Our friend and client Homer Hickam shares an incredible story to WOWKTV 13 about how Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos was inspired by the story of “October Sky,” and how Blue Origin came to be from this incredible story. You can read more here: How a West Virginia story inspired Jeff Bezos to create Blue Origin.
Our friend and client, Richard Battle, joins the Governer’s Prayer Breakfast. He was the Master of Ceremonies for the Breakfast in Austin this morning, introducing Gov. Abbott and other dignitaries.
Beth and Bob Noone gift their Logan office building to non-profit children’s advocacy firm ChildLaw Services, Inc.
The building will be renamed The Beth and Bob Noone Center for Children and Teens.
(Logan, WV) It is widely known as one of, if not the nicest and most well-kept buildings in downtown Logan.
Healing happens inside the walls of its warmly appointed offices, playrooms packed with toys and puppets, the “Upper Room” conference facility, and the adjoining party room, wildly decorated with retro kitsch. The unassuming brick building straddling Stratton and Main Streets, just one block down from the Logan County Courthouse, has helped heal thousands of young lives that have been upended by abuse, neglect, and abandonment.
Beth, an award-winning licensed child and adolescent psychotherapist, and Bob, the state’s leading adoption attorney, found themselves in their offices less and less.
Beth was often in court as an expert witness testifying on behalf of children in crisis, teaching therapists, social workers, and counselors how to connect with their young clients, or zigzagging across the coalfields in Ivy, her one-of-a-kind mobile therapy bus, taking trauma help into the hills and hollers directly to children and teens who might never be able to get help otherwise. Ivy was named after a disabled camper Beth had roomed with as a child during a teen sleepaway camp, beginning a lifetime of service to those less fortunate.
Bob, always a road warrior, was crisscrossing West Virginia doing adoptions in most of the 55 counties in the state. With the advent of cloud-based technology, Bob, his office manager Gayle Lansden, and co-counsel Scott Briscoe communicated remotely; hearings often happened via video conference, and they found it was much easier for their adopting parents and young clients to meet them in their local Tudor’s Biscuit World for coffee and conversation.
Those logistics, plus the pull of grandkids in Alabama, meant that the Logan building was utilized much less than in years past. “Months would pass before we would be there; we knew we needed to put it in the hands of someone who would maximize its use and make a difference in the community,” said Bob.
That’s why this Tuesday, April 30th (the final day of Child Abuse Prevention Month), the longtime offices of Beth and Bob Noone will be given, free and clear, to ChildLaw Services, West Virginia’s only non-profit law firm that exclusively represents children.
Read more here: Ensuring a Legacy Of Caring In The Coalfields
Our friend and client Homer Hickam joined Garrett Ballengee of the Forgotten America podcast to tell stories from his life that reveal how his upbringing in West Virginia contributed to his success, and even some insight onto new projects. You can listen to the new episode wherever you listen to podcasts, but here’s a couple links to the episode.
Spotify: 073: Homer Hickam: From McDowell County to Rocket Boy
Apple Podcasts: 073: Homer Hickam: From McDowell County to Rocket Boy
Our friend and client Kate Boytek had the opportunity to tell her story of self care, skills, and more with Bold Journey. Congrats to her great interview; you can read the whole interview here: Meet Kate Boytek.
