CHARLES TOWN, WV - Charles Town Races & Slots today made a contribution of $11,000 to Jefferson Memorial Park in Charles Town to help the pool stay in operation.

“When we read this morning that the park was in danger of closing without receiving its requested funding from the County, we immediately wanted to help,” said Al Britton, General Manger of Charles Town Races & Slots. “This Park has long been an important part of our community, and on behalf of all of our employees and their families who reside in and around Jefferson County, we’re proud to support it.”

Chris Ott, President of Jefferson Memorial Park’s Board of Directors, said of the contribution: “We honestly didn’t know where the money was going to come from. It is just wonderful that Charles Town Races & Slots would do this for our community and the families who rely on our park to provide a wholesome outlet for their children during the summer!”

Charles Town Races & Slots, with more than 1200 employees, is proud to support numerous worthwhile charities and civic organizations in Jefferson County, as well as providing more than $10 Million annually in taxes to the County and the five municipalities.

Charles Town, WV - On June 25 and 26, 2008, Charles Town Races & Slots hosted some not so typical visitors. Members of Washington County 4-H Clubs got a “back stage look” at the racing industry and the operational side of the Charles Town, WV entertainment venue. The students whom were participating in a 4-H summer day camp, ranged in ages from 7-15. The students arrived at the facility by charter bus mid morning and were greeted by Roger Ramey, Vice President of Public Affairs and Tiffany Lawrence, Marketing and Public Relations Administrator for Charles Town. Their day consisted of a discussion on the history of Charles Town Races and racing in Jefferson County. The students then took a tour of the operational side of the property, learning about different jobs and departmental functions.

Before going to the barns, the students were treated to hotdogs and soda at Long Shots Deli. After a quick snack, Executive Director of the Charles Town HBPA, Lenny Hale, met the students and led the way to the barn of prominent local owner and horse trainer, Jeff Runco. Runco and Hale then proceeded to give the enthusiastic students a tour of the barns and answered many questions. The 4-Hers were very eager to hear about the agricultural endeavors of Runco and the dedication and commitment to the racing industry. After a tour of the barn was complete, the students accompanied Hale and Runco to Runco’s farm on Leetown Road for further education.

Shannon Sturtz, chaperone for the students and Washington County 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent, told representatives “The past two days have been an eventful experience! The kids have really enjoyed learning about the horses.” MacKenzie Householder, age 7 of Downsville, MD said, “I liked watching the horses and looking around inside the business.” Shaun Rollins, age 8 of Hagerstown, MD, explained, “I’m very happy! I’m excited to tell different people what I learned.” The learning experience was indeed a pleasure for not only the young enthusiasts, but employees of Charles Town Races & Slots alike.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV - United Way of the Eastern Panhandle held its second annual recognition breakfast at the Clarion in Shepherdstown Monday.

This year’s Volunteer of the Year from Berkeley County was presented to Pat McMillian in recognition of her communitywide perspective; Jefferson County Volunteer of the Year went to Susan Walter for her work to ensure that United Way funds are achieving the greatest impact in the community and Ed Duncan was named Volunteer of the Year for Morgan County for his support of the health and human service community.

Charles Town Races and Slots received the award for being the business or organization with the highest level of giving. A third-time recipient, the racetrack gave a total of $55,000 this year.

The agency honored the Bank of Charles Town with its silver award for the second year in a row as a result of its campaign total of $37,000, while the bronze award went to Quad/Graphics for its campaign total of $36,000.

Ecolab received the platinum award with a 200-percent increase toward the Eastern Panhandle Combined Federal Campaign, triple what it raised last year.

Other recipients for the greatest campaign increase were Farmers and Mechanics Insurance with a 113-percent increase, Jackson and Kelly law firm with a 75-percent increase and Jefferson Distributing with a 32-percent increase.

The top three campaign division teams with the greatest campaign increase from 2006 to 2007 were also recognized. These teams were campaign volunteers who work on a particular segment of the campaign.

First place with a 156-percent increase was the real estate division team, consisting of Chip Hensell, Peter Corum, Linda Sager and Paula Miller. Second place with a 48-percent increase went to the food and lodging division team of Kim McGarrah and Stefani Pierson, and third place went to the insurance division team of Jerry Arndt and Tom Jones with a 13-percent increase.

Outgoing board members include Jerry Arndt, Rod Frye, Chip Hensell, John Skinner and Charles Trump. Incoming members include Al Britton, Kathryn Boylan, Montie Hicks, Keith Unger and David Welch.

This year’s incoming officers are Ken Tyler, president; Ken Barton, president-elect; John Reisenweber, vice president; Rob Abruzzino, treasurer and Alice Barkus, secretary.

Total distributions for the next 12 months totals over $1.3 million, a record for United Way. This is a 28 percent increase and is $305,000 more than last year.

The Lt. Gen. William John Van Ryzin Award, given to honor outstanding achievement on behalf of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle, was awarded to Sandy Sponaugle.

