Latest news with #BagDrag
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
May is National Foster Care Month: Here's how you can help
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — May is National Foster Care Month. It is a time to bring attention to the foster care systems throughout our country. Local organizations commence Operation 'Bag Drag' to assist growing needs in foster care In West Virginia, at any given time, there are more than five thousand eight hundred children in the foster care system. Travis Wooten, Program Director at Necco Beckley, said even if every registered foster parent in the state took in the maximum number of children they could, there would still be children left without a foster home in West Virginia. He said the state is facing a foster parent shortage and it's the children who are temporarily in foster care who are suffering. Wooten said most of the time, the children who come into Necco, come in without anything. No clothes, toys, or personal belongings of any kind. He said even if you're not able to be a foster parent, there are still ways to help these kids. 'We're always accepting donations. Our kids in care always need clothes. About 38% of kids in care are teens and most people often forget about them,' said Wooten. Wooten said these kids need luggage, just a backpack or duffel bag, to help them carry the few things they have. He said at the end of the day, these children just want normalcy. 'I mean, these kids want normal lives. They want normal interactions, normal families. Just being able to provide that for them and see for the first time on their faces, no matter their age. One kid we had, it was their first time going into Walmart. They were twelve years old. It amazed them. I still find that story astounding,' said Wooten. Wooten encourages anyone who is interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent to reach out to Necco and see how you can make a difference in a child's life. Park Middle School students spread positive affirmations If you're interested in learning about becoming a foster parent, please call (304) 250-1200. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
3 Mercer County Robotics teams headed to world championship in Dallas
PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) – The popularity of robotics has taken Mercer County by storm over the past several years. Local organizations commence Operation 'Bag Drag' to assist growing needs in foster care It has grown so much that they now have around 50 different robotics teams within the county. Robotics coaches thank school administrators, as well as their county's excess levy for helping them take these robotics programs to new heights. This growing popularity has even resulted in 4 straight appearances at the world robotics championships by some Mercer County Schools. This year, three Mercer schools will have a team represented in Dallas, Texas for the VEX Robotics World Championship for Elementary and Middle School competitions. 'They get to kind of intermingle and have communication and discussions with people literally all over the world. And so being able to expose them to that kind of culture and those other kind of folks is just like it's invaluable. I think that it's just an opportunity that's just unlike any other,' said Coach Melanie Meachum, of Straley Elementary School. The teams going will be 'Da Jellyfish' – representing Mercer Elementary School, Straley Elementary School's 'Electro Storm', and Montcalm High School's 8th grade team – 'Fire Hydraulics'. Da Jellyfish's coach Matt Bailey explained these programs are all about the kids and their enjoyment of coding and knowledge of robotics. '[My favorite thing is] being able to just build something from scratch and use it to like, do stuff is really fun for me,' said Ethan Wilbur, a 5th grader from Mercer Elementary School. 'Ever since my sister done it and I heard about it, I just loved it,' added Landon Beeman, a 5th grader from Straley Elementary. This will be the second year attending for the team members of Fire Hydraulics. Fire Hydraulics coach William Jennings explained what makes their teams tick. 'Collaboration plays a major role in robotics in general between the kids. The entire competition is about teamwork. I mean, teamwork champions is what you end up being at the end. So collaboration is incredibly important, but it is important between coaches as well. Coaches are improving every year here in Mercer County, and that is just great because it provides a better program for the kids,' said Jennings. Local insurance agent partners with nonprofit to host food and supply drive for cats The emphasis for this year's world competition has been to improve speed for many of the students like Beeman and Wilbur. This competition will take place from May 12 through May 14, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
W.I.L.D. Institute unites women in firefighting for first Women's Firefighter Weekend
MINDEN, WV (WVNS) – The W.I.L.D. Institute held their First Women's Firefighter Weekend. Local organizations commence Operation 'Bag Drag' to assist growing needs in foster care This weekend united female firefighters from the area, as they took specialized training in ladder throwing, hose handling, forcible entry and people drags. Mystik Miller is the executive director of the Wild Institute, as well as a local volunteer firefighter. She explained they brought in female instructors from all over the nation, from places like Wisconsin and Colorado. 'We wanted to do it that way because [female instructors] intimately know that experience of being a female firefighter, of having to perform these tasks, especially when you are a little bit shorter or you do not have that arm strength, but we have strength in our legs and we have strength in different parts of our bodies,' said Miller. Linda Crane and Ryella Kelly were two of the instructors W.I.L.D. brought in for this weekend. 'This week is really special to have an opportunity to train with women in the fire service and to support each other and come together to uplift each other, to find ways that we can be most effective in doing all of the same things that anyone else on this job is going to do. W.I.L.D. Institute brought us here to basically come together and foster something that we can all grow from and then take back to our department,' said Crane. 'There are a lot of things in firefighting that, stereotypically, people think that females cannot do. We can do them, we just do them a different way. Then this week we were able to really hone in on those skills. Linda did an amazing job of teaching us body mechanics and how to utilize our strength in the best way possible to get the job done,' said Kelly. Miller told 59News they hope to make this an annual event to help grow the local female firefighting community. WV Lifeline Ambulance Services LLC announces upcoming launch She added that there are very few women firefighters in comparison to male firefighters, so having this time to bond was special to them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local organizations commence Operation 'Bag Drag' to assist growing needs in foster care
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) – The Beckley Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4469 commenced Operation 'Bag Drag' as part of their day of service. WV Lifeline Ambulance Services LLC announces upcoming launch They collected bags of all sorts from the community, as well as essentials that kids in the foster care system might need. The Beckley Knights of Columbus 5657 helped by cooking some good food for folks stopping in to donate. William Lewis is a member of both the Beckley VFW and the Knights of Columbus. Lewis said the VFW is dedicated to developing strong communities. 'This is our first time doing this for our day of service. We are hoping to turn it into a yearly event because it has gone wonderfully. It is one of the reasons I love living in a community like this. We have got a lot to learn, but we have still got so much support from the community. We have so many donations. It is really amazing. It is phenomenal,' said Lewis. One of the organizations this 'Bag Drag' will be benefiting is Necco Foster Care. Travis Wooten is the program director for Necco's Beckley location. He explained there is a great need in our local community. 'We find that a lot of kids come through with their belongings in trash bags and that is just an issue of dignity for us. It is just amazing to me that the community has gotten together and the VFW supported this. It is amazing to look around and see this luggage. They have no clue the amount of joy it will bring to kids not having to carry their belongings in trash bags,' said Wooten. Wooten and Necco will be distributing these bags to foster children. This bag drop off is not the only way folks can help right now. 'There is a huge need for foster families right now. West Virginia is somewhere around 5,800 to 6,000 kids in care. If every foster parent now filled their house up to the max, there still would not be enough homes for foster kids, and in especially [with] teenagers – like one last week – we got 76 referrals for kids and we were not able to place a single team because we did not have any families that were willing to open up their hearts and homes to them,' said Wooten. United Way of SWV announces Season 12 cast of 'Dancing with the Stars' If you would like to find out how you can help, please call (304) 250-1200. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
