Author: Celeste Brooks

  • Record Celebrate Kids Day Ends with Surprise Honor

    Record Celebrate Kids Day Ends with Surprise Honor

    Warren Coalition’s Celebrate Kids Day just keeps getting bigger (and better!) every year, and that trend continued this year for the 12th annual event held in Warren County. Hosted by Warren Coalition at the Health & Human Services Complex, Celebrate Kids Day welcomed 539 children and their families, setting a record attendance for the fourth year in a row! It also featured a surprise twist at the end that even Executive Director Christa Shiflett wasn’t expecting.

    This year’s festival offered the traditional favorites: various inflatable rides (sponsored by Giles B. Cook American Legion #33), pony rides, face painting, free pumpkins to paint (sponsored by Front Royal Dental Care), and games (with prizes!) provided by the Warren Coalition. It also featured a few new activities, including inflatable racing orbs and a giant rocking horse (the latter was borrowed from Sue and Chris Laurence of White Picket Fence and Key Move Realty). An expanded outdoor area allowed Celebrate Kids Day to welcome 20 agencies, organizations, and nonprofits that provided their own games or activities. There were even a few businesses that joined in the fun, including Lowes!

    Warren Coalition was excited to welcome Jig ‘n’ Jive and All Star Legacy Cheer back to the event. The students performed beautifully, to the enthusiastic delight of their audiences. (One toddler was so excited by Jig ‘n’ Jive that he tried to gallop out onto the dance floor with them!)

    A major change this year occurred in the way the Coalition provided prizes, which were sponsored by Front Royal Kiwanis Club and Northwestern Community Services Board. Traditionally, the Coalition awarded a prize as soon as a child wins a game. This year, they decided to go counter to the idea of “instant gratification” and used a stamp card that was marked whenever the child won a game. Children could earn as many stamps as they wanted. At any time during the day, they could visit the prize table in the gym and use their stamps to “purchase” one or more prizes.

    This approach allowed the Coalition to provide higher value prizes, providing each child with a few popular and or/resilience-based prizes, such as Squishmallows, crafts, and board games, rather than a collection of inexpensive toys (that often wind up in the trash). More importantly, it provided children with a small lesson in resilience—keep playing the game until you win, so you get a stamp—and saving for a larger reward, a self-discipline that is often lost in today’s electronic-based culture.

    For the hard-working fundraisers, the heat of the day was broken up by a chance to sit in the Pitch Burst. A total of 13 people were challenged to raise funds for the Coalition and in return, they had 11-inch water balloons popped over their heads. While not every person met the $500 goal, the group swept by the overall goal, raising a total of $7,660! The Rotary Club of Warren County especially took the challenge to heart; they had four people sitting in the Pitch Burst and together they raised $3,575! Included in that group was the top fundraiser, Warren County Sheriff Crystal Cline, who gathered $1,945 in donations. Jody Lee, Skyline Middle School Principal, took second place with $1,250. For her triumph, Crystal received a gift bag of goodies, the Pitch Burst Traveling Trophy, and, of course, bragging rights for the next year.

    During the last few minutes of Celebrate Kids Day, the Coalition staff gathered in the gymnasium, with only Community Outreach Coordinator Celeste Brooks knowing that they were there for a presentation by Delegate Delores Oates. Delegate Oates had been looking for a chance to recognize the Coalition with a Commending Resolution since late last winter, when it was passed by the Virginia House of Delegates. With an emotional Christa Shifflett at her side, Delegate Oates read out some of the highlights of the resolution, recognizing the Coalition for its 30th anniversary in 2024 and for making a positive difference in the community. Delegate Oates also praised Christa for her leadership and the ways in which she personally has made a difference in Warren County.

    Mark the calendar for next year’s Celebrate Kids Day on September 27, 2026!

  • Warren Coalition’s Celebrate Kids Day September 28th

    Warren Coalition’s Celebrate Kids Day September 28th

    Warren Coalition’s popular event “Celebrate Kids Day” has grown in attendance every year, and the community has responded! Thanks to generous donations and robust participation from local organizations, this year’s event promises to be the biggest (and hopefully the best) yet!

    Celebrate Kids Day 2025 will be held from 1 pm to 4 pm on Sunday, September 28th, 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 broke attendance records again last year, drawing in over 300 children. The popularity of the festival is undoubtedly the fact that it includes all the activities kids love. This year’s inflatable rides, sponsored by Giles B. Cook American Legion Post 53 and Northwestern Community Services Board, will feature a moon bounce with slide, an obstacle course, a football target throw, a climbing wall, and racing orbs! There will also be a petting zoo (sponsored by City National Bank), and face painting.

    Coalition staff and volunteers will host games with amazing prizes sponsored by Kiwanis Club of Front Royal. Instead of winning small prizes at each game, children will receive tickets and can use those tickets to go “shopping” at the prize tent, where there will be a variety of board games and toys to choose from.

    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 Front Royal Dental Care) while supplies last. In addition, there will be various games and activities provided by organizations from across Warren County, including a large bowling mat from Royal Family Bowling. More than 20 agencies and businesses have signed up to participate so far! A DJ sponsored by Rotary Club of Northern Shenandoah Valley will be accompanying demonstrations presented by students at Jig ‘n’ Jive, All Star Legacy, and Mountain View Music.

    In addition to the sponsors already mentioned, Wells Fargo Advisor George Karnes, Rotary Club of Warren County, Front Royal/Warren County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #33, and Front Royal Elks Lodge No. 2382 have chipped in funds to help make this event possible, covering non-sponsored costs such as the pony rides, face painting, and promotions.

    Refreshments will be available for purchase. Unity Masonic Lodge No. 146 will be grilling the hot dogs and hamburgers.

    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 28th. 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–2025.

    For more information, email wc@warrencoalition.org.

    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.

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  • Warren Coalition Adds Free Trauma-Informed Certification Class

    Warren Coalition Adds Free Trauma-Informed Certification Class

    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.

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  • 2025 Annual Awards and Larry M. Funk Award Recipients Announced

    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.

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  • Warren Coalition to Offer Free Trauma-Informed Certification

    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.

    Register now

    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.