Sponaugle has worked in every facet of United Way operations, officials said, and was described Monday as a selfless and untiring volunteer.

United Way also gave out the Marvin J. Yurish Spirit Award to Kathy Boylan for her aid in the organization’s transformation into a community impact mission.

Boylan was recognized for her communitywide, regional and statewide perspective and for working to solve the problems of West Virginians.

Outgoing President Tracey Eberling was recognized for her work in leading the newly formed United Way of the Eastern Panhandle.

Jan Callen, executive director, said the event was a great capstone to mark the end of a record breaking year.

“The event is a time to thank the many donors as well as all the volunteers that support United Way in our community impact mission,” Callen said.

SHEPHERDSTOWN - Thunderstorms on Friday evening forced participants in the sixth annual Relay for Life from the outdoors into Shepherd University’s Storer Ballroom, but the relay continued into the overnight hours, according to individuals participating in the event.

The relay is part of the national event organized by the American Cancer Society to raise awareness and money for cancer research. Many of the participants were Shepherd University students.

“To see college kids be so involved in looking for my cure ... I just think it’s phenomenal,” said George Blough, team leadership and development chairperson of the Berkeley County Relay and an 18-year ovarian cancer survivor, who was at the relay to show her support.

Holly Morgan Frye, director of Shepherd University’s Student Community Services and Service Learning, said “we chose the American Cancer society because cancer affects everybody. It knows no gender (or) race.”

She said that last year the relay raised $63,000 for cancer research and this year, participants raised $50,000 for the cause before the event even started. She said that their goal this year after the 12-hour relay is $85,000. The main sponsor of the event was Charles Town Races & Slots who donated all of the boxed dinners for the participants. Volunteers from Charles Town Races & Slots came together and served over 800 who walked throughout the night. Individual employees from the company also donated and added to the community goal.

The day’s events were kicked of at 4 p.m. by a torch run down German Street onto the university campus. A torch that represents hope was passed between several cancer survivors while sponsored teams walked with banners behind them.

At 6 p.m., there was a special survivors lap to celebrate those who have overcome cancer.

Colleen Miller, a Shepherd alumna who has lived nearly five years with breast cancer, said that she is participating in the relay in memory of her father who died from cancer last year.

“This is what’s good about it,” she said. “Seeing these kids as excited about something as devastating as cancer ... just warms my heart.”

Keri Short, a junior at the university, was at the event selling luminaries, candles in paper bags with the names of loved ones who either died from or are living with cancer which were to be lit at 9 p.m. in the shape of the word “hope.”

Many different campus groups were in attendance to show their support for the cause.

The Shepherd University Catholic Campus Ministry formed a team called “Rosary Runners” for the relay.

“We chose the rosary because ... we still have many people in our tradition who pray by means of the Rosary,” said Gwen Skrabak, campus minister.

“A lot of us have lost friends to cancer,” said Sarah Bryan, a student member of the ministry.

Patt Welsh, who has lived with breast cancer for one and a half years, said that she isn’t walking in the relay for herself.

“Even though I’m a survivor, I’m doing it for others,” she said. “If I can reach one person, I’ve done my job.”

Buddy Wilson, a Shepherd graduate student, said he’s been participating in the relay since he was an undergraduate at the University.

“For me, relay is an event that honors people who have gone through or currently are going through an experience that no one deserves,” he said. “The main reason we’re here is to raise money for cancer research in order to ultimately find a cure.”

CHARLES TOWN - With a flurry of volunteers working to stack pallets full of goods like oatmeal, baby food, juice and an assortment of canned items, the employees of Charles Town Races & Slots quickly accumulated a hefty donation for the Jefferson County Community Ministries.

So hefty, in fact, that it surpassed the total amounts of food collected during their drive both last year and the year before that, said human resources manager John Mauck.

A total of nearly 26,500 pounds of food — more than 13 tons — was collected by nine departmental teams during a two-week time frame, Mauck said.

Employees do most of the donating, he said, though the company added an additional 1,200 pounds of turkeys and hams onto the total donation for the upcoming holiday season.

“This is a way we connect the racetrack with the community,” Mauck said.

More than 6,000 pounds of food were transported from the racetrack to the Community Ministries food pantry last week, Mauck said, and the remainder was delivered Thursday morning. About 30 employees volunteered to help build pallets of food, load them onto trucks and then unload the goods into the food pantry.

“It lets them get ready for us,” he said. “Last year, we stocked their food pantry until springtime.”

In 2006, more than 19,000 pounds of food were collected by CTRS employees, and nearly 15,000 pounds were collected in 2005.

“Each year, they have really increased (their totals),” said Bill Willingham, executive director of the Community Ministries, located on West Washington Street in Charles Town.

The organization, described by Willingham as “the second-best thing in Jefferson County, next to the Department of Health and Human Resources,” offers clothing, food, bulk fuel, gasoline and temporary shelter to qualifying county residents.

