Each year the Warren Coalition’s Health Video Contest grows a little more, and this year it garnered a record-breaking 11 submissions, making the judging and selection process even more challenging for the judges! Standing out among their peers and earning $125 Amazon gift cards for their efforts were: Kenny Buhl of Warren County Middle School and Ryder Bowen, a student at John Paul the Great Montessori Academy, repeated their wins from the previous year. Amiliyana Holt of Skyline Middle School and Cara Gass of Warren County Middle School also won top prizes. Ryder and Amiliyana produced videos focused “Getting Enough Sleep,” while Kenny and Cara centered theirs around “Exercising Regularly.”
The contest was open to all middle school students, ages 11-14, in Warren County. Students could elect to submit a video about getting regular exercise, getting quality sleep, drinking enough water, or maintaining healthy eating habits. The contest was held as part of the Warren Coalition’s WAHOO (Working to Achieve Healthy Outcomes and Opportunities) program, which is funded by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. Their videos will be used as healthy living ads throughout Warren County over the next six to eight weeks.
“It’s wonderful to see this competition grow each year,” said Celeste Brooks, Community Outreach Coordinator. “The students engage with creativity and enthusiasm. My only regret is that we don’t have more prizes to award!”
This year’s winners, along with past contest winners, can be viewed on the Coalition’s YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/HealthVideoContest
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
Warren Coalition’s second annual Let’s Get Cheesy is a night of food, laughter, and fun! The adults-only event returns to the North Warren Celebration Hall (at the North Warren Fire Station, 266 Rockland Road) on Friday, June 5th, at 6:30 pm.
Attendees will be treated to an extensive charcuterie table (with cheese from Happy Creek Cheeses and Dusty’s Country Store), brie and apple appetizers, and meatball sliders from On Cue Sports Bar and Grill during the first half-hour, followed by lasagna soup from On Cue, Caesar salad, and the main dishes of chicken Florentine and seafood au gratin. Dessert will feature cannolis from Garcia and Gavino and ice cream from C & C Frozen Treats, along with Oreo cheesecake truffles, carrot cake cookies, and brownies. Those who cannot or prefer not to eat cheese may still partake of the non-cheese options on the charcuterie table, meatballs, chicken, salad, and brownies.
The evening will also feature a photo booth with In the Moment Photo Booth, your favorite cheesy dance tunes (Macarena, anyone?), entertainment and jokes with M.C. Pam Foster, a few fun and completely optional games, a 50/50 raffle, and a “Bountiful Baskets” silent auction.
Tickets are $75/person or $140/couple. Visit warrencoalition.org/cheesy for more information or to purchase tickets. (If you prefer to pay with cash or check, email celeste@warrencoalition.org.)
This fundraiser supports several Warren Coalition children’s programs, including: Project COURAGE, which provides hope and support for children who have experienced trauma; DEALS Hope, which encompasses the drug education classes Warren Coalition provides in Warren County; and HALO Read, the affiliate program of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Warren County. Thank you to the sponsors who are making this event possible and supporting these programs, including The Big Cheese sponsor, Sysco Northeast Redistribution Center; Cheddar Sponsors Jen Avery and Warren County Veterinary Clinic; Sweet Sponsor Holly Goode; and Gouda Sponsors Bill Powers (State Farm Insurance), True Value Ramsey Hardware, Apple House, and Kiwanis Club of Front Royal.
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug-free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
Warren Coalition is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Larry M. Funk Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to Children. This award, established by the Warren Coalition in 2022, recognizes an individual who has made an exceptionally positive impact on the children of Warren County through dedicated, selfless service.
The award is open to anyone who serves children in any way. However, if serving children is their professional occupation, the nominator will need to demonstrate the ways in which they go above and beyond their normal job requirements.
Nomination Process
Nominators are asked to explain the contributions made to the children and youth of Warren County, cite specific examples, and list five outstanding qualities of the nominee. The selection of the award recipient is based solely on the nomination provided, not on outside information that the selection committees may have. The nomination is also used for the award write-up and subsequent media releases.
Nominations can be made online at https://bit.ly/FunkAward2026. (Note that the link is case-sensitive.) Nominations are due June 15, 2026. After the deadline, a panel of Warren Coalition staff and members will review the nomination packages, and select three to five packages to forward to the Funk family, who will make the final decision of who this year’s recipient will be. The selected person will be presented with a plaque and $500 cash at the Warren Coalition’s Annual Membership Luncheon in late July.
People who have been nominated before may be submitted again. However, past honorees are ineligible for five years following receipt of the award. Past recipients include Roger Smelzer (2022), Laura Nelson-Haas (2023), Michael S. Williams (2024), and Harmony Hike (2025). Questions may be sent to Celeste Brooks at celeste@warrencoalition.org.
