The Almost Heaven Alliance

06/18/2026

MIXED GIRL FROM WEST VIRGINIA
By Donna Joy

In 2nd grade, you ran from the school bus, so excited! “Mommy, there’s a girl in my class who looks just like me!”
She had brown skin and shiny, black hair, like you. Saddened, I hadn’t known that you noticed that our skin colors or hair colors were different, Or that it mattered, but glad that you found someone who looked like you.
In middle school, you came home crying. “Go back to Mexico Go back to your own country, We don’t want you here. How did you get that Cold sore? What you been suckin on?” Hurting inside. We ought to get Louis to go up there. Wait until they see your 6’7’’ black brother. They will be so scared, they will leave you alone then.
First year of high school, varsity cheer squad, hair down to your waist.
“They said I have to cut my hair, So, all the girls have the same length, So, we look alike for the cheer competition.” Tell them that it is against our religion, that your hair is your connection to the earth, that you only cut your hair for special occasions.
Senior year All the kids got summer jobs, even the lazy kids, But still no calls From now on, you write “Amanda” on the application.
After graduating from WVU You run off to NYC— No need to wonder why.
“Mommy, I went to this event. They asked to take a picture of me with my new outfit on.” Dapper Dan said, “Come to the photo shoot tomorrow.” “No, I told them I wasn’t a model (only 5’2), but they said come anyway. Yes. I wore Gucci. It was so much fun!”
“Mommy, I got this job in the city, as a stylist, for famous people, like movie stars and LeBron James Have you heard of him, Mommy? I told them that I didn’t grow up in the city, and think it will hurt my chances for jobs.”
They said, “Everyone here is from NY. You are unique. You are a mixed girl from West Virginia.”

🌈💜⛰️

☀️Do you have anything you’d like to share related to your experiences as a West Virginian? If so, you can send your photos and text directly to the 📥Almost Heaven Alliance through Facebook Messenger or via email to [email protected] 😁

06/18/2026

🕯️TRIBUTE🌳
(Thursday)

When it comes to West Virginians and qualities of our state, who or what deserves to be honored? How can we showcase our gratitude?

06/17/2026

☀️Another day to celebrate the 163rd birthday of our Wild and Wonderful state! 👉Do you have stories about being a West Virginian? If so, you can send your photos and text directly to the 📥Almost Heaven Alliance through Facebook Messenger or via email to [email protected] 😁

🌈 MONTANI SEMPER LIBERI🌎

Exploring the natural world is a cornerstone to a great childhood. Whether I was digging in the dirt, swimming upstream in the river, building stick forts, or climbing pine trees all the way to the top, you could always find little me outside.

This is less of a story and more of a testimony to the beauty found in our Mountain State. I am here to tell you that there is peace and magic present in our home among the hills. I have been many places, and others who have traveled away from West Virginia for long periods of time will tell you that the Appalachian mountains sing songs of tranquility that cannot be heard anywhere else.

Our state parks are sacred. The national forests are alive. West Virginia swells with opportunities to play and learn and be humbled through her land alone. It’s different here and the children know it. The locals will tell you stories of how the land was what truly raised them.

Sadly, many people take advantage of our state’s resources. The water is polluted. The wildlife is dying out. Our mountains are ravished. Powerlines hum over the peepers. I am more than glad that I grew up here. Even as an adult, I wear scars from my childhood’s skinned knees and drink water from a well. West Virginia truly is Wild and Wonderful and Mountaineers must always be free. ✨

This photo is of 16-year-old Shelby looking out over the mountains at Spruce Knob—the tallest point in West Virginia.

06/17/2026

🐻WILD AND WONDERFUL 🪶
(Wednesday)

Do you find West Virginia to be unique from other states? If so, why? What sets us apart?

06/16/2026

🌈We are still celebrating the 163rd birthday of our Wild and Wonderful state! Here is another snippet related to how I, Shelby, have become the West Virginian I am today. ✨

💙YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT🤍

Buckhannon-Upshur High School sends one of the the largest group of students to the Youth Leadership Association’s Youth in Government program at our capitol building in Charleston. I am grateful to have been able to write and present a bill each of my 4 years in high school as well as be a committee chair my final year.

This immersive program allows students to live out state legislative, judicial, and executive branch roles over the period of three days. (You can learn more about this program here👉 https://wvde.us/academics/middle-secondary-education/student-events-programs-initiatives/youth-leadership-association/youth-government). Many student bills are voted out while some live on and make their way to be signed into action by the acting youth governor.

