place during the 2006 holiday season. |
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Second Annual "Make It Right for Kids" Night a Huge Success |
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On Friday, August 4, 2006 , Children’s Home Society of West Virginia in Lewisburg hosted it’s second annual “Make It Right For Kids” Night fundraiser in the Old Stone Room at Carnegie Hall. A lively crowd was present to participate in the silent and live auctions that included such items as a handcrafted queen size quilt, handmade scarves and women’s evening bags, homemade jams, jellies and preserves, as well as several golf packages for some of West Virginia’s most prestigious courses, including The Greenbrier, Stonewall Resort and Oakhurst Links.
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"Make It Right For Kids" Night guests make the
rounds of the evening's auction items.
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Throughout the evening, folks enjoyed the sampling of wines provided by Wolfcreek Winery in Sinks Grove , West Virginia , and some very elegant food provided by The Bakery in Lewisburg, while listening to the delightful tones of Don Drummer’s acoustic guitar. With the help of Dr. Bob Foster, husband of Advisory Council member Mary Leb Foster, as the Master of Ceremonies and Craig Wagoner , Children’s Home Society’s Chief Operations Officer, as Auctioneer, the live auction proceeded throughout the evening with breaks taken to award several door prizes that were donated by businesses in the community. At the end of the night, the total amount raised was over $13,000.
The Lewisburg Site Advisory Council, Staff and Clients would like to thank our Sponsors and Donors, without whom none of this would have been possible. Click here to see a complete list of Sponsors and Donors. |
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Founders’ Day – Our 110 th Birthday Celebration |
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Held at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences on May 2nd, more than 200 friends of the Society gathered to mark the Society’s 110th Birthday through a retrospective of the last 10 years of development effort.
Special recognition was given to Stephen D. Wehrle , Director Emeritus and Vice President of McJunkin Corporation, who chaired the highly successful Children First Davis Child Shelter Building Campaign which culminated in 1996 with the opening of the new Davis Shelter on Greenbrier Street in Charleston. |
Steve Wehrle, Director Emeritus and Chair of the Davis Child Shelter Building Campaign, receives his award citation from Tom Heywood, Past Chairman and Director Emeritus. |
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The one million dollar campaign set a high standard for the next ten years of development efforts for the Society leading to the completion of the Kathleen and John Faltis Shelter (Summersville) and the June Montgomery Harless Shelter (Logan.) Master of Ceremonies and Director Emeritus Nancy Tonkin, President/CEO of Tonkin Management Group, recognized the many volunteers who are key to providing resources to make things happen.
A magnificent birthday cake shared by everyone capped off the celebration. Music for the evening was provided by the George Washington High Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Mark Hardman. The evening’s sponsors included AXA/Equitable, Cardinal Psychological, Chase Bank, Herman and Cormany, The Printing Press ltd and Lawson’s Floor Coverings. For a list of those recognized, click here. Here are photo slide shows of guests : Show I Show II
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Past President and Director Emeritus, Nancy
Tonkin introduces the evening's program.
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The George Washington High School
Jazz Ensemble gathered for the
camera before producing an
evening's worth of beautiful music. |
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Children's Home Society of America Unites Nation's Pioneer Adoption Agencies |
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A piece of childhood is stolen by every act of abuse, by every moment a child languishes without a permanent home, by every lost opportunity for healthy child development. To better address these important issues, leading child welfare agencies including Children’s Home Society of West Virginia have launched Children’s Home Society of America (CHSA), a new national organization dedicated to ensuring safe and loving homes for children, promoting healthy child development and engaging communities for children’s success.
Children’s Home Society of America is made up of leading not-for-profit child welfare organizations stretching coast to coast. These organizations span three centuries of service to America ’s children. Children’s Home Society of America member agencies have touched the lives of 33 million Americans since 1883 and created adoptive homes for more than 250,000 children. “It is exciting to see the launch of Children’s Home Society of America. We have worked hard for four years and the real results are yet to come.” says Dennis W. Sutton, CHSA Treasurer. |
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| Pictured above, four of the founding members of CHSA pose with a picture of original founder Rev. Martin Van Arsdale in Chicago (left to right): Nancy Ronquillo, CEO of Children’s Home Aide Society of Illinois; Ken Tutterow, CEO of CHS North Carolina; Sharon Osborne, CEO of CHS Washington and Dennis W. Sutton, CEO of CHS West Virginia |
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“We believe our collective impact will be immediate and astounding. In the end, it will be America ’s children who benefit from our efforts.”
