Local News
Stephens City Food Pantry Assists Needy Families, Seeks Community Donations
The food support ministry of Stephens City United Methodist Church (SCUMC) has been in operation since 2004, gradually evolving into a fully operational food pantry. The ministry began as an effort to provide groceries to a handful of families in the Stephens City area. This food was sorted by volunteers, and then distributed by the church secretary, to approximately eight to twelve families once per month. When Martha Dale and Diane Foreman, who provided this service retired in 2008, Cathy Ritter and Pat Konschak transitioned the food service to a small room (now the church library) distributing groceries on a weekly basis. The pantry service began to expand by supporting more needy families beyond Stephens City into the South Frederick, North Warren, and Shenandoah County areas. The food pantry again required more space and relocated to several rooms in the church basement where it exists today.
According to former SCUMC Food Pantry Manager, Cathy Ritter, the pantry was graciously supported by several local churches and the Stephens City Lions Club to assist with donations to fund the increase in services. “USDA food distributions also became available as the economy languished. The pantry received an old freezer donated by the church from the renovated kitchen and a refrigerator donated by Tom and Nancy Hollis twenty years ago. We received two new refrigerators/freezers through the Blue Ridge Food Bank, using USDA grant funds. Volunteers also shopped around for needed grocery, and hygiene items weekly. Toilet paper, soap, shampoo, deodorant, laundry detergent, and fresh meats became essentials. Volunteers began making direct deliveries to homebound persons,” Ritter said.
Former Food Pantry Manager Cathy Ritter with current Executive Director Cookie Shank at the 2023 United Women of Faith Christmas Gathering. Courtesy Mary E. Powell.
During the pre-pandemic period, guests would arrive by appointment and wait in a sitting room while their groceries were being prepared by volunteers. “COVID required that the process be changed to utilizing a drive-thru style, boxes and bags of items being placed by volunteers into guest vehicles on line in the parking lot. This method of distribution has remained in place post-COVID because the process moves faster and serves more people,” said Ritter.
Modest-wage-earner families are economizing and shopping at thrift stores as they attempt to meet the challenges of rising costs. The surge in population and increased cost of housing in our community has added stress on resources and made it much harder for modest wage earners to make ends meet. Those with modest incomes struggle to pay for housing, groceries, childcare, health care, and education, among other necessities. Families with children living in at-risk situations depend on local food pantries to save enough money to pay rent. Keeping families stable in the same home helps children to remain in one school and prevents them from experiencing the loss of family members, friends, and familiar neighborhoods.
Volunteers
Current Executive Director Cookie Shank began volunteering in 2009 and took over management of the pantry from Ritter in 2018. Kim DeGroot purchased the food stocks, submitted grant proposals, and assisted Shank with tracking inventory. In 2023, Diane Clawson became the Church Trustee liaison, sharing information between the food pantry and the church council. Shank said there are approximately 30 volunteers who help the pantry run on a regular basis to ensure its efficient operations. The positions include upkeep of the computer database, inputting intake forms from new guests (including various paperwork and follow-up), purchasing meats and cleaning items, picking up donations from grocery stores, stocking food, sorting and organizing food items, packing guest boxes, and overseeing the food distribution, both at the church drive-thru and direct deliveries to guests’ homes.
Stephens City UMC Food Pantry Team was working on a cold Tuesday, December 19 afternoon. Courtesy Marty Barley.
Some of our volunteers do not attend church at SCUMC but like the feeling of helping others. Jeff Constable is a Stephens City resident who does not attend any church but volunteers at SCUMC because he gets the opportunity to be in the trenches, so to speak, with the people who drive in to receive the food. Jeff, who has volunteered at the church for five months, says he enjoys the experience of loading vehicles with bags of groceries, knowing it will have an immediate effect on that specific family.
Rich McManus lives in Lake Frederick and used to volunteer in a food bank warehouse in Winchester. He also sought a position working directly with people living in need. Executive Director Cookie Shank signed him up to make direct-to-home deliveries to shut-ins or people without transportation. Rich likes to know his hands-on efforts are making a difference to folks who are thankful for this essential ministry.
Pantry Service
Cookie Shank provides an overview of current services. “We primarily serve people on Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the back church parking lot, but we also make some home deliveries throughout the week to guests who are homebound. Families are invited to come only one time per month. The SCUMC Food Pantry is officially closed whenever Frederick County Public Schools are closed.
