As we celebrated our 30th anniversary in 2024, it became clear that we had once again outgrown our mission, vision, and logo, as we no longer served only the youth and teens of Warren County. We were serving everyone from infants to the elderly, and our brand needed to reflect that.
As we re-examined ourselves and our place in Warren County, our focus returned again and again to resilience and hope. While we have continued to focus on drug education and building awareness in the community, we have also learned the importance building resilience in our children, their families, and our community, and we have been implementing that philosophy into our work for more than six years.
Wellness, resilience, and hope came through as themes that the Coalition now embodies. They are important for the children we want to equip to avoid substance use, and the adults we support as they embark on their recovery journey.
Thus our new vision, mission, and logo were developed. Rather than a drug-free community, we now focus on building a healthy, resilient community, one able to overcome the challenges of today’s world.
The lifted hands in our new logo continue representing the care and support we provide to our community, but they now raise up a radiant star of hope for all ages, pointing towards a bright future for the Coalition and Warren County.
After seeing a record-setting crowd last year, event organizers from the Warren Coalition added an extra inflatable game and a train ride to this year’s Celebrate Kids Day line-up of activities!
Celebrate Kids Day 2026 will be held from 1 pm to 4 pm on Sunday, September 27th, 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 Sports or Cake Walks is an additional $1 per participant.
Celebrate Kids Day includes all the activities kids love. This year’s inflatable rides, once again sponsored by Giles B. Cook American Legion Post 53 and Northwestern Community Services Board, will feature a moon bounce, giant dual-racing slides, a “wrecking ball,” a football target throw, a T-ball game, and a climbing wall! There will also be a petting zoo sponsored by City National Bank, pony rides, and face painting. The train ride was added thanks to a generous donation from the Rotary Club of Warren County.
Coalition staff and volunteers will host games in which stamps and can use those stamps to go “shopping” at the prize tables, where they may choose from a variety of board games and toys.
One of the activities the event is known for is the opportunity for children to paint a small pumpkin (included in the price of the bracelet and sponsored by Giles B. Cook American Legion Post 53) while supplies last. More than 25 agencies and businesses have signed up to participate so far! A DJ sponsored by Front Royal Kiwanis Club will be accompanying demonstrations presented by students at Jig ‘n’ Jive, All Star Legacy, and Dance & Arts VA. Several food trucks will be in attendance, including C & C Frozen Treats, Sipsy’s Dirty Sodas, and Talk of the Town.
In addition to the sponsors already mentioned, Front Royal Dental Care, Front Royal/Warren County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #33, and the Warren County VA Sheriff’s Office Foundation have chipped in funds to help make this event possible, helping to cover non-sponsored costs such as the pony rides, face painting, and promotions.
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 an 11-inch balloon full of water 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 27th. 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://www.zeffy.com/en-US/peer-to-peer/pitch-burst–2026.
Warren Coalition is 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.
A group of local volunteers, ranging from fairly new residents to people who have grown up in Warren County, are competing to see who can raise the most funds to support Warren Coalition’s children’s programs. All 13 people will end up sitting in the Pitch Burst during Warren Coalition’s Celebrate Kids Day on September 27th. In question is how long they will have to sit there as children pop 11-inch balloons over their heads. The top three fundraisers will only be in the wet seat for 10 minutes each; the others will be in there for 15 minutes each. The overall top fundraiser will also be recognized with a traveling trophy and a small goody bag of gifts.
The (surprisingly) cheerful volunteers come from across the community (places of employment are for reference and are not an indication of the organization’s support of this fundraiser):
Dr. Matthew Rosario
Mary Carnahan
William Huck
Jen Avery
Bret Bement
Tyler Cheely
Crystal Cline
Lori Cockrell
Cheryl Cullers
Kevin Brooks
Jason Neale
Kenzie Kidwell
Brandace Kerns
Each person has been asked to raise a minimum of $500. Some have chosen to increase their goals from that amount. The group’s overall target is $7,500. To see who is in the lead, or to donate towards one of the volunteers’ campaigns, visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/peer-to-peer/pitch-burst–2026.
The Pitch Burst is part of the Warren Coalition’s 13th annual Celebrate Kids Day, which will be held on Sunday, September 27th, from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Health & Human Service Complex at 465 W 15th Street. There will be pony rides, inflatable rides, a petting zoo, free pumpkins for the first 200 children, a train ride, and plenty of games and prizes. The cost is $1 per child, which includes almost all of the activities except for the cake walk, which is an additional $1 per person.
A crowd of Warren Coalition staff, members, and guests gathered at the Warren County Community Center on July 30th for the Annual Luncheon and Awards, where Dr. Matthew Rosario, Joyce Jenkins-Wimmer, and Coalition Secretary Holly Goode were among those honored.
Holly was recognized as the Coalition Member of the Year for going above and beyond in her service to the organization, outside her duties as the secretary. Throughout the year, Holly consistently volunteered at events, attended fundraising meetings, and even gave her time to writing personal thank-you notes to donors. She also supported fundraising efforts with gifts and sponsorships.
