Saturday is Vickeys World 🌎 and we all have a roll to play ! Destination : Walking Club

I think I set the phone down last night / this morning just before 2am. The desire to complete the last story ( Trenton Newman ) before sleeping pushed me past the point of reality. But hey, it’s the weekend, so there was no need to set an alarm clock.

Right about the time I turned out the light, I remembered that Vickey Ritchie was having the next round of her Special Olympics BB walking club at 8:30 on the far side of Galax. Doing the math backward, I figured I’d have to get up by 6:30.

My thought was this, if God wants me to Shake, Shake, Shake it off, he would have to take care of it.

When my eyes 👀 tried to focus on the clock ⏰️, it read 6:30 on the dot. You can not make that up, nor should you fight God’s will.

Fast forward to the parking lot of the New River Trail – Cliffview. There’s Vickey being Vickey, the ultimate host of any event that she organizes. Mr and Mrs Jason Burnette were there, and they brought some of their Pups 🐶. Close to twenty people all told, and it is stop ✋️ 1 of 3 on the weekend for our group.

Stop ✋️ #2 – will take some of the group to the VFW tonight, where they will be honored guests at the Movie 🎬 show !

Stop ✋️ – #3 – Basketball 🏀 practice on Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm at Hillsville Elementary School 🏫.

Vickey Ritchie being Vickey Ritchie is always a sight to see 👀, even when it is through bloodshot eyes !

I need a Nap !

Vickey will share her photos 📸 of the group later on in her ” down ” time. That’s an unintentional joke, Vickey Ritchie, with downtime !

We have made it to the final weekend before graduation, and we can celebrate by taking a walk with our Special Olympics Basketball program !

Morning 🌄 Brew
School calendar is blank
Travis Osborne and his Bible Verse of the Day :

Psalms 37:4 – Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Vickey Ritchie and her walking 🚶‍♂️club is set to get an early start this morning out in Galax.

Another option is to catch some NCA D1 Softball.

Option #3 for the Day – go backward on the site and catch up on some stories !

Have yourself a Blessed Day 🙌

Diamonds 💎 are a Girls Best Friend : Why did Trenton Newman cross the Boulevard ? To spend five good minutes in the middle of an OneofUs.Care moment !

The Goods !

Trenton Newman has been a resident of The Hill for a few years now, and to say that the young man has made the most of his time is like saying that Vickey Ritchie likes Halloween 🎃.

We invited Trenton and his family over to Cavalier Park for a pre-game celebration in honor of the stunning four years he spent at Carroll County High School.

Just page one of some of the accomplishments that belong to Mr Newman !

We were up in the press box 📦, collectively trying hard to correctly pronounce Summa Cum Laude

When Trenton is not studying, wrestling, or running, he can be found at the local dragstrip revving his engine.

I must give credit to Head Coach Rick Nester for coming up with the idea 💡 of having Trenton’s little sister catch the Ceremonial First Pitch !

Maci headed to home plate and did her very best to attempt to catch the overhand effort.

We created a solid five minutes in trade for a young man who represented our high school and community across four great years !

Athletics, Academics, and the ability to smile while striving to be the best version of himself everyday, well except the day that the tricky Callie Harris (water) gunned him down in the trunk of a car 🚗.

The world 🌎 could use a few more Trenton Newman types running around !

For an evening, Trenton Newman was our King 🤴 of The Hill !

Thank you to Terry Warf and our JV Lady Cavaliers for participating with our moment !

Jay Neal Award for 2026 goes to long-time ⌛️ friend and OneofUs.Care partner, Mr Ron Cochran

The first of our six mini-celebrations took place on Friday afternoon at Pizza 🍕 Perfect !

The Jay Neal lifetime achievement award went to Ron Cochran of Omega Office 🏬 and Supply on Main Street. From the first time in the shop, six years ago, to our final project ( this year’s Track 👣 and Field poster ), Mr Cochran has gone the distance for us and our non-profit organization !

Finding a fellow ” Good Guy ” like Ron allowed Lin and I to accomplish so much more.

We had three guests stop ✋️ by or two ➕️ plus our waitress, a young lady who is one of hundreds of younger folks that grew up with the long-time coach, game official, and shop owner as somewhat of a crazy uncle.

Ryan McCafferty is our new friend over at The Carroll News. The young sports writer is new in town as I was six years ago, so treating the new guy to a celebratory lunch was just the right thing to do.

I will miss the excitement of our banquet for sure, but still having the ability to honor 🎖 this group of individuals will dull the sadness.

Our final logo, the dual one, was just one of the numerous projects we worked on through the years.
The Jay Neal Award is named to honor Mr Neal, who is one of two people that watched out for us across the years. Jay is now retired and enjoying running his baseball team, the Strasburg Express.