Grocery cart loaded with delicious fruit, produce, cereal, and canned goods. Courtesy Marty Barley.
Because of the earlier COVID requirements to follow CDC health guidelines, volunteers continue protocols for safe handling and proper sanitizing. Utilizing a drive-thru system, boxes and bags of items are loaded into vehicles to expedite the flow of guests receiving supplies. Items provided can include frozen meats, chilled dairy products, canned and boxed goods, fresh produce, pet food, and cleaning and hygiene items, with the quantity allowed, based on the size of the family.”
“The USDA provides many of the canned goods staples that we distribute. We also receive donations from volunteers, church members and local businesses to supplement food and purchase meat and household supplies or cleaning products. The sorority Xi Gamma Pi, Salem Church of the Brethren, Refuge UMC, Reliance UMC, Ridings Chapel UMC, Apple Valley Ringers, Frederick County Retired Teachers Association, Shenandoah Area Council Boy Scouts, Martin’s Supermarket, Starbucks in Stephens City and the Aylor Middle School Choir and Band have periodically contributed to support the pantry. Blue Ridge Food Bank supplies us with free, fresh USDA produce when it is available, and our guests have received diverse, healthy produce, including cabbage, carrots, avocadoes, yellow squash, potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes. Occasionally, we receive cantaloupe, watermelon, and pineapples,” said Shank.
Increased Demand for Services
The pantry is open to all families in need. “Most of our guests participate in the Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed (ALICE) program. These families are working modest-earning jobs and struggle to make ends meet. However, they make too much money to qualify for most social service programs, including the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP). Since SNAP benefits were reduced in 2023, our pantry has realized an increase in new guests registering for the first time ever,” said Church Trustee liaison Diane Clawson.
Prestaging a massive number of groceries, boxes, and bags for drive-thru style, loading guest vehicles waiting in line (scheduled by appointment) in the parking lot. Courtesy Marty Barley.
Clawson said the SCUMC food pantry served 15-20 families per week in 2021. Now it averages 40 families per week with a high of 63 families during one week. In 2022, the food pantry served 381 households comprising 1,109 people. These numbers included 347 children, 606 adults (18-65) and 154 seniors (over 65). If you factor in the number of repeat guests, the 2022 total of people served is 5,735. Clawson said the 2023 totals reflect the pantry served 609 households comprising 1,908 individuals. These numbers included 617 children, 1,068 adults (18-65), and 223 seniors (over 65). However, if the pantry counts the number of people who made multiple visits, then the number of repeat guests served is 6,328.
Both Clawson and Shank calculated the end-of-year numbers for total people multiple times, which is about a 10% increase over the previous year. During a three-month period (August – October 2023) Shank said she has seen the largest spike yet, averaging 148 people per week compared to 124 people per week during the same period in 2022.
Frederick County’s population increased 12 out of the 12 years between year 2010 and year 2022. Its largest annual population increase was 2.7% between 2019 and 2020. Between 2010 and 2022, the county grew by an average of 1.6% per year.
Food prices have risen approximately fifteen percent since 2021 and overall inflation continues to squeeze families who were already struggling. That is forcing more families to seek help feeding their families. The pantry is experiencing a nearly 10% registration increase from last year. The pantry receives an average of ten new families a week seeking assistance, and the increase reveals no sign of diminishing. At the same time, the SCUMC congregation has slowly reduced in size, and the church is concerned they will not be able to sustain continued support for these increases in the long-term.
Request for Additional Donors and Community Support
The primary donors have been Stephens City Lions Club, Kohl’s Foundation, Lions Club of Virginia Foundation, Interstate Truck Service Inc., and Capon Valley Bank. “We are requesting more sponsors to support the purchase of supplies for the pantry that will be distributed directly to local families. This will have a huge impact, touching approximately 700 households in the Stephens City community. Our primary need for the pantry currently is meat. We are seeking $2,500 to purchase packaged meat like hot dogs and bologna. Our team of volunteer staff shops for the best deals at local grocery stores and uses our tax-exempt status to get the best rate. $2,500 will buy approximately 800 packages of prepackaged meat,” said Shank.
Diane Clawson, Jerri Cook, and Cookie Shank are sorting groceries in the church basement food pantry. Courtesy Marty Barley.