CHSA has two primary objectives. “First and foremost our mission is to rekindle a collective passion in society to responsibly address the crucial needs that children and families in crisis face,’’ says Sharon Osborne, President/CEO of CHS of Washington and CHSA board vice-chair. “Second and equally as important, we’ve come together to raise private and corporate resources to sustain the adoption, family support and child development work of our member agencies nationwide. These funds are critical to improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of children.”
CHSA brings together the nation’s historic leaders in adoption, family support and child development – experts known for their innovative and successful programs. Member agencies are, in many cases, the child welfare pioneers in their states – the first organizations to tackle issues of child poverty, child labor and abuse. All of the members of the newly launched CHSA were, at one time, members of the ground breaking National Children’s Home & Aid Association formed in 1885.
CHSA members include: Children and Families First (Delaware), Children and Families of Iowa, Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois, Children’s Home Society and Family Services (Minnesota), Children’s Home Society of Florida, Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, Children’s Home Society of South Dakota, Children’s Home Society of Virginia, Children’s Home Society of Washington, Children’s Home Society of West Virginia, Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin, Gladney Center for Adoption (Texas), Mississippi Children’s Home Society, Nebraska Children’s Home Society, The Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers, The Village Family Service Center (North Dakota), and the Wyoming Children’s Society.
Children’s Home Society of America, through its membership, represents the oldest nationwide network of private, not-for-profit child and family serving agencies in the United States . Member agencies offer a comprehensive array of programs, including: birth-parent counseling; foster care; domestic and international adoption; school-based programs to prevent child abuse, violence, pregnancy and to build educational success for at-risk youth; early childhood care; emergency shelter and residential treatment; education; and family counseling. Visit www.chsamerica.org for more information. |
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Congratulations to Our New Grads |
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Smiles and congratulations were the order of the day when our newest MSW graduates were celebrated with a brunch at the Charleston ( Davis ) Site Conference Room. Tammy Bose , RFTS social worker , Lewisburg; and Shelly Plauché, shelter supervisor, A.N. Gustke Shelter in Parkersburg had just completed the grueling 3-year trek to achieve the master’s level status. Each would receive their diploma in the afternoon in the presence of family and friends during the graduation festivities at St. Marks United Methodist Church.
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Pictured left to right are: Dennis Sutton, CEO; Tammy Bose , RFTS social worker , Lewisburg; and Shelly Plauché, shelter supervisor, A.N. Gustke Shelter, Parkersburg; and Larry Beckett, Director of the WVU MSW program in Charleston . |
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The staff at the Charleston site went all out to provide an elegant and very substantial brunch. Primary chefs were Charleston Community Based Services Director, Mary White , and Davis Shelter Youth Care Worker, Judy Smith.
Congratulatory remarks were made by Dennis Sutton, CEO of Children’s Home Society, and Larry Beckett, Director of the WVU MSW program in Charleston. While the MSW pre-graduation ceremony celebration has become a tradition to honor our professional staff who have decided to dedicate their lives to social work, we are also proud of another graduate this year. Clyde Wolford, Director of Community Based Services at Northfork, completed an AS degree in Nursing at Bluefield State College. |
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They're Here....
