Author: Celeste Brooks

  • Warren County Rocks Scavenger Hunt Team Registrations Open

    It is time for teams to rigorously train for—or at least register for—the second annual Warren County Rocks Scavenger Hunt being held on Sunday, April 28th! This fundraiser for the Warren Coalition sends teams scrambling to solve clues and hunting for five affirmation rocks, while completing hysterically fun challenges along the way to earn points towards the championship title for 2024!

    This year, the Scavenger Hunt features two separate divisions: a Family Division, which will start at 1:00 pm, and an Adult Team Division, which will begin at 3:00 pm. A community showcase will be held from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm with refreshments. Hundreds of dollars in prizes will be given away, with awards for the teams that finish the fastest, the ones that score the highest on the challenges, and the overall championship title in each division as well!

    What’s the scavenger hunt like, you ask? Well, imagine puzzles of all kinds–a crossword, a cryptogram, a riddle–that you and your teammate(s)/family must solve. They lead you to a location where you search for special affirmation rocks. Once you find one, you then complete a challenge–throwing a pool noodle through a hula hoop, or playing a few rounds of Jenga as fast as you can, for example–which earns you points. When you’re done, you get your next puzzle, and on you go!

    It is the type of event where there is something for EVERYONE! And you’ll go home with full bellies, t-shirts, and possibly some awesome prizes!

    The event will be held at the Health & Human Services Complex at 465 W 15th St, Front Royal.

    The entry fee is $100 per team, with a maximum of four people per Adult Division team and five people per Family Division Team. Each team member will receive a T-shirt. Teams are encouraged to register by April 4th, but will not need to pay right away. Beginning on April 5th, teams will receive a website link so they can fundraise online, if desired. While $100 is all that is needed to qualify for the Scavenger Hunt, teams are encouraged to continue raising funds. The team that raises the most money will receive a prize and earn additional points towards the overall championship title! Will Rocking for the Weekend maintain their title for the second year, or will another team knock them off the championship boulder this year?

    Registrations will be accepted through April 15th.

    To participate in the Scavenger Hunt, gather your team and register online at warrencoalition.org/wcrsh

    Thank you to our sponsors: Berry Media Graphics, Skyline Insurance Agency, Lindsay Chevrolet, Play Favorites, and Melting Pot Pizza!

    Register your team

  • Now Accepting Youth Have Talent Auditions

    Warren Coalition is accepting virtual auditions from Warren County middle school and high school students now through April 1st. This is not just for singers! Musicians, magicians, comedians, dancers, spoken word…whatever your talent, this is the time to shine and share it with the community! To learn more about this opportunity, visit our event page.

    If you already know all you need to know and just want to submit your video, you may do so here!

  • Warren Coalition Coordinating Warren County IRL 

    Warren Coalition Coordinating Warren County IRL 

    FRONT ROYAL, VA— As part of its “We See You, Warren County” program, Warren Coalition is calling the community to come together for Warren County IRL (In Real Life), a Global Day of Unplugging event that will be held from sundown, March 1st to sundown, March 2nd. This is a day created by Unplug Collaborative (unplugcollaborative.org), set aside for people to disconnect from phones and re-connect with themselves, nature, and especially with friends, family, and community—in person!  

    Studies have shown that overuse of smart phones, especially in relation to social media, has a negative impact on our mental health and overall wellbeing. The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has deemed loneliness and isolation an epidemic in the US, publishing an advisory around it in May of 2023. The reliance on smart phones and social media for communication have contributed to this sense of loneliness.  

    Warren County IRL participants are encouraged to unplug for a full 24 hours, though they can commit to smaller timeframes. Throughout that time, various businesses and organizations will be offering events, activities, programs, prizes, and/or discounts to help people engage in real life. Businesses and organizations that would like to be a part of this effort can contact Celeste Brooks at celeste@warrencoalition.org or 540-660-3367.  

    Individuals who participate in unplugging will be eligible for prizes. Signing up on the Warren Coalition website earns one entry into the prize drawings. Signing in at any one of the Warren County IRL events earns additional entries. Completing a survey after the event earns yet another entry. For more information, https://warrencoalition.org/wc-irl or check out the Warren Coalition Facebook page. 

    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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  • New Date Set for Midnight Cornhole Tournament

    New Date Set for Midnight Cornhole Tournament

    The Warren Coalition’s late-night cornhole tournament for high school students in Warren County has been rescheduled for Friday, November 10th. This is a single-division tournament with just one champion team at the end. The entry fee for a team is $10 at the door (cash only) or $5 for an individual who wants to be paired up with someone else.

    Students must be accompanied by an adult (18+) who can provide transportation at the end of the evening. (A parent or guardian is not required.) The end time will depend on the number of participants.

    There will be additional side games with prizes (no extra charge), as well as chips and drinks for sale, cash only.

    Pre-registration is not required. For more information, email wc@warrencoalition.org!

    Join us on Friday, November 10th at 10:00 pm at the 15th Street Gym (at the Health & Human Services Complex, 465 West 15th Street) for late-night fun!

    Hosted by Warren Coalition and Warren County Parks & Recreation.

  • Free Trauma-Informed Certification

    Free Trauma-Informed Certification

    Warren Coalition will offer a free Course 1 Trauma-Informed Certification on November 1, 2023, from 9 am to 3:30 pm at Warren County Community Center.

    We all interact with others on a daily basis, and sometimes we are left wondering why we snapped, or why the other person acted so rudely. Sometimes those interactions can leave us feeling lonely, insecure, or as if we aren’t good enough.

    Trauma-Informed Certification provides you with a different perspective. There’s nothing “wrong” with you or the other person. The question to ask, both of yourselves and others, is “What happened to you?” This allows you to approach yourself and others from a place of understanding. This trauma-informed training will explore this and more. It will help you understand the science behind 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 attend the full session to receive a Trauma-Informed Certification. This course is offered free of charge to community members. The class will be taught in person by Christa Shifflett, Executive Director of the Warren Coalition. It will not be recorded.

    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 and Northwestern Prevention Collaborative (NPC). NPC covers the Lord Fairfax Planning District, encompassing the City of Winchester and the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah and Warren. The Collaborative is a partnership between Page Alliance for Community Action, Family Youth Initiative, Warren Coalition, Northern Shenandoah Substance Abuse Coalition and the Prevention Department of Northwestern Community Services Board.

    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.

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