“The other great need is cleaning supplies and toiletry items. We most often purchase these items from Dollar Tree because we can buy a generous individual-size bottle of laundry detergent or other cleaning products for $1.25 each. In 2023, we spent over $2,936 on these types of products.”
Because of the increase in families registered, the food pantry is only able to distribute one cleaning supply per family. $2,500 will buy approximately 2,000 items and support 2,000 families.
Due to the extraordinarily high demand for food to support our neighbors, the pantry shelves require many donations to fill them to the maximum. Food and monetary donations are desperately needed to serve needy families. Foods that will help the most are peanut butter, pudding and jelly mix, cereal, cake and cookie mixes, canned tomato products, bagged beans or rice, canned black beans, canned chicken and tuna, canned fruit, oatmeal, canned chili, hamburger helper, canned pasta, and macaroni and cheese, and all types of soups.
Shank said that the SCUMC Food Pantry has to work hard and fast to maintain food stocks and is always happy to receive new donors. “We regularly attend partner meetings with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to spread awareness about our needs and services. We share information about other food pantries and soup kitchens in the region, too.”
Pantry Equipment
SCUMC maintains two refrigerators and freezers. One set is over 20 years old. Shank and Clawson are seeking donations to buy a new refrigerator and freezer at a cost of $2,100 each.
The Mission Statement
SCUMC is only able to share God’s abundance through the donations they receive from the community. Shank said she puts out the word through electronic media, church bulletins, elected officials, Facebook, neighborhood emails, and our community volunteers. We seek volunteers offering to conduct food drives to gather the items, businesses to perform in-office drives, and residents to answer the plea for more donations.
SCUMC volunteers strongly believe that assisting those less fortunate with their most basic needs fosters hope and goodwill among our diverse and fast-growing community. Unconditional love that flows freely is the simplest and purest of all acts. Hygiene and cleaning supplies, four bags of nonperishables, and one bag of fresh produce are the simplest of acts.
To receive more information about this emergency support ministry or to donate to the SCUMC Food Pantry, please contact Executive Director Cookie Shank at foodpantry.scumc@outlook.com
Local News
Congratulations to Warren County High School Seniors – Class of 2024
Royal Examiner presents the Warren County High School Class of 2024. Congratulations to these wonderful seniors on their hard work and deserved accomplishments! We wish you the best in your next big endeavors. Photos courtesy of Victor O’Neill Studios and Tolliver Studios, LLC.
If your Warren County senior is not listed, please send in their Name and Senior Picture to news@royalexaminer.com.
McKenna Adkins
Peyton Ahmed
Isaac Amor
Kristina Andrews
Seana Andrews
Diego Aponte
Dillon Arndt
Sydney Arndt
Dalton Ayers
Ebony Bailey
Marshall Barton
Shelby Bell
Kaydria Bennett
William Bergmann
Roberto Berrios
Hannah Bonner
Beatrix Boudreau
Arianna Bourgoin
Jeremiah Bright
Darnel Caison
Levi Campbell
Autumn Carofano
Joshua Carroll
Bradley Chaffin
Angel Chan
Jaclyn Clark
Jessie Clegg
Madison Clowser
Trenton Coffelt
Katherine Ramirez Colato
Nikolai Compton
David Miramontes Correa
Isaiah Cossio
Cash Cox
Joseph Cross
Landon Deese
Connor Deisch
Palmer Dellinger
Marcellis Diamond
Raymond Dingess
Eliza Dorsey
Christopher Doyle
Lillian Doyle
Aiden Dunnet
April Lopez Escobar
Catherine Farley
Benjamin Farris
Caroline Feldhauser
Gabriel Ferris
Alaysia Flora
Jasmin Portillo Flores
Christopher Flynn
Silas Foster
Calyssa Foxley
Elijah Frame
Isabella Freiland
Madison Funes
Aiden Gates
Austin Grady
Matthew Grant
Elizabeth Greenwell
Kayla Haase
Sarah Hardin
Alexandria Harris
Delaney Haw
Brayden Heflin
Andrea Hernandez
Sophia Hill
Keandre Hogue
Anastacia Hrbek
Collin Huston
Emily Jackson
Kaleb Jackson
Jadyn Jeffries
Colby Jenkins
Lillian Johns
Anna Johnson
Olivia Kelly
Avayda Kemp
Alice Kent
Sofia Kozhenevsky
Camren Kyle
Riana LaFrenierre
Olivia Lambert
Vincent Lamendola Jr.
