Al Wade Storytelling Award Winners Announced
On February 16, 2021 the Children’s Home Society announced the winners of the 1st Annual Al Wade Storytelling Award. We would like to congratulate Denise Hughes, Programs Supervisor at our Parkersburg location, Brandi Davis, Regional Director at our Morgantown location and Alonna Ray and Bethany Chapell, Permanency Social Workers at our Romney location. We look forward to many more years of great stories.
About the Award
Children’s Home Society is pleased to announce the Al Wade Storytelling Award. Children’s Home Society staff can submit a special story on how they’ve impacted or have witnessed a CHS staff impact a child’s life. A committee will review the entries and choose a winner. The winner will be recognized in a Children’s Home Society newsletter and other publications.
About the Honoree
Al W
ade retired from the Children’s Home Society June 2020 after serving this organization and West Virginia’s children and families for 31 years. Al’s dedication to children became his life purpose. Al Wade was an inspiration because he had a special way about him in telling the stories of children he came to know and care for.
When Al told a story he captivated the audience, he could make a strong individual cry or fill a room with laughter, with words alone. Al was genuine in his storytelling and in his own way and words he spoke with heartfelt compassion. The stories that Al Wade has told over the decades will always remind each of us that we too should have stories to tell, those stories about how a child’s life was made better by our own efforts. The stories of struggles and challenges, and most importantly the stories that left children with wonderful memories.