Due to overwhelming demand, Warren Coalition will again offer a free Trauma-Informed Certification Class (Course 1) on September 18, 2025, from 9 am to 3:30 pm at Warren County Community Center (538 Villa Ave).
We all interact with others on a daily basis, and we may be left wondering why we snapped, or why the other person acted so rudely. Sometimes we feel lonely, insecure, or as if we aren’t good enough, but we don’t know from where those feelings originate.
Trauma-Informed Training provides you with a different perspective, allowing you to approach yourself and others from a place of understanding. The class will help you understand the biological science of trauma, the lifelong impacts trauma can have on your mental and physical health, and how to approach others whose trauma history is unknown.
Attendees must be present for the full session to receive a Trauma-Informed Certification. (There will be an on-your-own lunch break of approximately 30 minutes.) This course is offered free of charge to community members. It will be taught in person by Christa Shifflett, Executive Director of the Warren Coalition and will not be recorded.
To complete the required pre-registration, visit bit.ly/ti18sept (note the link is case-sensitive). For more information about Trauma-Informed Training and whether it can help you in your personal and/or professional life, email Christa Shifflett at christa@warrencoalition.org.
This training is presented by Warren Coalition, a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance misuse 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.
On July 31, 2025, 26 Warren Coalition members, staff, and guests came together at the Warren County Community Center for the Coalition’s Annual Awards Luncheon. This annual event is held to honor outstanding members as well as the recipient of the 2025 Larry M. Funk Award for Outstanding Service to Children in Warren County.
Showing up is critical for success—especially when an organization depends upon volunteers–and so each year, the Coalition recognizes those who have attended 80% (or more) of the meetings. For the 2024-25 fiscal year, Perfect Attendance recognition was awarded to Treasurer Kay Schroyer, while Attendance Awards were given to Secretary Holly Goode and Michelle Smeltzer.
Executive Director Christa Shifflett presents Secretary Holly Goode with a pin, given in appreciation for Holly’s consistent presence at meetings.
Some members go above and beyond their “official” volunteer service duties by assisting the Coalition with events, fundraising, etc. These members are awarded one to four stars each month for their above-and-beyond service. (For example, the treasurer does not receive stars for performing duties related to being the treasurer.) This year, only one point separated the top two Stars, with Kay Schroyer beating out runner-up Coalition President Nick Croft.
Coalition President Nick Croft was recognized as the runner-up for the Member of the Year Award. He was beaten out by only one point by Treasurer Kay Schroyer.
Once the member recognitions were announced, attention turned to the Larry M. Funk Award honoree: Harmony Hike. Nominated by Tiffany Halliday, Harmony is the co-founder of the Hike Kidz Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which launched its first initiative in November 2024. She devotes countless hours to the goals of the foundation, reaching Warren County children in need to ensure they have an equal opportunity to thrive. She has brought the community together to provide support directly to children and families that need it most.
Harmony works tirelessly to launch community campaigns and initiatives that strengthen ties in our community by raising funds and providing for basic needs like clothes and other essentials. Hike Kidz Foundation is dedicated to providing these resources to McKinney-Vento and foster students who have unmet needs. She created a campaign that raised enough funds to provide hygiene and art enrichment items to over 130 local children. Last year, the foundation raised funds to sponsor 11 families at Christmas, providing funds, toys, and dinners.
Harmony Hike of the Hike Kidz Foundation was the recipient of this year’s Larry M. Funk Award for Outstanding Service to Children in Warren County.
According to Tiffany, the five words that describe Harmony are “devoted, passionate, reliable, driven, and leadership.” In her write-up, Tiffany said, “Harmony is driven to reach and help the local students in need to feel equal. To thrive. To feel more confident.”
Upon being presented with the award, Harmony spoke a few words of thanks to the Coalition and recalled Larry Funk, who worked in the schools while she was a student. “He was active and jolly. Smiling from the inside. Always pleasant. Always present,” she recalled. She concluded her speech with a message: “Sometimes it’s not what you need from the world, it’s what the world needs form you. This is what Mr. Funk gave us and that was a community gift we all felt. A long-lasting impact of what it means to live fully and completely, doing all that you love, with all of your heart.”