Joselyn Leyva-Gamez
Sophia Logan
Emma Lord
Phillip Maddox III
Blaine Mansour
Mackenzie Mardeusz
Jacob Martin
Blake McCarty
Sophia McCurry
Cameron McGee
Shawn McGinness
Luke McIntire
Titus Messineo
Jossue Gonzalez Miramontes
William Moreno
Christian Morey
Keyshawn Morgan
Spencer Nelson
Charlize Noel
Christian O’Donnell
Emily Oldland
Joseph Ortman
Veronica Pak
Jonathan Panciera
Italia Panzica
Dragan Pead
Malachi Pinner
Steven Pugh
Blake Ramsey
Eric Rapp
Alaura Repass-Nardone
Brandon Reynolds
Lucas Riley
Xander Ring
Tyler Roan
Kierstin Robertson
Nicholas Robison
Samuel Rock
Caitlyn Rotenberry
Morgan Sajeski
Laney Schenher
Joshua Schneider
Kira Shaver
Bradan Shifflett
Molly Sims
Tristen Sine
Simon Skube
Destiny Smith
Marcus Smith
Brendan Snapp
Jacqueline St. Clair
Brady Strickler
Devin Swearingen
Morgan Sweeney
Robert Swisher
Kaley Tanner
Madelyn Tennant
Johnny Thomas
Aiden Thompson
Joseph Thompson
Eva Thornberg
Owen Thorpe
Jose Ulloa
Malcolm Vinson-Proctor
Alijah Waters
Dagan Wayland
Payton Weaver
Sharlit White
Aliyah Whitman
Taylor Wickham
Marcus Williams
John Williams III
Dejaun Winston
Hunter Winters
Grant Wolf
Militza Woloszyn
Sydney Woodward
Suleman Zewar
Local News
Fairfax Police Officer, Son of WC Deputy Jim Williams One of This Year’s Fairfax Valor Awards Recipients
At the Thursday, April 11 Fairfax County Valor Awards ceremony, Fairfax County Police Officer Cody Williams, son of Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputy and Bailiff Jim Williams, and two colleagues were among the 2023 honorees. We asked proud father Jim about the incident late last year that led to his son and fellow officers’ recognition. This is what he told us:
“On December 25th, Christmas Day, at 9 p.m., members of the Fairfax County Police Department Reston District Station responded to a shot person call. According to his wife, the homeowner had accidentally shot himself while cleaning his handgun. Officers Cody Williams, Andrew Craven, and Anthony Galindo arrived on the scene to find the homeowner unresponsive. The gunshot wound was to the victim’s left calf, resulting in an extreme loss of blood. Williams and Craven applied two tourniquets, and Galindo performed CPR. The victim was transported to the local hospital. He was able to make a full recovery.”
Recipient and son of WCSO Deputy Jim Williams, Fairfax, Reston Division Police Officer Cody Williams. Below is Officer Andrew Craven (slightly out of focus). Apologies for not having access to a photo of Officer Anthony Galindo. Courtesy Photo(s) WC Deputy Jim Williams
We were also informed of comments by Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis, who made an analogy to his officers’ Christmas Day call and the 1947 Hollywood movie classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart. As fans of that great and timeless film will recall, it had its own Christmas day event of a somewhat miraculous nature involving a Guardian Angel. And indeed, it will be “a Wonderful Life” for the injured man and his family moving forward due to the prompt actions of their “guardian angels” Officers Williams, Craven, and Galindo, among others at the scene.
We found this background on the Fairfax Valor Awards website:
“The Fairfax County Valor Awards recognize the remarkable achievements in service of our community’s dedicated first responders. Since 1979, members of our police, sheriff, fire and rescue, and public safety communications have been honored for exceeding the call of duty with their lifesaving acts. The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce is proud to host this prestigious event.” In attempting to get photos of the Christmas Day “guardian angels” from even sponsor the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, we were informed individual shots were not taken due to the number of recipients from the past year. This year, a total of 240 awards were presented, including 84 Lifesaving Awards, 131 Certificates of Valor, 22 Bronze Medals of Valor, and 3 Silver Medals of Valor.
Congratulations to Officers Williams, Craven and Galindo for a Christmas Day first response well done, and one that at least two Reston residents may remember as their very own Christmas miracle, circa 2023.
