The Skyline High School Community Based Instruction Program (CBI) is hosting the 1^st Annual Spring Bazaar in the high school cafeteria, April 6^th from 9am – 2pm! There will be approximately 30 vendors participating ranging from arts & crafts, home-based businesses to concessions and more. Po’ Greens Catering will be donating proceeds from their sales to the class!

1^st Annual Spring Bazaar

• April 6, 2019 | 9am – 2pm | Skyline High School Cafeteria
• Arts & Crafts, Home-Based Businesses, Concessions and more!
• Approximately 30 vendors!
• CLICK HERE to download the Registration Form. 
• CLICK HERE to visit their Facebook event page.

Color Street Nails, Thirty-One, Tupperware, Scentsy, Paparazzi, Avon, Pampered Chef, RADA Cutlery, Angel Star, Karine Joncas Skin Care, and many vendors featuring handcrafted items!

*This event benefits the Skyline High School Community Based Instruction Program. The Skyline High School Community Based Instruction Program (CBI) is designed for students that need instruction in functional and daily living skills. Community Based Instruction (CBI) is educational instruction in naturally occurring community environments providing students “real life experiences”. The goal is to provide a variety of hands on learning opportunities at all age levels to help students acquire the skills to live in the world today.

Have you ever tried to finish the sentence, “I’m just me because…”? It’s not as easy as you think! Our week two students of the month give heartfelt, authentic answers. Students in the MORE Program who participate in the I’m Just Me Movement workshops on Mondays have learned to be proud and confident in who they are. Can you tell by watching these three on camera? Yes!

Note: The students who will be participating in this feature are part of the MORE Program hosted at Skyline Middle School through Warren County Public Schools. Tina and Rodnay Culbreath, founders of the I’m Just Me Movement, have launched a confidence boosting, anti-bullying, keep on smiling campaign called PROJECT POSITIVE with the MORE students. Tina and Rodnay work with the students on a weekly basis as mentors, teaching them mindful habits, meditation, and bringing awareness to many important youth topics.

*The meaning of our meditation: Students sit quietly and pay attention to their breathing. This helps them to calm down and focus attention.

Learn more about I’m Just Me Movement: www.ImJustMeMovement.org

The Empty Bowl Supper is to be held Thursday, March 28th, from 5pm to 7pm. Get your tickets and join us at the Front Royal Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department, located at 221 Commerce Ave, Front Royal, and enjoy the entertainment of the evening by Passage Creek Rising!

• Benefiting the House of Hope Men’s Transitional Shelter.
• Delicious soups from area restaurants and music by Passage Creek Rising.
• Tickets are available at: The Kiln Doctor (100 E. 8th St. Front Royal), St Luke’s Community Clinic (316 N. Royal Ave. Front Royal), and Front Royal Vol. Fire & Rescue Dept. (221 N. Commerce Ave. Front Royal)
• Or CLICK HERE to download the informational PDF and print, fill out, mail in the form for tickets.

People who attend the event will get to select a bowl to use for their soup. After the meal, take the bowls home!

A little history of the event from Arline Link, of The Kiln Doctor, as she reflects on the how they first got involved painting bowls for the Empty Bowl Supper: “From the beginning, I was approached by Siggi Hepp-Dex about donating bowls or having people come in to make bowls. The first couple of years I got my customers to donate some of the bowls as well as making some myself. We had workshops where people could come in and make bowls. First Night New Years Eve 2016, I introduced the coloring book bowls which has become a great success. I set up in the I Want Candy shop. We had 100 bowls that were glazed within 3 hours. I ran out of bowls.” Arline explains, “The local community comes in and glazes the bowls. This year, we have a little over 200 bowls!”

The Empty Bowl Supper benefits the House of Hope, a residential program for homeless men. It was first founded in 2008. It is a 24 hour facility with approximately 16 beds and provides shelter, food, laundry facilities, counseling and more for the residents. To learn more or to donate directly to House of Hope: http://www.warrencountyhomeless.org/.

See the hope, joy, and appreciation in their smiles as they open their HOPE boxes.

Local small business owners, Ellen Aders of State Farm and Jennifer Avery of Jenspiration LLC & NextHome Realty Select prepare for a second trip to the mountains of our neighboring state, Kentucky. In 2012, HOPE for Appalachia launched its first adventure to bring HOPE to children in our most distressed region of America with just one team visiting 3 schools. This year there will be over 200 people on 7 teams visiting 30 school in 7 counties.