Assistance with terminating utility bills, rent eviction and medication is also available through JCCM, which has 48 member churches and a number of other local clubs, organizations and governmental programs that provide additional assistance for its clients.

“I came here three years ago,” said Willingham, who has lived in Jefferson County his whole life. “ I had no idea the magnitude of this organization.”

In 2006, a total of 2,400 families were helped in some way through the Community Ministries. Of those families, more than 1,800 were served by the food pantry alone, Willingham said.

While other organizations and companies in Jefferson County also donate food in amounts ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 pounds, CTRS is the largest organization helping to stock the pantry, he said.

Help in any amount is always needed, especially this time of year.

When children return to school, the pantry starts to get hit hard, Willingham said. Couple the season with increased financial strains being placed on those adhering to fixed incomes, and even more help is needed.

The CTRS food drive provided not only a large quantity of food items, but also a great variety for the pantry, Willingham said.

“This will take us up until the spring,” he said. “I’m hoping it takes us even farther.”

From a golf tournament to a gingerbread house contest, a fundraising campaign at Charles Town Races & Slots included events that added up to a record-breaking donation.

Leaders from the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle said they were thrilled Monday to receive a $55,000 contribution from the racetrack, especially because it’s the largest single donation from a workplace campaign in the nonprofit agency’s history.

“We are so grateful to the management and employees of the track for their generosity,” said Ken Tyler, the 2008 campaign manager for the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle. “This gift gives us significant progress toward our goal of $1.4 million.”

Tyler said the racetrack leaders have shown that they care about investing in the community by helping the United Way, which includes more than 40 agencies in Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties.

Al Britton, the general manager at Charles Town Races & Slots, said everyone at the track is happy to help the United Way because it’s such a good cause.

“It’s an effort that we believe very strongly in,” Britton said, adding that he was excited to hear that the $55,000 donation broke a record for the largest corporate contribution. “That’s quite a distinction.”

The track’s fundraising campaign co-chairs are Bill Bork and Jeff Pietz, who said they hope to set a new record next year.

Bork said a large amount of the funds were received from employees who volunteered to donate money from their payroll, and that added up to nearly $20,000. Other fundraising events included a golf tournament at Cress Creek in September, silent auctions for sporting event tickets and jewelry and a day when employees donated $3 each to wear jeans to work.

Pietz said another event was a gingerbread house contest, which involved employees from 12 departments who decorated the holiday cottages. Employees voted by placing money in empty water jugs that were placed next to the houses, and the event raised about $500. He said even the smaller events added up.

The United Way of the Eastern Panhandle uses donations to invest in a variety of programs, such as local chapters of the American Red Cross as well as organizations that benefit children and seniors.

Members of the Anna Mae Reedy Senior center gathered at noon on Good Friday for a special Easter dinner provided by the staff of Charles Town Races & Slots.

After the Pledge of Allegiance, a round of “God Bless America” and a prayer of thanksgiving, seniors enjoyed pineapple glazed ham, maple carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls and pineapple upside-down cake, all courtesy of the racetrack. Nearly 150 people were fed at the center in Ranson, along with 30 people who had food delivered to their homes, 30 people at the Charles Towers satellite center and about 30 people at the Harpers Ferry/Bolivar satellite.

Vicki Lambert, the activities coordinator at the senior center, said “(the seniors) come together as a community. There’s friendship, camaraderie and good food.”

Shawnna Molina, executive director of the senior center, said that “just letting the community know we’re here is important.”

Though this was the first Easter dinner sponsored by the racetrack, it was by no means the beginning of its long relationship with the senior center.

Roger Ramey, the vice president of public affairs for the racetrack, also serves on the board of directors at the senior center. As a liaison between the two organizations, he has convinced the racetrack to provide for many of the needs of the center, such as a pool table, a new pantry, money and even the use of the racetrack’s maintenance department when needed.

But it wasn’t until last Thanksgiving that members of the racetrack community would become involved with the senior center in a more personal way.

Ramey wanted the racetrack to provide a nice Thanksgiving dinner for the center by paying for the expenses. But the chef staff of the racetrack had a better idea.

“I said, ‘Why don’t we put our time in instead of just giving food or money,’” said Michael Gladner, a track chef.

Since that first meal when the restaurant staff of the racetrack showed up in person to serve the seniors, the relationship has been growing.

“I just saw the need to have a nice dinner for the seniors (and) there’s no reason why we can’t do it on a fairly regular basis,” said David Bennion, head chef at the racetrack.

“One of our core values is just to be a good neighbor and we try to live that philosophy every day,” said Tiffany Lawrence, a public relations representative for the racetrack.

And according to those in attendance, the racetrack could hardly have done a better job of living their philosophy than on Friday.

Herb Gestel of Charles Town, a senior center member, said the meal was “very good,” and he enjoyed the large crowd of his friends.

“It’s not this big every day,” he said.

“We think it’s very nice that the casino does this,” said Bill Moersis, another member. “This is the most crowded we’ve ever seen it.”