Boos & Applause
Applause to the Tygart Valley Volunteer Fire Company for giving children in Dailey, East Dailey and Valley Bend one final chance to meet up with Santa Claus before his big night as he made his way through their neighborhoods on a fire truck Sunday evening. The company’s annual “Santa on a Fire Truck” event allowed children to greet Kris Kringle as he made his way through the backroads on one of Company 41’s trucks. Santa and fire fighters with the fire company departed the Dailey Firehouse at 6:30 p.m. before making their first stop at Wildwood Manor in East Dailey. During the trek around Randolph County, the truck made several stops along the way for children to meet and take photos with Santa Claus.
Applause to Youth Build North Central, this year’s recipient of Youth Health Service’s Annual Heart of Giving Award. The nonprofit organization was honored during an award ceremony last week at the YHS Family Support Center. Officials said YouthBuild North Central participants and program staff routinely help with transferring food from delivery trucks to Family Support Center’s food pantry and have assisted with bagging distributions during the holiday giveaways. The Heart of Giving Award was established in 2016 in honor of Steve and Jean Jory for the “instrumental role” they played in YHS’s formative years. The award honors a person, persons, agency or organization that has helped YHS meet its mission in the community of “serving and meeting the needs of children and families in Randolph and surrounding counties.” YouthBuild is the ninth recipient of the Heart of Giving Award.
Applause to Mike Ross, President of Mike Ross, Inc., who recently made a “generous” donation to the St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Foundation’s 2024-2025 campaign. The campaign, “Your Family’s Health is Our Mission” is “dedicated to meeting family’s healthcare needs from birth throughout the senior years.” The campaign funds projects and needs throughout the hospital. Projects that may be considered for funding include cardiac-rehab, upgrades to patient rooms, needs for mom and new babies, imaging and ultrasounds, educational tools for hospital staff and other needs “as they arise.” A long-time supporter of St. Joseph’s Hospital, WVU Medicine, and a former board member of the Hospital’s Foundation, Ross has donated to the hospital’s campaigns in the past, including the 2023-2024 “Our Vision-Your Health, Advancing Surgical Services at St. Joseph’s Hospital,” the 2021 campaign that focused on women’s health, the “Every Heartbeat Matters” campaign and more. Ross, a Coalton native, has made many generous donations to the community in the past, including to Davis & Elkins College’s “Creating Home: It Takes a Village,” which funded the construction of the new Freshman Village. Ross is a D&E alumnus and received the D&E Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015.
Applause to Our Town Inc.’s tribute to a longtime member: a new group of wooden cutout elves currently on display at the historic Delmonte Market in Elkins. Alan Kerns spent countless hours painting matching pants for each one of the elves. And while doing so, he added any touchup work that was needed on any the elves’ hats and sweaters. Kerns, who passed away at the end of August, was a 1968 graduate of Elkins High School and despite having health issues, was one of Our Town’s most active members. Kerns graduated from both Elkins High School and West Virginia University and then worked for many years in New York, including working in theater. The elves will remain on display at the Delmonte Market through the first of the year.