And thanks to our own WCSO Deputy Jim Williams for alerting us to this nearby Happy Ending Christmas story. And also a nod toward our own first responders in Warren County and the Town of Front Royal for all they do daily for us. You’re ALL Valor Award winners to us!!!
Community Events
Valley Chorale Announces Upcoming Spring Concerts in Middletown and Front Royal
The Valley Chorale presents “Wishing On a Song – Music in the Key of Hope”, a spring concert exploring aspirations of love, home, spirituality and compassion that unite and uplift us all. With styles ranging from light classical and sacred to vocal jazz, spirituals and pop, The Valley Chorale strives to capture the hopes that unite us.
The Valley Chorale is known throughout the Shenandoah Valley for innovation and excellence, with piano, cello and percussion accompaniment, and their concerts are often a heart-warming experience for all. They welcome babies and tots, so no need to hire a babysitter.
Tickets can be purchased on their website TheValleyChorale.org — $15 for age 21+ (free under age 21) or at the door for $17.
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 3:00 – 4:15 PM
Belle Grove Plantation (Bank Barn), 336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown, VA
SUNDAY, MAY 5, 3:00 – 4:15 PM
First Baptist Church, 14 W. 1st Street, Front Royal, VA (Community Reception to follow)
For further information, visit the website: TheValleyChorale.org: follow them on Facebook; email them at TheValleyChorale@gmail.com or call at 540-635-4842.
Courtesy Royal Examiner File Photo of The Valley Chorale during the Christmas season. Get ready for their spring concerts ‘Wishing On a Song – Music in the Key of Hope’ the first week of May.
(From a Release by The Valley Chorale)
Local News
Gifted and Exceptionally Motivated Former Students of Mountain Vista Governor’s School Inducted into Foundation Hall of Fame
On the evening of Saturday, April 27, beginning at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria at Warren County High School, the Mountain Vista Governor’s School Foundation hosted a donor reception followed by an induction of two former MVGS students into their hall of fame. In the names of those former students, two scholarships will be awarded in the amount of two hundred dollars each to students in need.
Joanne Cherefko (L), president of the Mountain Vista Governor’s School Foundation, stands with Dr. Kristen Pence, Chairwoman of the Warren County School Board, at Saturday evening’s Foundation event at Warren County High School. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.
One of nineteen regional governor’s schools in Virginia, Mountain Vista Governor’s School for Math, Science, and Technology, is present at two locations, on Laurel Ridge Community College’s Warrenton campus and the Middletown campus. MVGS draws and actively seeks out gifted, exceptionally motivated students from the thirteen base schools it serves in Clarke, Frederick, Warren, Culpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock, and Winchester. Splitting their time between their base schools and MVGS, these students, in Middletown or Warrenton, depending on the counties in which their base schools are located, are given a chance to take advanced courses, including ones in humanities that, if they opt for dual enrollment, may help them skip the first two years of college. Government funding allows MVGS to welcome students into its tuition-free program. But if the students desire dual enrollment in connection with Laurel, wherein they receive college credit for their courses, then tuition becomes necessary. Attendance at MVGS involves an application, and there is a limit to the number of student places that can be filled in during any given school year.
Tamara Otten of Kettle Run High School stands in front of her project display on artificial intelligence, which she developed through the Mountain Vista Governor’s School. She will soon take her project to an international competition in Los Angeles.
Saturday evening was a showcase of rising talent in the MVGS system, as well as testimonies to the caliber of its program as two former students who benefited from MVGS and have gone on to have brilliant careers were given the opportunity to speak about how much they value their educational history at the governor’s school and how it uniquely prepared them to excel. The Foundation, separate from the school itself, is concerned with fundraising on behalf of the school so that students can be supplied with the tools and other resources they need to receive their education. Because of those assets made accessible by the Foundation, the two students who spoke were effusive about what a great foundation they had for future success. The rigor they underwent prepared them to maximize the challenges ahead.
Above: Lindsey Butler (Davis) and below: Camrynn “Cammie” Fausey (Genda) accept their induction into the MVGS Foundation Hall of Fame and talk about how much MVGS means to them.
A good example of the type of excellence students are encouraged to achieve in the program is the artificial intelligence project undertaken by Tamara Otten, which was displayed at the event. Tamara will soon take her project to an international competition in Los Angeles. She is exploring the possibility that AI could be trained to detect filtered images. This has ramifications for mental health as young people would then be able to discern that many of the images that they are being bombarded with on the Internet are not genuine. Therefore, they should not compare themselves to those unrealistic standards. In Tamara’s mind, this is just the beginning.