Check out 20 Pins Reserved for On-Line Browsing (Here) |
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Child face lapel pins representing the children served by the Society will return to limited production in August. Sixteen-hundred pins will once again be hand crafted by Martina’s Glass Studio in Charleston. Each numbered pin is unique and depicts different faces of girls & boys. For 108 years, the Society has served children in West Virginia through adoption, foster care, shelter care, and other services. The Society has helped countless children over the years and now annually serves over 6000 boys and girls. The Face Pins are available for purchase and all proceeds will go to help the Society help West Virginia’s most vulnerable children. Their cost is $20.00 plus $2.50 shipping and handling. |
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To reserve yours now call 304-346-0795 or : Mark Drennan |
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News Archive |
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Holiday Helpers |
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“Hoss” is MVP for Foster Children |
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St. John’s Catholic Church in Morgantown served as the site for Morgantown ’s Foster Parent Christmas Party on Thursday, December 15th. Food for the event was donated by Wal-Mart, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Mountaineer Pizza, Panero’s Bread, Sheetz, Boston Beanery and Exxon. And just in case you don’t think there was enough pizza, buffet gift certificates for the foster parents were donated by CiCi’s Pizza.
Toys for the foster children were donated by Target and Family Dollar. Toy Mountain , a project of Morgantown Mayor, Ron Justice and a group of WVU students, donated gifts for foster children and other children living in foster homes. Three DHHR workers donated gift wrapping for the piles of gifts along with beverages and chips for the party.
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Jeff Hostetler, former WVU football standout and New York Giants NFL star, working through his HOSS Foundation and the Chestnut Ridge Community Church (pictured above), donated two computers for foster parents along with many gifts for the foster children.
In addition, the Morgantown staff, friends and families have adopted 19 “forgotten angels” in Preston County . These children are not foster children, but do have very real needs that were met by the very real gifts this group of donors provided. |
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Teaming with Teamsters |
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It took a trailer truck and four additional vehicles to deliver all the toys, food and clothing that Teamsters Local 175 collected to give to needy children and families served by the Children’s Home Society.
The Teamsters began working on an annual Christmas drive in 1998, and from that point on, union members have worked extra hours soliciting donations and hosting special events to raise money to support the Christmas effort. The goal each year has been to exceed the amount donated the previous year. This year, that goal was obliterated.
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Because of the efforts of Teamsters Local 175, many children in Charleston and the surrounding areas had food, toys and clothing this Christmas. Some of the donated items gladdened the hearts of children and parents in Clay and Boone Counties as well.
Children’s Home Society of West Virginia recognizes the efforts of the Teamsters with special thanks to the following individuals: Randy Atkins, George Atkinson, Janet Atkinson, Kenny Bolar, Timmy Dominques, Mike Del Giudice, Ken Hall, Tammy Harpold, Curtis Harris, John Johnson, Cody Jones, Larry Jones, Sam Jones, Gary Legg, Bob Reese, Kellie Shambon, Mike Steele, Gary Varnee and Ralph Winter. |
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One Stop |
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Michael Graney, president of One Stop Corporation (a Belle, West Virginia based convenience store chain with 50 stores) took one look at the Society’s mission, values, our video “Restoring Hope” and committed his business as a statewide Little Red Stocking partner. In a big way One Stop’s impact was felt. Mr. Graney and his employees raised $11,000 for the Society. Jearldine Wheeler of the Southridge store was the top seller, selling over 1100 stockings on her own. Special thanks to Board member David Pitchford for making the partnership with One Stop a reality. |
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“Youth Alive” in St. Albans |
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The Youth Alive Club, a Christian Club, at McKinley Junior High in St. Albans covered the hallways, windows, and doors at their school with Little Red Stockings. Ms. Lora Bibbee, club sponsor and teacher said “the students, (who meet on their own time after school) really enjoyed helping children here in West Virginia .”
The 15 member club was successful raising $588 for the campaign. There fundraising skills won the group a pizza party as the school club that sold the most stockings. The group was humble in their acceptance of the honor saying, “We did not do help for any parties or recognition. We just did it, because it’s the right thing to do.” |
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Dow Chemical & Employees |
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Dow Chemical’s Communication Representative, (pictured right) Nikki Orcutt and Dow South Charleston R&D Director/CHS Board Member/Adoptive Parent, Kathy Johnson teamed up with Technical Center Employees raising $4000 for the Little Red Stocking Campaign. Dow employees bought, sold, and displayed stockings with pride selling 1000. Dow Chemical matched that $1000 and threw in $2000 more for good measure. “Dow Chemical is happy to help out with this great cause”, said Orcutt.
