Generosity Knows No Borders--Building Schools in Afghanistan

Since returning home to West Virginia to launch WV LIVING, I've met some amazing people doing extraordinary things.  One of those people is Parween Mascari, an attorney at Jackson Kelly in Morgantown. I swear Parween must have super powers--not only is she one of the state's leading attorneys (just look in her car--boxes of briefs are stacked to the ceiling), she co-founded Generation Morgantown, serves on numerous boards and committees--and is the mother of four children.  Parween is also an Afghan-American born in Parkersburg. She jokingly calls herself a "halfghan."  And she is one of the proudest and vocal West Virginians I know!

Parween recently met with some Afghan judges and lawyers in D.C., who spoke about the need for chairs in Afghan schools. Chairs.  The schools have no chairs so the children stand the entire day, making learning difficult. How can a child concentrate on learning when her legs are tired and aching? And even more amazing is the fact that these schools are open air schools held under trees, which makes it difficult in even the best circumstances, but impossible in inclement weather. Parween was so moved by the experience that in response she created a company called Sultan's Daughters, and she has been selling beautiful pashmina shawls to benefit the construction and furnishing of schools in Afghanistan through the Nooristan Foundation. She has already raised enough money to build 20% of a school in a village called Pagisam. This past Friday, she held a fundraiser in conjunction with Generation Morgantown at Cafe Bacchus and raised $2,200 to further her efforts. It only takes $16,000 USD to get a school up and running!

I am never more proud to be a West Virginian than when I'm in the company of good people doing great things. Because it isn't easy. Inertia is a powerful thing. There are so many demands on our time, it is easy to say, "I wish I could..."  It is a different story to say, "I will do." For those of you who read the magazine, you know that my favorite quote is from Ghandi--"Be the change you wish to see in the world." And my friend Parween exemplifies that. It makes me so proud when I meet "Do-ers" that I want to scream from the top of a mountain, "LOOK at what West Virginians are doing!  We are changing the WORLD!" 

To help Parween build schools in Afghanistan, please visit www.sultansdaughters.com or email sultansdaughters@hotmail.com.

WV LIVING Celebrates West Virginia's Birthday at the Nation's Capitol

WV LIVING celebrated West Virginia's birthday at the nation's capitol with the West Virginia State Society.  Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, Congressmen Rahall and First Lady Gayle Manchin attended the event, which  included a Taste of West Virginia, provided by the likes of the talented Chef Dale Hawkins and The Crazy Baker, Hall Hitzer. The WV  Division of Tourism, The Greenbrier, Chesapeake Energy, WV Department of Agriculture, WV State Parks, WV Professional Rafting Organization, and WV LIVING sponsored the reception. For more information on the WV State Society, please visit www.wvsociety.org.

Sixty-Eighth Annual West Virginia Strawberry Festival

Established in 1936 and held in late May each year, the Strawberry Festival attracts nearly 100,000 people to Buckhannon each year. Folks enjoyed a Friday night and Saturday parade complete with floats and marching bands.

The Strawberry Festival Grand Feature Parade, is one of the largest parades in the Eastern US. First-class bands and performance groups from across America were invited to participate in the celebration activities.

The Festival is a unique, traditional celebration to promote thestrawberry harvest. Enthusiastic volunteers provided good, family style entertainment that offered exciting educational and cultural events for everyone.

Friday WV LIVING Magazine was there enjoying the sidewalk traffic and catching attention from subscribers and fans. We found Gary Bonnett and his band walking down Main Street before the Firday evening show. They particularly took interest in the newly released WV Wedding magazine as they eagerly posed for a picture.

The southern culture has a long history of producing many talented singer/songwriters who intertwine their various musical influences. West Virginia native, Gary Bonnett, pictured in the withe tee shirt, carries on that tradition. He mixes together his personal brand of southern red dirt music to include Bluegrass, Folk, Country, Southern Rock – all wrapped around lyrics that sound too insightful for someone his age. After a couple of years honing his craft and graduating from Marshall University, he started into song writing. The band played in front of lots of local and new listeners Friday evening at the street party on Main Street. Check out "The Long Road Home" on lonestarmusic.com, cdbaby.com, and itunes. "Created in WV, recorded in Texas, and enjoyed by everyone around the world."

Gary played many of his songs Friday night including West Virginians are Coming Home, Hillbilly Ways, and Rock Cave (as in his hometown in Upshur County neighboring Buckhannon). The crowds love it! Gary also announced his story released in the May 11th issue of Country Music Weekly .

G2 celebrates one year anniversary

At WV LIVING, we love G2, the hip gallery and gift shop located at the bottom of High Street in Morgantown.  Patrick and Elias have created a unique shop worthy of New York City's SoHo district. From decorative items to baby gifts to that unique present for the hard-to-buy-for friend, this shop has it all!  To help kick off their one-year celebration, You Tube sensation Chris Cendana performed, and talented jewelry designer Laura Wetzel of Cerca Jewelry was also on hand displaying her striking pieces. Congratulations!

WV Wesleyan College Performance Art in Education

The WVWC Department of Theatre and Dance presented the Danceworks XVIII and Musical Theatre Performance Recital in the new Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts on the 22nd and 23rd of April in Buckhannon, WV.

Students displayed dynamic gestures in their song, music, choreography, and dance.

Someone once said, that in some way, all art is a physical act.

The performers kept the audience focused as they seem to float on top of the stage creating magnificent images that will last in our memory for some time to come.

I will ponder the meaning and I appreciate the stimulation.

Spring Mountain Tonic

They tell me that the ramp was used as a spring tonic. I am not sure about that but it is the first fresh green that is usually dug up directly underneath the the last snow. Most locals are eating these fresh greens in late March through April with trout, ham, beans, and cornbread.

Maggie Gain, a student in high school, already understands the cooking secrets and spends her sunny afternoon here in the community hall volunteering.

The Helvetia community comes together to clean 82 bushels of ramps for their annual "supper" sponsored by the Helvetia Farm Women. This is a wonderful place to hear all kinds of stories from days gone by and to catch up after a long winter.

For more information about Helvetia and their annual celebrations check the website at HelvetiaWV.com.

CD Release Party - Jim Savarino

On March 7, 2009, friends and fans of folk singer and songwriter Jim Savarino gathered at the Metropolitan Art Theatre in Morgantown to celebrate his highly anticipated 3rd CD titled Sun Dreams. It seems even Mother Nature was pleased to see it released as she treated everyone in Morgantown to sunny seventy-degree weather.
Guests in attendance were delighted to be the first to hear the new songs performed. In addition to being on hand to meet and mingle with fans, Savarino performed all the songs in the order in which they are listed on the CD. During his performance, one guest was overheard saying, “It adds a whole other layer of enjoyment when you hear the songwriter explain the story behind each song, “ and I have to say, I couldn’t agree more.

Accompanying Jim on backup vocals was Laura Robison. Her melodic voice lent a rich and soulfully enchanting harmony to the poetic lyrics of each and every song.
Watching Jim, a son of Wheeling, strum his guitar and sing songs such as “Where Have the Mountains Gone,” and “Northbound (to West Virginia),” I found myself thinking that the “life is good” logo on his t-shirt must have been coined just for him. Of all the wonderful songs I heard on Saturday evening, the absolute show stealer was “Surface of the Sun, ” which lulled the entire audience into an attentive and awed silence.
To sample all the tracks of “Sun Dreams” or to order a copy, visit http://cdbaby.com/cd/savarino3
--Joy Bell