The evening also featured an auction of student-created artwork and a bag raffle. The members of what was an intimate gathering went home with leftovers of Devin Smith’s culinary art. Smith is an expert chef known for his involvement with Reaching Out Now, another organization reaching young people, specifically in Warren County.
Local News
As Opening of Youth Center Draws Near, the Reaching Out Now Family Looks to the Past for Inspiration
As Samantha Barber and Toby Hire sat, side by side, holding hands on April 26 in a yet-to-be-furnished room of the Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center in Front Royal, Virginia, there was a very real sense of water, which is stopped by nothing. “Water is my serenity,” Samantha said in this conversation with the Royal Examiner. It maneuvers its way around any obstacle in its path, if not eroding the obstacle altogether, and that is precisely what the Reaching Out Now (RON) family, of which Samantha is the president, has done in its endeavor to provide Front Royal and the wider Warren County region with a youth center, opening soon, where students can come to play, relax, have fun, develop strong bonds of friendship, and explore what they want to do with their futures.
Reaching Out Now president Samantha Barber sits down with close friend Toby Hire to tell the story of what inspires the youth center. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.
The youth center is necessary, and the stakes are life and death. The brilliant lives and tragic early departures of Harlee Hire and Nathan Jenkins, the first to suicide and the second to a boating accident, inform the RON family of their mission to reach young people. There is this awareness that life is incredibly fragile, and the only way to face it is through community. It is as simple as asking: “Are you okay?” That is precisely what RON intends to do through the youth center so that young people in Harlee’s position do not fall through the cracks.
A stream runs by the youth center. As Barber says: “Water is my serenity.” Harlee Hire loved the water. And when Nathan Jenkins’ mother, Susan, blessed the youth center, it immediately began to rain.
Harlee loved water. And by all appearances, she could overcome any obstacle. Through tears, “She was a great friend,” her mother Toby said as Samantha gripped her hand. Harlee practiced radical encouragement. It was not uncommon to hear her yelling shameless compliments like: “Your butt is looking fine today!” And even in the early months of 2022, after her friend Nathan’s boating accident in January and before she attempted suicide on May 10 and officially passed on May 11 and the Honor Walk donation of her organs on May 13 at UVA, she clung tenaciously to life. “I am going to do this, Miss Sam,” she told Samantha at a fashion show RON was hosting. And she walked down the runway.
Above: Harlee Hire in 2022 at the first Safe at Home event, a week before she departed. Below: Nathan Jenkins, whose honor the Nate (DAWG) Game Room at the youth center will be named. Photos courtesy of Toby Hire and Susan Jenkins.
“It is a sacrificial gift,” Samantha said of the youth center. “Nathan would have loved this,” Susan Jenkins said, standing outside the Santmyers building in May of 2023, and as soon as she said it, it began to rain. Indeed, a little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now, to quote the musical production of Les Miserables. There is a very real sense that both Harlee and Nathan continue to live through the youth center as the RON family remembers them and strives to reach young people in their position. Especially Harlee’s. While it is impossible to predict an accident like the one that occurred for Nathan, Samantha, and Toby both feel strongly that intervention is possible in the case of young people who are struggling with mental health issues.
In fact, May will be Mental Health Awareness Month for RON as they host three different athletic events in memory of Harlee and Nathan through their Safe at Home program. On May 9, a varsity girls’ softball game will be held at Skyline High School at 6 p.m. They will host a community baseball day on May 11, between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Bing Crosby Stadium. And on May 25 at Skyline High School from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., they will host a community softball day. In order to get tickets, go to reachingoutnow.org
There is no need to be perfect. Samantha is frank about the impact this trauma has had on her health. “You have rheumatoid arthritis,” a doctor told her. He explained that she had internalized so much psychological pain that it had a very real manifestation in her physical health. But this is just one more obstacle that can be overcome through the support of friends offering real, physical comfort. You can be broken, Toby said. It is okay. It is the broken kids that RON wants to reach. If you are in trouble at school, we understand, Samantha emphasized. If you have weed in your backpack, we understand. This is not a matter of selecting the crème de la crème of students who are already gifted and exceptionally motivated. It is a matter of reaching all the kids and helping them understand their potential.