Special thanks to Kathy Johnson for her personal dedication to the work of the Society. |
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Go-Mart |
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Picking up from last year’s astounding contribution to the Little Red Stocking, Go Mart and its employees sold a corporate high 14,000 stockings in 2005. We are honored to have Go Mart as our lead sponsor for the second year in a row. The top selling store in the Northern Division was Princeton selling over 1700 stockings. Princeton was the top selling store in 2004 as well. In the Southern Division the top seller was St. Albans on West Main Street totaling 771. The managers coincidentally both named Patricia, Moore and Edwards, respectively did a wonderful job. Go Mart’s commitment to children in need is matched by the hearts of their employees. |
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Crichton Elementary School Holds Little Red Stocking Contest - With Pizza as the Prize |
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Students at Crichton Elementary School felt that a little “friendly competition” could help them in selling Little Red Stockings for the Lewisburg site. Mrs. Hollinghead, a Kindergarten teacher at Crichton, spearheaded the contest, with help from some of the other teachers and staff. The motivation for the students, aside from helping children less fortunate than they were, was a pizza party for the classroom selling the most Little Red Stockings. The entire student body raised $175.00 for the Little Red Stocking fund, while Mrs. Hollinghead’s class of 15 students won the pizza party by selling the most stockings. The Lewisburg site staff and Advisory Council would like to thank Vaughn Zopp for her efforts in enlisting the help of the school in selling Little Red Stockings. They would also like to thank Mrs. Hollinghead and the other teachers and staff for taking on the responsibility of passing out flyers for students to take home, making sure the stockings were hung and taking care of counting the money that was raised. And lastly, a HUGE THANK YOU to the students for their help with our fundraiser. |
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Students from Crichton
Elementary School who participated in this year's Little Red Stocking competition. |
"And the winners are..." Mrs. Hollinghead's Kindergarten Class! Yes, the youngest students were victorious!
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Making It Right for Kids |
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“Making it Right for Kids” was the theme of the First Annual Wine, Hors d’oeuvre and Silent Auction Gala held August 5 th at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg to benefit local Children’s Home Society programs. The event was co-chaired by Mary Leb Foster and Beth Wright Bragg and was hosted by Paula and Allen Carson. Lest you think “First Annual” a bit pretentious, you can mark your calendar right now for the “Second Annual ‘Make it Right for Kids’ Wine, Hors d’oeuvre and Silent Auction Gala.” It’s set for Friday, August 4, 2006 .
This sort of event succeeds through the support of local friends and businesses. On behalf of the children in the Greenbrier County area, we wish to acknowledge the following: |
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Sponsors: |
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Champion Level
Allen and Paula Carson
ARK Management of South Beach, Inc.
Anonymous
Partner Level
Lynch Construction
Best Friend Level
B. F. Goodrich
Keith and Beth Bragg
Colonial Ford
Cornerstone IGA
Dr. Robert and Mary Leb Foster
Dr. Tricia Lally |
Friend Level
John and Betty Hedrick
David C. and Andrea Nazar Maki
Companion Level
Dr. and Mrs. Roger A. Holliday |
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Donors: |
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Champion Level
The Greenbrier
Partner Level
Greenbrier Valley Physical Therapy and Fitness
Gillespie’s Flowers and Productions
Tabor Construction
Best Friend Level
Canaan Valley Resort
Martina’s Glass Studio
Mosaic Doc Studio
Oakhurst Links
Valley Scuba and Sports
Friend Level
The Clay Center
Free Spirit Adventures
The General Lewis Inn
Julian’s
Old Stone Manse
Oak Grove United Methodist Church
Stonewall Resort
Tish Barrentine |
Companion Level
Aggie’s
Allison and Co. Salon
Cathy Boone
Bonnie Brooks
Leslie Busick
Carnegie Hall
Allen and Paula Carson
Carwash Consultants
The Country Club Restaurant
Glen Elliott
Greenbrier River Campgrounds
Greenbrier Valley Theater
Greenbrier Valley Cycle Center
Harvest Grille
Kitten’s Korner
Lewisburg Floral
Jane Morningstar
Riverview Golf Range
Stardust Café
The Village Golf Shop
Wal Mart
Michael Waltrip
Linda Wheeler
WV Power Baseball |
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Gala planners (left to right) include Beth Wright Bragg, Allen Carson, Paula Carson, Lewisburg Director of Community Based Services Janet Richmond, Chief Executive Officer Dennis Sutton, and Supervisor of Child and Family Services Cecilia Boomer. |
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Shelter from the Storm |
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On Saturday, September 3rd, staff at our Davis Child Shelter in Charleston received the call to get ready to provide care for displaced children coming from the New Orleans, Louisiana area. To initiate a secondary triage at the shelter, Mary White, Charleston Community Based Services Director, got in touch with Tracy Smith, Shelter Psychologist, who arranged for and delivered a truckload of supplies including blankets, pillows, sheets, clothing, baby supplies, hygiene supplies and food. |
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Tracy also arranged for backup physicians and dentists to be on-call. Area churches and other organizations donated many items to assist the Davis effort.