Each spring, nominations for the Larry M. Funk Award are open for about four to six weeks. Anyone in the community can nominate someone who serves the children of Warren County. Once the nomination period closes, a small committee made up of Coalition members and staff select four to five finalists, which are then given to Larry Funk’s wife Linda and their son William to make the final selection of the winner.
Harmony received an engraved award and a $500 check, and her name will be added to the list of award recipients that is kept on a plaque in the Warren Coalition offices.
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.
Note: This class has reached capacity. The registration link still works, but all those registering after July 6, 2025 will be placed on a waiting list.
Warren Coalition will offer a free Trauma-Informed Certification Class (Course 1) on August 14, 2025, from 9 am to 3:30 pm at Warren County Community Center.
We all interact with others on a daily basis, and we may be left wondering why we snapped, or why the other person acted so rudely. Sometimes we feel lonely, insecure, or as if we aren’t good enough, but we don’t know from where those feelings originate.
Trauma-Informed Training provides you with a different perspective, allowing you to approach yourself and others from a place of understanding. The class will help you understand the biological science of trauma, the lifelong impacts trauma can have on your mental and physical health, and how to approach others whose trauma history is unknown.
Attendees must be present for the full session to receive a Trauma-Informed Certification. (There will be an on-your-own lunch break of approximately 30 minutes.) This course is offered free of charge to community members and is limited to 20 people. It will be taught in person by Christa Shifflett, Executive Director of the Warren Coalition and will not be recorded.
To complete the required pre-registration, visit bit.ly/ti-aug14 (note the link is case-sensitive) or click the link below.
For more information about Trauma-Informed Training and whether it can help you in your personal and/or professional life, email Christa Shifflett at christa@warrencoalition.org.
As it does each year, Warren Coalition is kicking off the school year with a free pool party for Warren County students entering grades sixth through eight this fall! This annual event will be held on Sunday, August 10, 2025, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at Claude A. Stokes Jr. Community Pool (1000 Stadium Drive, Front Royal). The Coalition is excited to welcome Young Life back to the Pool Party for some added activities and fun.
Although admission to the pool party is free, the Coalition will accept donations of nonperishable food for those in need. This includes pasta, rice, cereal, meat or fish in pouches, and canned vegetables, meats, and fruits.
Supervision is provided; parents are welcome to stay but are not required to do so. This event is open to all Warren County residents entering grades six through eight, whether they attend public or private school, or are homeschooled. For more information, email wc@warrencoalition.org.
The Warren Coalition staff and Let’s Get Cheesy Committee faced their fair share of challenges leading up to their fundraiser, held on Friday June 6th at the North Warren Celebration Hall. During the week, unforeseen circumstances took the Coalition website down, but the staff cheerfully blamed cheese-seeking mice and borrowed the incredible block-built cat “Hobbes” from Play Favorites. Minor issues related to lighting and cooking were overcome fairly easily on Friday. But when Mother Nature brought a vicious storm through right before the event began, taking down a large tree that then blocked Rockland Court for over an hour—well, that challenge wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.
Executive Director Christa Shifflett studies the tree blocking the road.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, and everything that needed to be in place for the event to happen was already at the fire hall. A few of the guests had even made it to the event before the tree came down. After waiting a while for the tree to be cleared, some ticket holders chose to give up and headed home or to a nearby restaurant to wait. However, most persevered, parking along the road and then traipsing around the tree (in the soaking wet grass) to the fire hall.
The charcuterie table, created by Julia Laurent with cheese donated by Happy Creek Cheeses and Dusty’s Country Store, was a huge hit. Hobbes the cat from Play Favorites guarded the cheese from sneaky mice.