About Larry
Larry M. Funk was a member of Warren Coalition for more than 20 years, serving in a number of positions to include Vice President and President during that time. The Warren County Sheriff Department employed Larry for over 28 years, and 27 of those were as the D.A.R.E. instructor and Community Policing representative. He received many awards and recognitions from community organizations such as Kiwanis, Elks Lodge, Moose Lodge, Warren County Sheriff Department, Warren County Board of Supervisors, and American Legion Post 53, just to name a few.
Larry’s many activities included presentations at events and distribution of educational materials for the youth of Warren County. This included many bike rodeos; Warren County Fair booths; Warren Memorial Hospital annual health fair; drug awareness displays; car shows; and car seat safety checks. He coordinated and organized the annual D.A.R.E. Day, which was the culmination of a year of planning for the fifth graders of Warren County Public Schools as part of the D.A.R.E education during the school year.
At his church, Larry served as an elder, assistant Sunday school superintendent, and a youth Sunday school teacher. His family recalled that he would practice his presentations for hours until he got them just the way he wanted. He took great pride working with the children of the community. Students and former students would frequently greet him with hugs whenever they saw him. Larry’s impact was great and long-lasting.
Larry was married for 38 years; the proud father of two sons; and grandfather of five grandchildren. He loved spending time with them and especially teaching them.
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug-free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
FRONT ROYAL, VA—Warren Coalition and Samuels Public Library are teaming up to host “It’s Feud Time!”, an evening of fun styled after the popular game show Family Feud. Teams of two to five people consisting of family and/or friends will compete against each other for the top prize: a $50 gift card for each person on the team (up to five people, $250 maximum per team). A dinner of lasagna, salad, dessert, and drinks will be served at no cost to attendees.
Some questions will center around popular topics, while others will relate to drugs and alcohol, mental health, smart phone usage, and resilience. Each team will write out their best guesses to the questions, so everyone has a chance to win!
This event is intended for middle school and high school students in Warren County, and their families and friends. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Complete the registration form at https://bit.ly/feudtime.
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
To help raise awareness of the dangers of excessive social media use, Warren Coalition created “Warren County Unplugged,” a community effort to encourage individuals of all ages to get off of their phones (or at least social media) for a day (or so). This 24-hour event is held in conjunction with the Global Day of Unplugging the first weekend in March, which was March 6-7 this year. During Warren County Unplugged, people of all ages are encouraged to sign up to unplug and were entered into a prize drawing for doing so. The first year, a total of 55 people signed up; the following year, that number was 108. This year, 132 signed up.
“We coordinate events all over the County, and the point of those events is to make it easier for folks stay off of their phones,” said organizer Celeste Brooks, Deputy Director of the Warren Coalition. “Our ultimate goal is to raise awareness about how social media impacts mental health, especially for our youth, and to get people to make a plan to stay off of their phones, or at least off of social media, for a little while.”
Since 2012, smartphone use by teens has increased, and anxiety, depression, and loneliness have skyrocketed. Social media companies deliberately designed their algorithms to be addictive, which could potentially prime the teen brain for substance use disorders (addiction) later in life. In fact, studies have already shown that teens who regularly use social media are more likely to buy cigarettes, drink alcohol, and/or use marijuana.
As part of this year’s Warren County Unplugged activities, children of all grade levels (and parents as well) enjoyed a variety of activities at Friday night’s Youth Unplugged Party, hosted by the Coalition, Warren County Parks & Recreation, Warren County Young Life, and Scouting America. Those activities included tossing beach balls into “granny pants” worn by Dave Goss and Ed Daley, The Quiet Game, arts and crafts, archery, bingo, 9-square in the air, Volley Bound, basketball, and an inflatable gaga pit.
“Warren Coalition hosted the elementary school student activities, and it was heart-warming to see the families enjoying time together without a phone in sight,” said Brooks.
Additional Friday evening activities included karaoke hosted by Reaching Out Now at Santmyers Student Union, a Scottish Cèilidh at Samuels Public Library, and a Hyper Party at the Royal Family Bowling Center. Brooks estimated that there were well over 350 people at the various events held on Friday evening.
Saturday brought a push of attention to local retail stores and the downtown area, with kid-friendly stores like Play Favorites and Main Street Geek offering discounts and free activities. Habitat for Humanity of Warren County hosted Backyard Games at the Gazebo with an inflatable obstacle course and entertainment by the talented students from the School of Rock in Haymarket. On Cue Sports Bar hosted a casino-style fundraiser, and Ruby Yoga offered a discount on several classes throughout the day.
Altogether, 37 businesses and organizations came together to provide some sort of phone-free experience for the Warren County community. An additional 15 restaurants allowed the Coalition to place “table tents” of information on their tables in the weeks leading up to the event, helping to promote awareness of the risks of excessive social media use and awareness of Warren County Unplugged.
“We are deeply thankful that so many organizations recognize the importance of this event and the issue it addresses,” said Brooks. “This day helps us all become a little more aware of what the concerns are, for both ourselves and our kids.”
Those who signed up online are eligible for an upcoming prize drawing. A survey has been sent out to them, and those who complete it will receive an extra two entries into the drawing, which will be held on March 20th.
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