Area churches and other organizations also donated many items to assist the Davis effort.
Staff from the Faltis Shelter in Summersville arrived at Davis Saturday evening to provide additional assistance in organizing the triage area and brought even more supplies with them. Other shelters in the Society’s shelter network remain on stand-by.
By 11 p.m. Saturday night, Davis Child Shelter staff became available around the clock to provide triage, supplies and mental health services to children arriving from New Orleans at the Air National Guard Base near Yeager Airport.
On Tuesday, September 6 th, the Davis Child Shelter was scheduled for a licensing review through the WV Department of Health and Human Resources. Paula Hinzman, DHHR Licensing Specialist, joined the Davis staff at the Air National Guard Base to help with service delivery to arriving evacuees.
The following staff provided more than 200 hours of service at the shelter and at Air National Guard Base: |
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Davis Shelter and Child and Family Services Office, Charleston |
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Mike Bledsoe, Shelter Shift Supervisor
Chris Freeman, Charleston Foster Care Social Worker
Gary Hunt, Shelter Shift Supervisor
Cynthia Jett, Shelter Supervisor
Melody Plumley, Region II Director
Vanessa Revere, Shelter Social Worker
Debbie Skiles, Child Care Worker
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Judy Smith, Relief Child Care Worker
James Truman, Child Care Worker
Valerie Turner, Shelter Social Worker
Mary White, Charleston Community Based Services Director
Pam Wiseman, Shelter Admin Assistant
Shanna Young, Child Care Worker |
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Faltis Shelter, Summersville |
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Kami Bennett, Shelter Social Worker
Michelle Delaney, Shelter Supervisor
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Kim Vickers, Shelter Shift Supervisor
Bonnie Ward, Shelter Shift Supervisor |
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We recognize the hours of service beyond their regular work hours these staff have put into the disaster relief effort as well as the extra effort by the Davis and Summersville staff who kept up with regular activities for children already in care at their facilities.
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Homers for Kids |
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The Hardman Family |
George Hardman of Winfield is an avid fan of WV Power Baseball – and – he’s a big fan of the Children’s Home Society as well. George and his wife, Cindy, have two adopted daughters. Their youngest, Anna, was adopted through the Society.
Mr. Hardman and some friends have formed the WV Power Boosters and pledged a donation each time a Power player hits a home run. So far, each homer is worth $50 to the Society. The team averages about 60 home runs a season.
The WV Power Boosters include Hardman Delivery Service, Inc., General Truck Sales, Pro-Print, H.C. Nutting Environmental, Rio Grande Mexican |
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Restaurant, Dr. Sueann Upton (ABC Pediatrics), Dr. Matthew Upton (Dunbar Medical Associates), Best Chance Foundation, American General Insurance, and Maverick Gymnastics Club.
The last WV Power game of the season saw the presentation of a check for $4,500 to the Society as a result of Homers for Kids.
