Christmas Cheer!

Imagine the Christmas morning joy on the face of a child that illuminates a home that otherwise would be darkened by personal struggles and family hardships. This Christmas, more than 500 underpriviledged children in approximately 300 families in Patrick County will experience that joy and a holiday season brightened by the efforts of many Christmas Cheer volunteers and caring citizens of our community.

I wholeheartedly urge citizens throughout the county to support the current Patrick County Christmas Cheer campaign. If you would like to play a role in bringing a joyful Christmas to hundreds of appreciative youngsters and their families, please make donations of new unwrapped toys and gifts or make monetary contributions that will be used by Christmas Cheer volunteers to purchase presents and prepare Christmas boxes for those who are being served by the program. You may also select the name of a child from one of the Christmas Cheer trees located in the local business community, shop for the child whose name you select, and then return the new toys and gifts unwrapped to the business displaying the tree. Christmas Cheer trees are located in Stuart at the Curves Health and Fitness Center, Family Pharmacy, Rite-Aid, and Wal-Mart.

You may also drop off Christmas Cheer donations of new unwrapped toys and gifts and/or money at WHEO Radio, Stuart, or at the Patrick County Extension Service Office in the Patrick County Veteran's Memorial Building, Stuart. Monetary donations may be mailed to Patrick County Christmas Cheer, P.O. Box 222, Stuart, VA 24171. Please make you Christmas Cheer contributions by Dec. 12th. The Christmas packages will be delivered to families being served on Dec. 18th. These families have been notified by letter of their acceptance in this year's program through the Christmas Cheer screening process. Let's bring joy and brightness to their households!

Thanks for your support of this worthy cause that has become a heartwarming holiday tradition in Patrick County. Experience the joy of giving! Please assist Patrick County Christmas Cheer!

Holiday Cheers :O),
Richard

Christmas Cheer!

Imagine the Christmas morning joy on the face of a child that illuminates a home that otherwise would be darkened by personal struggles and family hardships. This Christmas, more than 500 underpriviledged children in approximately 300 disadvantaged Patrick County families will experience that joy and a holiday season brightened by the efforts of many Christmas Cheer volunteers and caring citizens of our community.

I wholeheartedly urge citizens throughout the county to support this current Patrick County Christmas Cheer campaign. If you would like to play a role in bringing a joyful Christmas to hundreds of appreciative youngsters and their families, please contribute donations of new unwrapped toys and gifts or make monetary donations which will be used by Christmas Cheer volunteers to purchase presents and prepare Christmas boxes for those who are being served by the program this year. You may also select a name from one of the Christmas Cheer trees that are located in the local business community, shop for that child yourself, and return the new toys and gifts unwrapped to the business displaying the tree. Christmas Cheer trees are located in Stuart at the Cheers Health and Fitness Center, Family Pharmacy, Rite-Aid, and Wal-Mart.

You may also drop off Christmas Cheer donations of new unwrapped toys and gifts and/or money at WHEO Radio, Wayside Rd., Stuart, or at the Patrick County Extension Service Office in the Patrick County Veteran's Memorial Building, Stuart. Monetary donations may also be mailed to Patrick County Christmas Cheer, P.O. Box 222, Stuart, VA 24171. Please make your Christmas Cheer contributions by Dec. 12th. The Christmas Cheer packages will be delivered to families being served on Dec. 18th. These families have been notified by letter that they have been accepted through the Christmas Cheer screening process. Thanks for your support of this worthy cause that has become a heartwarming holiday tradition in Patrick County. Experience the joy of giving! Please support Christmas Cheer of Patrick County!

Holiday Cheer :O),
Richard

Be Grateful!

Despite the economic hardships that are persistent in our community and across the country and the many personal problems and challenges that we all struggle to deal with every day, we have so much for which to be thankful. So let's count our many blessings during this Thanksgiving season and make the practice a part of our daily routine. Sometimes we as humans tend to take our good fortunes for granted. So let's all take time this Thanksgiving Day and in each and every day to come to reflect upon our many blessings and to return to God the thanks that He so richly deserves as our Creator and the supplier of our needs!

I am especially thankful for the opportunity to serve our community as the host of WHEO's "The Great Day in the Morning Show". Even though I have to get up long before sunrise occasionally work until dusk or beyond, I am truly blessed and honored to have the opportunity to visit you in your homes, autos, and places of business via the medium of radio. Each morning before I go on the air, I make a point to thank God for my treasured listeners and ask Him to empower me to say and do those things that would be uplifting to you and pleasing in our Lord's sight. Sometimes, at the end of my 4-hour airshift, I don't feel that I have succeeded in doing that but I do take satisfaction in knowing that I always do the best that I am capable of doing.