Overall, the fours years I spent in the program allowed me to understand the intricate processes and procedures of our governmental systems. This photo was taken by WV Capitol photographer Perry Bennett in 2018 while I was offering facts in support of a proposed student bill. This same year I decided to challenge a bill through a filibuster and was indeed shut down due to time constraints, but I figured I’d give it a try!😅

If you are a local high school student in WV or you know one, I highly recommend YLA programming! Alongside YG, I also attended Camp Horseshoe in Parsons which offers great opportunities to learn how to collaborate with peers and become confident in your own abilities. If you’d like to hear more about these experiences or share your own, you can reach out to me personally or start a conversation in the comments!

☀️We’d LOVE to include your stories relating to your rearing as a West Virginian, so please send them in!You can send your photos and text directly to the 📥Almost Heaven Alliance through Facebook Messenger or via email to [email protected] 😁

06/16/2026

🚂TOURISM⛺️
(Tuesday)

Where’s your favorite destination in West Virginia? How about your favorite place with an swing?😁

06/15/2026

👋Hey y’all! It’s me, Shelby, the young girl holding the small box in this photo and the voice behind all of AHA’s social media.

🌈This week, we’re celebrating the 163rd birthday of our Wild and Wonderful state. Each day, I will share a story related to how I’ve become the West Virginian I am today. ✨

☀️Do you have memories you’d like to share? If so, you can send your photos and text directly to the 📥Almost Heaven Alliance through Facebook Messenger or via email to [email protected] 😁

💛GOLDEN HORSESHOE🧲

When I was in the 4th grade, my Pappy—the dapper gentleman to the right of me in this photo—spoke to me about the Golden Horseshoe and how he wanted me to earn it.

Since 1931, 8th graders across our state have the opportunity to showcase their love and knowledge of our great state by taking the Golden Horseshoe test. (You can learn more about this tradition here👉 https://wvde.us/academics/awards-recognition/golden-horseshoe/about-golden-horseshoe)

My nine-year-old self had no idea why my grandfather was so excited about this test or how I could take it—all I knew was that I wanted to make him proud. He gave me $20 to buy a book while on a field trip to the Blue and Grey festival in Philippi. Instead of purchasing the book, I wandered away from my school group (that’s a whole other story…) and spent the money on a heart-shaped jade necklace, disappointing my Pappy and dwindling his hope that I’d earn the honor of being dubbed a knight of the Golden Horseshoe.

The next 4 years of my life were filled with Appalachian outdoor adventures, late nights reading anything but WV history, and opportunities to lead alongside my peers in local service groups. My Pappy was still proud of me, but I feel he likely let go of the idea that I would score a worthy score when it was my turn to take the Golden Horseshoe test. So of course, by some miracle, I was a top scorer in Upshur County.

We all packed our best clothes and traveled to our state’s capital, Charleston, and attended the ceremony where our “all-state” West Virginia Studies students were dubbed Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Society with a tap of a sword on our shoulders. I later gifted the Golden Horseshoe pin to my grandfather for Father’s Day and it still lives on his hand-built bookshelf in its dusty velvet case to this day.

Since then, I have had numerous experiences where I found value in the saying “Sic jurat transcendere monte,” which means “Thus he swears to cross the mountains.”

I’ve also had many moments in my life where foreshadowing and divine intervention have seemed to be at play, one being tied to this memory. In the background of this photo is one of my fondest mentors from Shepherd University, the honorable Vice President of Student Affairs, Holly Morgan Frye. My time in our state’s oldest town shaped me tremendously, but that’s another story for another day.

If you read this story, please leave a comment about how you feel when you realize that “Together, We Can Move Mountains,”⛰️ and remember, we’d love to share your stories on our page too.

06/15/2026

🌈MONDAY MOTIVATIONS🙂‍↕️

It’s West Virginia’s birthday week!!! 🎈How can you be a proud Mountaineer this week?🙌

06/13/2026

Where's your heart West Virginia? A new century's exploitation is knocking, but it's the same adversary at the door.

What will we do? There is no more time to sit and wait for the next wave of horrors, followed by our next wave of neighbors to die.

We know the powers that be will stop at nothing to keep us under heel. Appalachia has been shot, imprisoned, made addicted, made sick, and even bombed by powerful companies while others turned a blind eye.

What will it take for us to break out of our chains this time and demand change?

Share your story with us ⬇️
https://form.jotform.com/260745171610047

06/13/2026

https://wvpublic.org/story/arts-culture/poetry-contest-announced-for-fourth-of-july/?utm_content=buffer41dc5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwdGRjcASac99leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEenWfJmnEkt6RAXx87cg0FMQtXvK0dAJjWBgB8aQWicC9UEO1CWLtPZRrthmU_aem_-9Et9lZ9vlZvePO2YKymkg

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday the America250 Poetry Contest, inviting West Virginians of all ages to submit original poems.