Our thanks and appreciation go to the WV Power and our WV Power Boosters!
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Board members Dave Pitchford (4th from left) and Sally Richardson (far right) receive the check from the WV Power and Power Boosters representatives. |
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Foster Grandparent Minnie Hancock Recognized for 25 Years of Volunteer Service |
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The Council of Southern Mountains recently honored 69 Foster Grandparent volunteers from Summers, Mercer, McDowell, Monroe, Raleigh and Wyoming Counties.
We're proud to introduce you Special Recognition recipient, Minnie Hancock, a 25-year veteran of the Foster Grandparent program, with many of those years at the Paul Miller Shelter in Northfork. Marcia Charney-Mullins, Council Director of the Foster Grandparent Program, stated, "We are honored to recognize our Foster Grandparents because they are making a difference in the lives of children that need a helping hand." |
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| Foster Grandparent Minnie Hancock is in her usual spot at the table at the Paul Miller Home in Northfork. She makes herself available to any shelter resident who wants to talk things over. |
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We extend our thanks and appreciation to Minnie Hancock for making so many of McDowell County's children a personal priority through her work at the Paul Miller Shelter. |
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Adoption Resource Center Expands |
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Thanks to a generous gift, new Adoption Resource Centers (ARC) in Martinsburg, Morgantown and Princeton joined the Charleston ARC in July in providing services to children in need of homes, birth parents and adoptive families. |
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Joey Kraynok, Morgantown Social Worker, demonstrates the new video conferencing facility with a connection to the ARC in Charleston. Once all 4 sites are operational they can be interconnected simultaneously.
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Each ARC received new, family-friendly furnishings, new computer and video equipment, and lots of adoption related resources. The Society's web site now carries expanded adoption information (click here) and a new full-color brochure is available to detail services.
All four Adoption Resource Centers held Open Houses in July and August so that everyone could see the adoption resources available for use.
You can find addresses, directions and other contact information on the ARC Locations page . |
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Morgantown ARC Open House |
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A steady stream of visitors inculding foster and adoptive parents, local child welfare professionals, media and those who just wanted to be "in the know" graced the Morgantown Adoption Resource Center's (ARC) Open House on Wednesday, July 27th. |
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Joey Kraynok demonstrates the new video conferencing facility with a connection to the ARC in Charleston. Once all 4 sites are operational they can be interconnected simultaneously. |
The Open House offered tours of the newly established Adoption Resource Center and its resources for those interested in adoption, birth parent counseling and meeting the needs of adoptees. The center of attraction for many was the video conferencing capability provided by the new Apple Mac computer.
Open Houses are scheduled for Adoption Resource Centers in Charleston, Martinsburg and Princeton during the month of August. Click here for dates and times. |
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Special Founder's Day Celebration |
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The Society’s first annual Founders’ Day Dinner was held Friday, April 29th at the Charleston Marriott. Board member and Master of Ceremonies Tom Heywood introduced |
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the first screening of the agency’s new video, Children’s Home Society: Restoring Hope,now available on CD. Produced by Motion Masters and funded through a gift from the Deitzler Family Foundation, the 8-minute video provides an updated look at agency programs designed to involve volunteers and donors.
The evening’s program then switched into a less serious mode as guests changed to their second name tags—the ones with the face of a youthful Dennis Sutton sporting a handle bar mustache — to honor the 20-year mark in the service of our Chief Executive Officer with a surprise Roast.
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Guest Roasters included John Bowyer, John Marks, Rich Vincent, Betty Anne Smith, Jane C. Smith, Mark Riley, Betty Rivard, Scott Boileau, Steve Tuck, Dennis Pease. A plaque commemorating Mr. Sutton’s 20 years of service to the Society was presented by Matt and Ben Sutton, his sons. |
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Twenty years is a long time to wait to roast Dennis Sutton, shown
here with his family at the First Annual Founders’ Day Dinner. |
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2004 Little Red Stocking
Campaign News
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Generous 2004 Holiday
Support for CHS Programs
Each holiday season, the Society sees groups and individuals go far beyond the basics to help the Society's children and families in need. Please join with us in recognizing just a few of the many efforts taking place during the 2004 holidays.