Despite the soggy and potentially frustrating circumstances, the atmosphere was festive, and guests seemed delighted by the gorgeous charcuterie table, with cheeses from Happy Creek Cheeses and Dusty’s Country Store being guarded by Hobbes. Comfort food such as Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay biscuits, chicken and cheese empañadas from Garcia and Gavino, French mac and cheese from Savour by CRUSH, and lasagna from Anthony’s turned out to be the perfect menu for the wet, windy evening. The main course was rounded out by cheesy green bean casserole, seafood pizza, and Caesar salad provided by the Coalition. Cheesecake nachos from On Cue, cheesecake ice cream from C & C Frozen Treats, and cheesecake-filled strawberries graced the dessert table in turn. At the end of the night, after the votes were counted, the “Crowd Favorite” was the cheesecake ice cream from C& C Frozen Treats!
Guests were asked to vote for their favorite cheesy dish of the night. The winner was cheesecake ice cream donated by C & C Frozen Treats. In this photo, owners William and Nina Huck pose with The Golden Cheese Award.
The guests, totaling 50 people, were encouraged to participate in crazy games, and while many preferred to watch rather than play, they all seemed to have a good time. One guest asserted that one of the games should come with a warning. “I laughed so hard I spit out my ice cream!” he complained good-naturedly.
The festivities were enhanced by the cheesy tunes from DJ Harold Chunn, the comedic commentary provided by M.C. Pam Foster, and a fun cheesy photo booth provided by In the Moment Photo Booth.
Among the many games played was “The Quiet Game.” Players wore shoe covers (provided by Aire Serv) with rubber chickens inside, and had to avoid being tagged by the blind-folded “Long John Silver” (played by Kevin Brooks), who relied heavily on guidance from DJ Harold Chunn.
Thanks to the combination of a 50/50 raffle, auctions, sponsorships and ticket sales, Executive Director Christa Shifflett announced the net profit was about $5,700.
“Because this was a first-time event, we set our goal at $5,000, so we’re thrilled that we exceeded that,” she said. She added that the funds are going to the Coalition’s children’s programs: Project COURAGE, which equips kids to overcome trauma; HALO Read, the affiliate program of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library providing free books to kids aged 0-4; and various resilience-building events for youth and families.
One of the games was a four-person competition to build a structure with blocks in under three minutes. The attendees cast their ballots for their favorite, with Kay Schroyer, second from left, taking home the prize of a $25 gift card from The Vine & Leaf.
“We couldn’t have reached our goal without the support of many businesses and individuals,” Shifflett said. “We are thankful for each and every one of them.” Those sponsors and supporters included:
“Rind Sponsors” ($500): Jen Avery of Crum Realty, Inc. Ellen Aders, State Farm Insurance Warren County Veterinary Clinic The Recovery Connection Struckmann, White & Wisely PC
Wheel Sponsors ($250): Harmony Hike Auto Care Clinic, Inc.
Slice Sponsors ($100): Charlie’s Auto Repair Red Light Culinary Studio
Food Provided by: Anthony’s Pizza C & C Frozen Treats Dusty’s Country Store Garcia & Gavino Happy Creek Cheeses On Cue Red Lobster Savour by CRUSH
In-Kind Donations/Auction Items: Aire Serv Krista Beahm Celeste & Kevin Brooks Crush Wine Bar Jeff Seese and Chelsey Foster (Chester Gap Cellars) Front Royal Wines Amanda and Whiticar Darvills (Fox Meadows Winery) Holly Goode Glen Manor Vineyards Debbie Grove Joyce Jenkins-Wimmer Denise Hackney Lori Howard In the Moment Photo Booth Tonia Meyer Randy & Megan Morgan (Naked Mountain Winery & Vineyards) Our Community Co-op Marketing Lisa Parker John Delmare, Kelly Knight, and Teres Delmare (Rappahannock Cellars) Shelly Cook (Reitano Vineyards) Gary & Elaine Roland Shenandoah Caverns/American Celebration on Parade Melissa Simmons Skyline Caverns Kay Schroyer Christa Shifflett Michelle Smeltzer Stokes General Store Target Corporation The Vine & Leaf White Picket Fence
A wrap-up meeting and follow-up survey to attendees confirmed: “Let’s Get Cheesy” will return in 2026!
Warren Coalition Executive Director Christa Shifflett wore a cheesy costume to help set the tone for the evening, which was designed to provide light-hearted, engaging fun along with delicious food.
Warren Coalition is a 501(c)3 established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance misuse awareness to the community. It 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.