We are blessed to live in this beautiful County of Patrick with such caring friends, neighbors, and loved ones. We are blessed with loving families and dear friends. Most of all, we, as Christians, are truly blessed and will be eternally grateful that God gave as a sacrifice for our sins His precious son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Have faith!

As my friend Denny Archer masterfully sings in one of my favorite Southern Prophets' songs, "I've got so much to thank Him for." We all do! So lets be grateful this Thanksgiving and every day with which we are blessed beyond.

God bless you this Thanksgiving and always!

Richard

Our Heroes, America's Veterans

Veteran's Day serves as an annual reminder of the many sacrifices that have been made by courageous American soldiers to secure and protect the freedoms that we enjoy as citizens of these great United States of America. Let's all strive to make this more than just a one-day per year tribute. I challenge everyone to express their thankfulness everyday to those veterans who paid the price for the way of life that we sometimes take for grated and that is the envy of much of the world. Don't wait for Nov. 11th each year, seek every day to recognize and express thanks to the veterans of our county and our country. America's veterans, these are our true heroes. Let's seek to honor them everyday! God bless America!

Time to United as Americans

Thankfully the election is over! After a shockingly negative and very divisive campaign (there way too long and expensive), whether or not the candidates we supported were elected to office, it is now time to put aside our political differences and unite as a country behind our new leaders. Only in an environment of non-partisan cooperation, especially in times of unprecedent crises like our country now faces, can we effectivey do the work that will bring the better times that the candidates have promised. It's time to put aside politics and effect the "CHANGE" that the electorate mandated in Tuesday's election. We Americans and our elected leaders need to put our country above our political interests. As hard as it may be to do, given the passion that some of us have for our political viewpoints, it is important that we PRAY for our leaders and ask God to bless them and our country. So, as Christians, let's lift them up in prayer (even if they represent an opposing political party or viewpoint)...and then, as responsible citizens, DEMAND that all of our elected officials work together applying good old-fashioned common sense to solving the many problems that threaten our country and the well-being of "we the people", the still-proud citizens of the United States of America. God bless America! I know that I have been blessed to be able to call her my country...and Patrick, my county!

Richard

Decision '08

Thank goodness the political rhetoric is about done and it is now up to the voters of America to decide who will serve our country as the 44th president of these great United States of America. No matter how your stand on the candidates and the issues, whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or other, I think we would all agree that we need a change from the policies of the last 8 years which has seen our nation plunge into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and spend trillions on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when many Americans are suffering hardships and need help here at home. President Bush, as unpopular as he is, should not have to shoulder the full blame for the miserable circumstances that the country finds itself in. Congress...which, many feel, is more responsive to lobbyists and special interests than it is to the constituents back home has performed miserably as well. Its public opinion approval is even lower then the President's pitiful approximately 24% approval rating. I am not publicly endorsing a particular candidate (I will do my talking at the ballot box or, I should say, the electronic voting machine) but I do think we need to restore some good old- fashioned COMMON SENSE to our government. In is my intention to do my part to try to make that happen by exercising my right to vote in the Tuesday, Nov. 4th election. I urge all of registered Patrick County residents to do the responsible thing and to practice good citizenship by making your choices known at the polls. We will all be participating in the making of American history when we vote in this year's election.

Mock elections in our public schools are often indicative of how our county as a whole will go on election day. Principal Ann Fulcher of Hardin Reynolds Memorial School told me that the straw poll at her school is often a bellwether or a leading indicator of the election trend in the country at large. If that is true, the Republicans will again carry Patrick County Tuesday. Monday morning, on the eve of the election, Hardin Reynolds Memorial School students participated in their annual mock election. With all 12 homerooms reporting, Republican John McCain outpolled Democrat Barak Obama 178-86. The students at HRMS and other Patrick County schools are participating this year in a nationwide mock election involving students from across the United States. "The results are not final due to some of the polls having not opened," said HRMS teacher Gwen Murphy in a Monday morning press release. "We would like to encourage everyone to get out and vote," she added.

Mock election results from other Patrick County schools had not been reported to WHEO at the time of this blog update.

I echo Ms. Murphy's sentiments...please participate in the democratic process that we enjoy as one of our many freedoms in this country. Help protect our liberties, please vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4th, registered Patrick Countians, even if you have to stand in line due to the expected heavy voter turnout in this historic election! America calls upon her citizenry to be concerned and involved in our government! Personally, I am going to ask God to guide me when I step behind the curtain to register my votes. When we do that trusting and believing, whatever life's situation, we can never go wrong! God bless America!

A patriotic Patrick Countian,
Richard T. Rogers