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Charleston :
Teamsters Local 175 began their project in
October resulting in the December 14th delivery by tractor trailer
of donated gifts, household items and food for children and families
in the Charleston Child and Family Services Program.
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Employees at CASCI committed to sponsoring 15 Charleston Child and Family Services' families, donating new toys, small appliances and clothing for each.
Students and faculty at St. Albans High School took on 10 Charleston Child and Family Services' families, providing new bikes, wagons, toys, clothing and appliances for under the tree.
The Golden Oldies provided gifts and toys for 47 children in agency programs.
The Davis Child Shelter and its residents saw holidays enhanced through cash gifts from the Teamsters Local 175, Rudd Equipment, Kokosing/Filcom Construction, the Orthoclinic and other donors.
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Lewisburg:
Staff, students and their families of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine provided more than $10,000 in bicycles, guitars, Play Stations, car seats and other gifts for the Lewisburg Child and Family Services Program. Many of the gifts were distributed by Santa personally at the Christmas party sponsored by the School of Osteopathic Medicine. |
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Students and staff at Greenbrier East High School provided gifts for 49 children in the Lewisburg Child and Family Services Program.
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Princeton :
Concord College 's Bonner Leadership Program planned and hosted a holiday party complete with food, games and gifts galore for 75 children and their families. |
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Members of the Burke Memorial Baptist Church sponsored a Christmas party for 50 WE CAN program participants and their families.
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Beckley :
Residents at the Beckley Exceptional Youth Emergency Shelter were treated to a holiday pizza party sponsored by the Coal City Fairview Freewill Baptist Church . Church members also provided gifts for all residents.
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Tele-spectrum of Mt. Hope made sure each resident had presents under the tree on Christmas day.
Beaver Kroger donated Christmas dinner for everyone at the shelter.
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Summersville:
At the Faltis Shelter, Santa assumed the form of neighbor, Don Hanna, who donated both cash and Wal-Mart gift cards to ensure a good Christmas for shelter residents.
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Northfork:
Mr. Dave Dunson, owner of Black Diamond Pharmacy, began his giving in November with a complete Thanksgiving dinner for residents of the Paul Miller Shelter. Then he continued with a gift of cash and Wal-Mart gift cards for Christmas.
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Wal-Mart in Bluefield made a cash gift of $500 to the shelter to help offset holiday expenses.
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Parkersburg :
The holiday helpers in the Parkersburg area included GasSearch Corporation with a large donation of CD players, CD's, fleece blankets, clothing and other gifts for each resident of the A.N. Gustke Shelter. GasSearch also sponsored a pizza party for shelter residents during the holidays and movie passes.
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St. Margaret Mary Church and St. Ambrose Catholic Church donated board games, craft supplies, gift cards, duffle bags, clothing and winter coats for shelter residents.
Joyce and Steve Mestemacher cooked Christmas Eve dinner for shelter residents and provided gifts for all present.
Parkersburg Wal-Mart gave the shelter a 52-inch TV for the recreation room.
Charter Media and Communications delivered a large gift of food, toys and infant items to the Parkersburg Child and Family Services office for distribution to clients.
Toys for Tots provided toys for 250 needy children in a 7-county area. It required 3 trucks, 3 SUV's, a 16-foot utility trailer and a passenger car to transport this wonderful largess of holiday toys.
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Huntington :
The Quilters Club auctioned a hand-made quilt this fall with proceeds designated to the Huntington Shelter. Along with the $1,500 check, the Quilters donated stuffed animals, clothing and school supplies for the shelter residents. |
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Gustke Shelter Celebrates 25th
Anniversary
December 7, 2004
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On December 7, 2004, friends, supporters, current and
past shelter staff gathered at the A.N. Gustke Shelter
to remember and celebrate 25 years of service to the
community and West Virginia’s children.
