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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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

“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 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.

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On Friday, June 6^th, Warren Coalition will host a new fundraiser, “Let’s Get Cheesy,” providing an evening of incredible food combined with some ridiculous (in a good way) fun! The funds raised from the event will support Warren Coalition events and programs for kids and families. This includes Red Ribbon Week activities held in the middle schools, the HALO (Helping All Little Ones) Read program affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and activities designed to build resilience in kids and promote family togetherness.

This event won’t be just cheese and crackers—although unique and popular cheeses will certainly be included. Instead, the Coalition will have varying dishes based in delectable gooey cheesiness. Think French mac & cheese, lasagna, cheesy biscuits, Caesar salad, cheesecake nachos, cheesecake ice cream, and much more!

Leaning into the double entendre of “let’s get cheesy,” the event will also feature some crazy (a.k.a. cheesy) fun games, some of which will have attendees “cracker” up with laughter!  There will be contests such as “Name the Movie This Cheesy Line Is From,” and entertaining activities involving rubber chickens and goldfish crackers. There will be many other activities, but the Let’s Get Cheesy planning committee has declined to go into detail, saying that they don’t want to give too much away. However, they did add that this is an evening during which they want adults to relax and allow themselves to have some crazy fun—or at least laugh with the people who are brave enough to try! (And those brave souls will have a chance for some fantastic–or cheesy–prizes!)

Let’s Get Cheesy will be held at the North Warren Celebration Hall (North Warren Fire Station) at 6:30 pm on June 6^th. Please note: because this event includes wine and mead, it is only for people 21 and up. Tickets are $75 each until June 1st, and are on sale now at warrencoalition.org/cheesy. Only 100 tickets will be sold.

As this is a fundraiser, there will be a chance auction, a small silent auction, and a live auction featuring a vacation as well. Some of the “brie-lliant” items up for grabs include a hummingbird cake made by Debbie Grove, a cheesecake by Shane Goodwin, wine tastings from three different wineries, and gift cards to local restaurants. Thank you to Jen Avery of Crum Realty; Warren County Veterinary Clinic; Ellen Aders-State Farm Insurance; The Recovery Connection; Struckmann, White & Wiseley PC; Auto Care Clinic, Inc.; and Harmony Hike for sponsoring this event! Sponsorships and items for the auctions are still being accepted—the cheesier, the better (but cheese is not required)! If you are interested in sponsoring or donating an item, contact Celeste Brooks at celeste@warrencoalition.org for more information.

Warren Coalition is accepting nominations for the 2025 Larry M. Funk Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to Children. This award was established by the Warren Coalition in 2022 to recognize an individual who has made a positive impact on the children of Warren County through dedicated service.  

The award is open to anyone who serves children in any way, though if it is their profession, the nominator will need to explain the way in which they go above and beyond their normal job requirements. 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.

Nominations can be made online at https://bit.ly/FunkAward. (Note that the link is case-sensitive.) A panel will review the nomination packages, and the selected recipient will be presented with a plaque and $500 cash at the Warren Coalition’s Annual Membership Luncheon in late July. Nominations are due June 15, 2025.

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), and Michael S. Williams (2024). Questions may be sent to Celeste Brooks at celeste@warrencoalition.org.

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. His 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 would see 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. 

With eight video submissions for their annual Health Video Contest—more than any year since COVID—Warren Coalition staff and board members found it difficult to determine the four winners for 2025. However, selections were made, and during the week of April 7^th, the winners were presented with their first-place prizes of $125 Amazon gift cards: Kenny Buhl of Warren County Middle School took first place in Getting Quality Sleep, while fellow WCMS student Alaina Lauffer claimed first prize in the Eating Healthy/Nutrition category. Ryder Bowen, a student at John Paul the Great Montessori Academy, took home the top award in the Drinking Enough Water category.  Landon Marut of Legacy Christian Academy won the top prize in the Exercise category. Each of the students received $125 in Amazon gift cards. 

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 in the late spring/early summer.

“This was a great group of submissions, and it was not an easy decision,” said Celeste Brooks, Community Outreach Coordinator. “Our youth representative to the Coalition board, Lauren Foltz, took the lead on the judging, with several staff members weighing in. We took into consideration the clarity of the video and the audio, as well as the creativity. Kenny and Landon both won last year in the same categories as this year, and their videos just keep getting better. Alaina and Ryder provided outstanding first-time submissions. We appreciate the time the students took to make such a fun group of videos!”  

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.

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