Joyce was honored for 17 years of service to the Coalition. During her tenure, she ran the College Access Network, helping parents and students understand the college application and financial aid process, and the MORE (My Opportunity for Reinforcement and Enrichment) after‑school initiative, designed to provide youth with structured, positive activities and support to promote safety, health, and personal growth. Since 2020, Joyce has been the coordinator for HALO (Helping All Little Ones) Read, the name of the Coalition program affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Under her guidance, the program has served more than 875 children.
After two Warren Coalition staff members and one board member narrowed down the nominees to three, Linda and William Funk (Larry’s wife and son, respectively) selected the final winner of the Larry M. Funk Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to Children in Warren County: Dr. Matthew Rosario. He was nominated by Tiffany Halliday.
“Dr. Matthew Rosario has demonstrated a strong and ongoing commitment to supporting children and youth throughout Warren County through mentorship, athletics, behavioral health advocacy, community outreach, and educational support initiatives,” she wrote in her nomination.
While Dr. Rosario serves children through his practice, ClearHorizon Forensic & Counseling Group, Tiffany’s nomination demonstrated that he does even more beyond his office walls.
“Dr. Rosario has supported local youth athletics through the sponsorship of sports teams and community-based youth activities. He has also served as a coach for the Skyline High School track team, where he has mentored student-athletes both on and off the field by encouraging discipline, perseverance, teamwork, and positive goal-setting,” she wrote.
His nomination goes on to say “Dr. Rosario has also contributed directly to youth engagement through community outreach and mentorship initiatives designed to encourage confidence, accountability, leadership, and personal growth. His work emphasizes creating safe and supportive environments where youth feel seen, heard, and empowered.
“Through his practice, ClearHorizon Forensic & Counseling Group and the ClearHorizon Foundation (501c3 nonprofit organization), he has awarded grants and provided support to local organizations that offer educational programs, mentorship opportunities, youth enrichment activities, and community-based services that positively impact children and adolescents across Warren County.”
“I don’t get emotional, but that…that really got me emotional,” Dr. Rosario said, referring to the nomination Christa had read a moment earlier. He shared a little about his childhood, sharing that his experiences were what motivated him and allowed him to connect with kids. “How can I play poems? So understanding that this is a lot for me right now. I was like, whoa, I didn’t realize we’re doing so much stuff, but understanding that we’re doing things out of passionate care, to understand that we are about the people and about the community.”
“We do this as a community,” he explained. “We do this to uplift one another. Children are having a huge disparity of mental health. Unfortunately, I don’t work with the adults. I only work with children, but understand that alone in the past three months, I have worked with over 20 kids in Warren County who are on substances. It is an upbringing. It’s an uprising. We have to be careful with our children, with our youth, understanding that substance use is not just affecting adults, but it’s now affecting our children. It’s affecting the generation because they don’t understand how to cope with their life stressors.”
In addition to the previously listed awards, Christa shared that the Coalition had intended to honor Lauren Foltz, who has been the youth representative to the Coalition board for more than two years. Lauren was unfortunately unable to attend the event, so the award will be presented at a later date.
During the luncheon, President Nick Croft, Vice President Michelle Smeltzer, and Secretary Holly Goode were also honored for perfect attendance at meetings throughout the year.
Warren Coalition has been named a recipient for a new three-year grant from Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) (https://vfhy.org/)! VFHY grant funding provides infrastructure support to build and sustain Healthy Communities Action Teams (HCATs). Warren Coalition refers to their program as Project WAHOO (Working to Achieve Healthy Outcomes and Opportunities), which is a community effort to prevent and reduce childhood obesity. This is the fifth consecutive time the Coalition has been awarded an HCAT grant.
HCATs work collaboratively to implement policy, systems and environmental (PSE) changes that support at least one of eight healthy behaviors which can prevent and reduce childhood obesity:
Breastfeeding
Eating More Fruits and Veggies
Reducing Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods
Moving More
Decreasing Screen Time
Getting Enough Sleep
Reducing Stress with Increased Mindfulness
Decreasing Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Warren Coalition was awarded $120,000 ($40,000 per year for three years) to fund projects and programs between May 1, 2026 and June 30, 2029. These include the SPARK (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids) program and intramurals in partner schools, to increase exercise. Through partnerships with Reaching Out Now, the Community Garden, and Debbie’s Lighthouse, the grant will support local community gardens and community meals designed to promote healthy eating. Youth Unplugged Parties and Warren County Unplugged activities organized under this grant will encourage students to reduce screen time.
Over the next three years, funding will also go towards new built environments at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School, Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School, Warren County High School and/or the Santmyers Student Union. Skyline Middle School, Warren County Parks and Recreation, and Reaching Out Now will also receive financial support to purchase exercise equipment. In addition to all of this, funds will support the Safe at Home tournaments and the Coalition’s Health Video Contest for middle school students.
Past projects funded in part by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth HCAT grants over the past 12 years have included the splash pad, the basketball court and exercise course at Rockland Park, the basketball court at Skyline Middle School, playground equipment at the Soccerplex and Thompson’s Park and Ride, pickleball nets, a portable frisbee golf course for the 4-H Center, and much more.
Warren Coalition is 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 member agencies and businesses.