Photos
and other historic memorabilia shared over refreshments
aided in generating remembrances, stories and other updates
about former residents and staff. Anniversary guests
included:
- Greg Higgins, one of the original Parkersburg Shelter
Child Care Workers, who later served as Shelter Social
Worker and Shelter Supervisor,
- Brothers Jeff and Dave Danner of Lexington, KY and
Milwaukee, WI respectively,
- Ed Baranoski, a 1980’s staffer, and
- Bob Scott, a 1990’s staffer
Shelly Plauche, Shelter Supervisor, and other current
staff appreciated hearing the perspective of staff members
from previous “generations.”
The
Parkersburg Shelter incorporated in 1977 as the Mid-Ohio
Valley Regional Youth Services Corporation (MOVRYSC)
in response to the deinstitutionalization of status offenders. The
shelter operated as a stand-alone 8-bed emergency shelter
for children and youth until 1992 when the service joined
the Society’s network of emergency shelters. Parkersburg
Director of Community Based Services, Steve Tuck, was
the shelter’s original Executive Director.
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Above and Beyond 2004 Conference Report
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The state-of-the-art
conference facilities at the Summit Center in Charleston
were the site for Children's Home Society's 9th annual
conference. Tired conference participants were
comforted in ergonomic chairs, and a perpetually open
beverage center. More than 150 individuals participated
in various aspects of the conference which included a pre-conference
workshop for therapists and counselors, a pre-conference
reception highlighting an African community drumming experience. The plenary
address was delivered by Pat Wilson, Director of CWLA's
southern regional office.
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Workshops included techniques
in supportive counseling, working with adolescents with
PTSD, drumming as a unifying communications technique.
The second day workshops were handing stress: yours and
others and helping kids in custody transition to adulthood.
The staff and young women from the Appalachian Women's
Project demonstrated the success of their teen resiliency
program.
CEO Dennis Sutton's presentation at the annual dinner
highlighted the "Above and Beyond" efforts
of the agency staff as they serve the children and families
of West Virginia. A highlight of the evening was
the presentation of an award to Joyce Phillips from Davis
Child Shelter who is retiring on December 31 after 27
years with the agency as a direct service worker.
Make plans to attend the 10th annual
conference which will be Nov. 16-18, 2005.
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Children's Flag Day April 22, 2005 |
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Congratulations West Virginia, you have done it again. The Children’s Memorial Flag was flown in all of West Virginia’s 55 counties on April 22 due to the efforts of many citizens’ groups, government agencies and non-profit organizations with the leadership of the Alliance for Children.
In 1998, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) launched an effort to direct attention to the tragedy of violent child deaths as a part of a national initiative to reduce child mortality. The fourth Friday of April has been designated by the Congress of the United States and the fifty state governors as Children’s Memorial Flag Day. For the past eight years a group of committed child welfare citizens have promoted Children’s Memorial Flag Day as a key element of April’s Child Abuse Prevention activities. |
The flag was designed by a sixteen year old from Alameda County, CA. The silhouette in the middle represents the children lost to violence |
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Haddad Riverfront Park April 2005
Flags are flown at the site with the permission of the
donors of the flag poles, the Pilot Club of Charleston |
Governor Joe Manchin joined with his predecessors to fly the flag at the State Capitol grounds. Honorary Chair, First Lady Gayle Manchin, was the featured guest speaker at the ceremony at Haddad Riverfront Park in Charleston where citizens gathered to remember the children lost to violence and preventable deaths in the past year.
At the State ceremony in Charleston, the First Lady presented a special recognition to Betty Anne Smith, who |
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represented the Children’s Justice Task Force. Betty Anne, a prominent West Virginia advocate for children was instrumental in promoting the concept with the Task Force which provided the funds to buy the original flags for all the 55 counties to initiate the statewide program in April, 2000.
The Busy Bees from the First Presbyterian Church’s preschool and the children from the Avesta Drive Center of the UMC’s outreach program sang for the crowd. Hearts were thrilled as Wings of Peace released doves at the end of the ceremony. Most of the 55 counties held similar ceremonies, candlelight vigils, information fairs, and recognition dinners for their special advocates for children. |
The crowd gathers and is welcomed
by WV First Lady, Gayle Manchin |
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