Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders Today: Powered by Reaching Out Now

Warren County students will join peers from across the region at Shenandoah University on October 21 for the 2025 YES Conference (Youth Empowered for Success), led by Reaching Out Now and its president, Samantha Barber. What began in 2021 with 15 students has grown into a hands-on day that blends real talk, real service, and real leadership.

The idea was simple: get students onto a college campus, connect them with homegrown leaders, and build confidence through conversation and action. Each year, Barber and her team meet with principals, counselors, and speakers to improve the experience. “At the end of every conference, the next year begins,” she said. That planning has pushed the event to October, expanded outreach beyond Warren County, and sharpened the focus on practical skills students can use right away.

This year’s lineup features local voices that students recognize, including Bill Hall, Athletic Director at Warren County High School; Chelsea Hester, Assistant Coach at Shenandoah University and founder of Projected My Vibe; and James Imoh, a community-minded leader with Edward Jones who serves on local boards. The goal is for students to see leaders who live and work in their own neighborhoods—and to see themselves in those stories.

Hall’s message is grounded and memorable. He’ll teach REP—Relationships, Extreme Ownership, Purpose—and the everyday equation E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome). “The only thing in that equation that we can control is our response,” Hall said. He wants students to leave knowing leadership is not a title. “Sometimes people think leadership is talks and grand things and mission statements, but really it’s about action.”

Warren County High School Principal Ken Knesh is bringing a wide mix of students—athletes, club members, and emerging leaders who might not see themselves that way yet. “I want kids who are right there… they’re leaders, they just don’t know it yet,” Knesh said. For many, simply stepping on a college campus is a turning point. As he put it, “They walk differently on that campus.”

The conference isn’t just speeches. Students will take part in a service project designed with Valley Health and the Shenandoah University baseball team: packing 19,000 meals for local schools. Each box contains 36 meal packs, and each pack feeds four to six people, with five boxes going to each school for holiday support. Students will also write handwritten cards to cancer patients through Valley Health’s WISH program. The idea is to pair inspiration with impact—learn in the morning, serve in the afternoon.

The day comes with a full student-friendly setup: breakfast, snacks, Chick-fil-A for lunch, prizes, and a swag bag. Hall is also sending them home with a REP bracelet to keep the lesson close at hand.

The cost is $30 per student, a price Barber keeps low through sponsors and school partners. “Everyone’s shocked when they hear $30 because of what the kids get out of it… We spend more than what we get on this conference,” she said. This year, Sysco will award a $250 scholarship to a student attendee.

For Barber, Knesh, and Hall, the true return is what happens after the buses roll back into town. Students bring the lessons to their teams, clubs, and classrooms. As Hall put it, “Anything over zero compounds.” One positive choice leads to another—and spreads.

Reaching Out Now extends that momentum all year through Better Together Family Dinners at Warren County High School, Skyline High School, Warren County Middle School, and Skyline Middle School. Themes range from Bingo Night to Honoring Veterans to a holiday dinner with gifts and Santa. Partners have Blue Ridge Technical Center Culinary Arts program, Ledo Pizza, Bonnie Blue, and Mission Barbecue. Around Thanksgiving, the group works with restaurants like Cracker Barrel to provide full meals to selected families.

The message students will hear on October 21 is clear and consistent: leadership lives in the choices you make every day—how you treat people, how you handle challenges, and how you serve your community. Learn it, practice it, and pass it on. For many, that lesson starts the moment they step off the bus and onto a college campus. As Knesh said, “They walk differently on that campus.” And after a day of learning and serving together, they walk back on the bus differently, too.

Click here to find out more about Reaching Out Now and how you can help.