Highlights TV Show Features The Willy Foundation & Cafe Appalachia

Highlights is a 30 minute weekly TV show featuring organizations, events, grass-roots efforts and people who move our state and community forward in a positive way.

The show is a collaboration with Kanawha County Schools, Suddenlink Communications and Jim Strawn & Company.

The show airs daily at 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Suddenlink’s channel 17.

The show airing August 12, 2019 – August 19, 2019 highlights The Willy Foundation & Cafe Appalachia.

We interviewed Jane Shuman, Founder of The Willy Foundation. She discussed how, after her 18-year old son, Willy was killed in June of 2009, they started the foundation.

The mission of The Willy Foundation is a private, family foundation formed in memory of Willy Shuman by James W. and Jane H. Shuman, J. Wilson Shuman, Jr., Grant P.H. Shuman, Edward S. Shuman and Jonathan S. Shuman. Its mission is to motivate, encourage and support young men and women in order to reach their fullest potential and become leaders in their communities.

Jane talked about their programs. One of them is the Leadership Program. A group of like-minded and concerned citizens coalesced in 2011 and forged a program designed to meet a pressing need in a particular Kanawha County Middle School. They created what amounts to a school-day incubator wherein young teenage students would purposefully hone and grow their citizenship and leadership skills under the nurturing care of first-rate, proximate 12^th grade role models. This is the short story of the community’s success. The model they created is applicable and replicable in most every geographic area across all demographic sectors of communities across America.

Another is WAS, Wear A Seatbelt Challenge. Jane and the foundation strongly and tirelessly advocate seatbelt usage and never drink & drive.

She talked about the 10th Annual Willy Shuman Memorial Family Fun Night scheduled for Sunday, August 25, 2019 from 5-8:00 p.m. at Charleston Tennis Club. Lots of cookout food, pickle ball, tennis, clowns, facepainting, music, auction items and more. Call 304-542-4621 to learn more or just register here.

We also interviewed Cheryl Laws, CEO of Pollen8 of which Cafe Appalachia is a program of. Café Appalachia is a program of Pollen8, Inc., a nonprofit created to provides wholesome, farm-to-table meals. The program provides portion control by offering a small and large portion to guests. In addition to lunch, the Café offers breakfast bites and handcrafted coffee by a Reintegrat8 participant trained as a barista. Most of their food is grown onsite in our gardens or locally sourced. They continue to expand the community engagement through partnerships with local establishments that include Charleston Bread Company, DiTrapano Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Paradise Farms West, which is part of KISRA.

They work closely with the recovery community employing ladies in recovery.