Watch this video to see part of the journey to Appalachia and meet some of the children (and a few seniors) who took part in the 2018 HOPE for Appalachia trip. See the hope, joy, and appreciation in their smiles as they open their HOPE boxes.

Learn about the children and families in the Appalachia region:

In February 2009, Diane Sawyer recorded an ABC News documentary titled: A Hidden America – Children of the Mountains. In this documentary, Diane interviews numerous children and families who have remained hidden in the hills of Appalachia. These families struggle with drug abuse, depression, early death, cancer, toothlessness, and alcoholism. Poverty we can’t imagine. In ways, they have been left behind.

Help stuff HOPE boxes:

This year 100 boxes will be stuffed and sent on the trip to Appalachia from Front Royal. If you are interested in donating items for HOPE boxes, please reference the attached list of items. All items are welcome and appreciated, highlighted indicate greatest need. Girls in 6th-8th grade. All items are requested by April 6th.

Drop off site: Aders Insurance, Ellen Aders
23 Church St, Front Royal, VA 22630
Office number: 540-635-3336

OR Call Jen Avery at 540-683-0790 to help make other arrangements.
*HOPE for Appalachia is a 5013C Non-Profit organization

Pam Waters, Special Education Teacher at Skyline Middle School. Photos/Jennifer Avery

Pam Waters, Special Education Teacher at Skyline Middle School, recently found special-edition die-cast Hot Wheels toy cars in the form of wheelchairs! This picture was taken as she prepared to visit with one of her students to whom she provides in-home instruction.

What a unique find! The replica is of a true wheelchair athlete, Aaron Wheelz Fotheringham. Waters confesses she purchased every wheelchair Hot Wheels model on the shelf to give as gifts to other young people she knows who have disabilities. She said three high school students who received the Hot Wheels model car sent heartfelt thank-you notes in response!

Learn more about Aaron: www.aaronfotheringham.com

Watch this video for a quick summary of Warren County real estate for February 2019. Charts demonstrate the changes in the market, so be sure to click play!

In general summary:

1. Closed sales (28 units) is significantly down by -37%.
2. Average Median Sold $209,950. This number is up from February 2018 but down from last month January 2019 ($224K).
3. Average Days on Market 110. January 2019 we were only at 69 DOM.

Looking forward to the spring market, we anticipate closed sales to improve. It is not clear why closed sales decreased so much. Reports indicate the available homes on the market has not dipped compared to last year. Could the government “shutdown” have created delayed closings?

To help answer this question, let’s ask a few local industry experts.

Tim Fusaro of Commonwealth Home Lending confirmed, “The government shutdown affected several of my USDA loan closings pushing them back into a March close date.” Fusaro continued, “We saw low purchase volume in January and February because USDA loans are utilized by a large percentage of home buyers in Warren County. USDA loans require RD approval prior to closing and those employees were furloughed. Even those purchasing homes with loans that don’t require any direct federal involvement prior to closing seemed to be discouraged and hesitant to move forward with purchasing homes. Rates began dropping in December of 2018 and we didn’t start to see the effect of that until mid February.”

Bill Tribus of Clear Title and Escrow challenged we research back additional years to determine the closed sales trend through 2016. Here is what was found:

• Closed sales 2016: 40
• Closed sales 2017: 42
• Closed sales 2018: 45
• Closed sales 2019: 28

Tribus commented, “Considering the number of government funded loans that are currently popular in our area, and the lengthy government shutdown, these factors could definitely be contributors for this significant drop.”

Loan Officer, Molly Llewellyn of CBM Mortgage confirmed she experienced a USDA loan delay this month. NextHome Realty Select broker, Curtis Siever concluded this brief investigation by adding, “Our local brokerage had two USDA loans scheduled to close in February pushed to March.”

*If you would like a copy of this report emailed to you, please just send your request to Jennifer@nexthomerealtyselect.com.

Resource: 2019 Market Stats by ShowingTime
MRIS: Statistics calculated March 6, 2019

Jennifer Avery, Realtor for NextHome Realty Select
BPOR, SRS, CNE, E-Pro Certified | Licensed in VA
jennifer@nexthomerealtyselect.com | 540-683-0790
210 E Main Street, Front Royal VA
www.jenaveryrealtor.com