The 11th annual Celebrate Kids Day was another soaking wet event, but once again the spirit of fun pervaded the entire grounds of the Health & Human Services Complex, from the 15th Street Gym to the Diversified Minds Conference Room.
At set-up time on Sunday September 29th, weather forecasts indicated only occasional drizzle throughout most of the day, with one passing heavy rain, and so organizers made the decision to leave the inflatables outside, along with some other activities. That forecast turned out woefully inaccurate, as a steady rain fell almost the entire day. Despite that, more than 300 children poured through the gates with their parents! The Coalition is incredibly thankful for the 80+ staff members and volunteers on-hand to manage the huge crowd.
Thank you to the CKD sponsors who made this year’s event possible: • Warren County Parks & Recreation • City National Bank (Petting Zoo Sponsor) • Front Royal Dental Care • Rotary Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley • Rotary Club of Warren County
During the event, Warren Coalition once again held the pitch burst fundraiser, which goes to support the various programs of the Coalition. They wish to express their appreciation to those who raised funds to sit in the pitch burst this year: Chris Ballenger, Bret Bement, William Huck, Crystal Cline, George McIntyre, Kahle Magalis, Kristen Pence, Lori Cockrell, Cheryl Cullers, and Jen Avery. The group raised a total of $5,765, which was doubled thanks to a generous anonymous donor.
Thank you to Misti Walters and Jen Avery for taking many photos throughout the day!
Warren Coalition, celebrating 30 years of service to Warren County, 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’s popular event “Celebrate Kids Day” has broken attendance records each of the last two years, and the staff anticipates that this year will continue that trend! This year’s festivities will again be held from 1 pm to 4 pm on Sunday, September 29th, at the Health & Human Services Complex at 465 W 15th Street. The cost for a bracelet that provides unlimited access to all activities is $1 per child (no cost for parents). Participation in one of the Book or Cake Walks is an additional $1 per participant.
Celebrate Kids Day is an annual, much-anticipated event, drawing in more than 200 children of various ages each year. It includes inflatable rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, and face painting, among other games provided by Coalition staff and volunteers. Children can paint a small pumpkin (included in the price of the bracelet) while supplies last. In addition, there will be various games and activities provided by organizations from across Warren County. Nearly 20 agencies and businesses have signed up to participate so far.
Thank you to our 2024 Celebrate Kids Day sponsors!
Warren County Parks & Recreation Front Royal Dental Care City National Bank Rotary Club of Warren County Rotary Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley
In conjunction with the event, the Coalition hosts a fundraiser featuring the Pitch Burst, a machine similar to a dunking booth, except that it drops a water-laden balloon on top of the “volunteer.” Community members have been challenged to raise $500 each to earn the “honor” of sitting in the Pitch Burst on the 24th. To see who has accepted this challenge, and/or make a gift to ensure that they get to sit in the “cold” seat, visit https://warrencoalition.org/ckd-pitchburst
An amazing group of local people have stepped up to raise funds for the Coalition by participating in this year’s Pitch Burst competition! Each person has agreed to raise at least $500 to earn the “honor” of having an 11-inch balloon full of water popped over their head during Celebrate Kids Day on September 29th. Some have set personal goals that are higher, and a few have their eyes set on earning the champion fundraiser title for this year! To see where each of the participants stands, click the button below.
Or click on a name below to go directly to their page and donate towards that person’s goal! Online donations will close on Sunday, September 29th, and only cash or checks received by the 29th will count towards that person’s goal.
All donations go to support the various programs of the Warren Coalition.
On July 25, 2024, Warren Coalition members and staff gathered with guests for the Annual Awards Luncheon at the Warren County Community Center. The crowd of 29 people came to celebrate dedicated service by Warren Coalition members and honor the winner of this year’s Larry M. Funk Award for Outstanding Service to Children in Warren County.
In recognition of how busy people are and as a gesture of appreciation for their time, attendance awards are given to members who consistently attended meetings during the past year. Michelle Smeltzer, Samantha Barber, and Matt Buracker all received recognition pins, with Nick Croft receiving a Perfect Attendance pin. In addition, Sam was recognized for her service as treasurer over the past year, and Nick for his service as secretary of the board and overall board service for the past 15+ years.
Nick was also honored as Coalition Member of the Year for 2024 for his many hours of volunteer work with the Coalition, which includes technical support and helping to staff events. Executive Director Christa Shifflett noted during the presentations that for the 2024-25 year, Sam will serve as Vice President and Nick will serve as President.
A special award was given to Dan Lenz, who is retiring from Warren County Parks & Recreation later this year, to honor him for his 16 years of service with the Coalition. Warren Coalition and Warren County Parks & Recreation have been able to collaborate on many projects during his tenure, including Rockland Park’s disc golf course, exercise equipment, and basketball course, the splash pad, several swing sets, and the new pickleball courts, just to name a few. Dan stated that he intends to remain involved in the Coalition, much to everyone’s delight.
Once the awards to the members were completed, it was time to present the award the Larry M. Funk Award for Outstanding Service to Children in Warren County. This award was established by the Warren Coalition in 2022 to recognize an individual whose dedication and service to the children of Warren County have made a positive impact on them. 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.
This year’s award recipient was Michael S. Williams, who was nominated by the Rotary Club of Warren County. The nomination states, “Michael Williams’ passion for mentoring and supporting the youth of Front Royal/Warren County is boundless and tireless.” The nomination observes that five Early Act and Interact Clubs have been formed in Warren County “because of Michael’s passion, energy, and love for children.” Michael is the faculty sponsor for the E. Wilson Morrison Early Act Club, which started in 2019 with just 17 fourth and fifth grade members. The club is now open to students from kindergarten through fifth grade and boasted a membership of 146 students this past year. “This elementary school is a Title 1 school with 90% of the students receiving aid,” the nomination notes. “It is amazing to see these children participating in numerous activities to support their school, the local community, and others in need.”
Michael supports the older children in the Warren County community as well. He has been a leader in organizing Rotary District 7570’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards weekend held at Virginia Tech each year. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership training program for high school students. Michael helps organize the event and is a presenter as well. In addition, he is a chaperone and driver for youth participants from Warren County. Unsurprisingly, due to his tireless dedication, Michael has been named as Rotary District 7570’s Youth Activities Chairperson for the 2024-2025 Rotary year.
Michael doesn’t stop at Rotary. Like Larry, he is involved with the children and youth at his church. He is the Children’s Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church in Front Royal and the Youth Fellowship Leader for the Church. He is also engaged in the Church’s support of the backpack program at E. Wilson Morrison School, providing food for children, and the Church’s collection of school supplies for the school.
“Michael is a child at heart, his dedication to education for children is more than of any other person I know,” the nomination concludes. “Being involved in the community and also focused on involvement and good practice for the education of our youth. Above all Michael is: Compassionate, uplifting, generous, supportive, personable, selfless, relatable, involved, kind, patient, motivational, fun, energic, respectful, and so much more. He is the light for Warren County Youth!”
Local students entering grades sixth through eight this fall are invited to a free Pool Party hosted by Warren Coalition! This annual event will be held on Sunday, August 11th, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at Claude A. Stokes Community Pool. The Coalition is excited to welcome Young Life back to the Pool Party for 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 students entering grades six through eight, whether they attend public or private school, or are homeschooled. For more information, email Celeste Brooks at celeste@warrencoalition.org.