In the unfurnished room at the youth center, a room named in honor of Nathan and intended to be a game room, the Nate (DAWG) Game Room, Samantha, and Toby agree wholeheartedly that there is nothing wrong with just playing games if you are not playing them alone. Toby said this is the most connected yet disconnected age. The goal of the youth center is to help young people connect authentically.
Community Events
Updated: ‘Phony Ponies’ Give a Competitive Edge to FR Rotary Downtown Pub Crawl Fundraiser
On Friday, April 26, the Front Royal Rotary sponsored a downtown Front Royal “Pub Crawl” featuring a Phony Ponies “horse race” ticket holders could bet on to add to the Rotary fundraiser, and a little reward for their knowledge of the relative prowess and breeding of the involved Phony Ponies. Or as one pre-race announcer informed the crowd, “We’ve got three stallions and two old mares in this race,” which was met by some boos from the filly-supporting contingent.
And it was one of those two filly mares that led the five-horse field across the finish line after three laps around the Gazebo in the in the Main Street Downs Raceway shortly after 7:30 p.m. — that was “Blazin’ Botox” (Warren County Sheriff Crystal Cline), followed in order by “Money for Nothing” (Front Royal Rotary President Ken Evans), “Closing Real Fast” (Front Royal Police Chief Kahle Magalis), “Bullseye” (Warren County Rotary President Michael Williams), and “The Old Gray Mare” or was that “Mayor” (Front Royal Mayor Lori Cockrell).
The Rotary Pub Crawl stops at the Buckle and Belle Boutique ‘Hat Bar’ in time to dress for the occasion, as in Kentucky Derby fancy hats. Why Kentucky Derby fancy hats? Well, it’s almost post time for the Phony Ponies, one of which is taking care of some pre-race unfinished business as you often see the real horses do on the way to the gate. Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini
It was a highly competitive race with some post finish line challenges offered by runner up Money for Nothing, whose jockey Evans noted an unapproved by the Racing Commission pre-race change into borrowed running shoes by the winner, as well as some out-of-my-lane territorial elbow-bumping by Blazin’ Botox to keep him in his 2nd place position. WAIT, do horses have elbows? I guess phony ones do.
Race fans grew anxious as post time approached. All five Phony Ponies are at the starting line. Might that inside post position drawn by Blazin’ Botox prove a difference maker in the long run? And they’re OFF and the cameras are popping.
Jockey Cockrell explained her disappointing 5th place finish, noting she had locked in behind Bullseye/Williams early in the running. However, it ended up being a bad spot to draft, as Bullseye appeared to be having an equipment break-down in front of her, as in a drooping “saddle” threatening that stallions stability and which she had to pull back from for caution’s sake.
On the more serious side, the second annual Talk Derby To Me Pub Crawl fundraiser was in support of Rotary International’s eradicate polio worldwide effort. More information about Rotary’s efforts to end polio can be found at this website: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-causes/ending-polio
Involved and supporting downtown businesses included Vibrissa, the On Cue Sports Bar & Grill, Buckle & Belle Boutique, sponsor of the “Phony Ponies” race, C&C Frozen Treats, Pavemint Smoking Taphouse, Honey & Hops, Catamount Lounge, and Garcia & Gavino. Hope we didn’t miss anyone, and we’ll update as necessary if we did.
And in a late update, individual sponsoring of the Phony Ponies was provided by: Ken Evans, ReMax Reality sponsoring Evans on “Money For Nothing”; CSM Aesthetics sponsored “Blazin’ Botox” and jockey Cline; Clint Pierpoint, Next Home Reality Select sponsored “Closing Real Fast” with Chief Magalis on the saddle; Lori Cockrell for Mayor sponsored “The Old Grey Mare” with the mayor riding; and Shenandoah Valley Axe Throwing Co. sponsored the saddle-failing “Bullseye” with Williams keeping his stallion upright.
And if you missed the fun and excitement, here are a few more shots.
Jockeys try to get a handle on their situation during a warm-up lap. Wonder where that inside post position horse is? Uh oh, 3 racing laps around the Gazebo and there she is crossing that finish line in the lead, and it’s straight to the Winner’s Circle.
Below, second place Money for Nothing jockey Ken Evans gives a congratulatory nod to the winner, even with those late-acquired un-sanctioned shoes. And a final nod to the crowd from this year’s Phony Ponies leader of the pack Blazin’ Botox, out of the WCSO stables.
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