Category: Events

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 1^st to sundown, March 2^nd. 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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The Northwestern Prevention Collaborative is partnering with Northwestern Community Services Board to provide a series of Virtual REVIVE trainings for our community. Register for an upcoming event and become part of our lifesaving network of individuals. Everyone has a role in creating a safe, resilient community!

Sponsored by the Northwestern Prevention Collaborative. Recovery Ally Programs are trainings that are designed to increase a community’s recovery capital, decrease stigma and grow intervention skills. The next session of this training will be held virtually on January 26, 2022 from 1 – 4 pm. This training is a 3-hour training developed at Virginia Commonwealth University to train faculty and staff to become Recovery Allies.

Individual modules include:

• Basic Science
• What does an Ally Do?
• Racial Justice and Recovery
• Philosophies of Care & Pathways to Recovery, Families, and Language.

This training is very interactive and is meant to provide a great starting point to supporting people struggling with substance use disorders.

Audience

All are welcome. This training is a very helpful primer as a family member, lay person, friend, employer, health care provider etc. For people with limited exposure to treatment or recovery, it can provide some great starting points. For professionals or people with a great deal of lived experience, it will provide a set of slides, tools and approaches that may be helpful with clients or family members or may provide an easy way to train community members to be part of the solution. Because the training is conversation driven, professionals can often be particularly helpful to other participants during the training.

The Warren Coalition is teaming up with Northwestern Community Services Board Prevention and Wellness Services to focus on positive messaging related to kindness during the month of January, to bring light and inspiration during a time in which there is often high rates of Seasonal Depression and excessive stress and anxiety due to the colder, darker months and COVID-19. The goal of this campaign is to provide inspiration, education, and motivation without minimizing the feelings or complex reality that many face.

The foundation of the campaign is the “tree” which takes on multiple different aspects that can be related to life and the obstacles we face, but how we can continue to grow. The goals of the campaign are to deliver the following through positive messaging:

• To raise awareness about the stigma that surrounds mental health
• To encourage community members to create healthy routines, connect with others, and find the positive despite the current struggles we all face
• To foster connection and resilience in our communities by emphasizing kindness

During each week of the campaign, there will be a call to-action with tips, activities, and education to promote kindness in our communities. There are various ways to engage in the campaign, including social media engagement. To keep up to date with the campaign, follow @LordfairfaxYRA on all social media platforms for infographics, photos, and quotes. Please feel free to share their posts and include their hashtag #NWRootedinkindess.

Get involved. Be creative. Implement #NWRootedinKindess into your everyday work this month. Find ways to connect while educating the community about being kind to self and others.

In addition, yard signs with messages of kindness have been purchased as part of this effort. Interested in displaying a FREE yard sign? Within Warren County, contact the Warren Coalition at wc@warrencoalition.org or call Celeste at 540-660-336. Outside Warren County, email youthresourcealliance@gmail.com.

See a sign? Take a picture and be sure to tag @lordfairfaxyra and use the hashtag #NWRootedinKindess