BRIDGEPORT, WV – Harrison County Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) Week kicked off Monday, May 18, 2026, following an official proclamation by the Harrison County Commission designating May 17-23 as CEOS Week.
West Virginia CEOS Week is an annual statewide observance held during the third week of May to honor the educational and community service work of local CEOS clubs.
Demonstrating their commitment to leadership and volunteerism, members held their annual county-wide Veteran donation drop-off at the Harrison County Recreation Center (4-H Center) in Clarksburg. The drive was a massive success, collecting over $12,500 worth of donations for veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, Clarksburg.
Harrison County CEOS members continued their support for local veterans by partnering with Boscov’s for a Memorial Day Weekend fundraiser. Members sold $5 store shopping passes, which grant shoppers a 15% discount. One hundred percent of the pass proceeds will benefit non-profit organizations supporting military personnel and first responders.
As part of this effort, WV CEOS volunteers dedicated additional service hours to sell these discount passes outside of Boscov’s at the Meadowbrook Mall on Saturday, May 23. In addition to fundraising, members officially launched and gathered support for a new statewide initiative.
Mall walkers and shoppers from 15 different counties showed overwhelming support for the initiative, yielding over 100 signatures for the new “Pledge of WV” petition.
While West Virginians take great pride in their allegiance to the state flag, the state currently lacks official guidance, procedure, and etiquette on how to properly honor it. For the first time in nearly half a century, this new initiative aims to ensure that citizens across the Mountain State can uniformly and properly honor West Virginia’s legacy.
West Virginia’s pledge of allegiance to the state flag was originally adopted by former Secretary of State A. James Manchin’s office on February 8, 1977. While those official efforts concluded at the end of his term, WV CEOS members are determined to take this pledge of the people all the way to the state legislature.
“During our club meetings, it is tradition to honor our national and state flags, ending with our CEOS creed,” said Patricia Rummel, Shinns Run CEOS President. “We know the appropriate etiquette for the national pledge, but have no clue what the appropriate etiquette is for our state’s pledge.”
This dilemma led Rummel and other club leaders to begin researching the matter. After nearly a year of phone calls, networking, and research, the team secured county and state support to pursue the initiative officially.
Rummel gathered leaders from the state’s Continuing Education and Marketing & Membership committees to push the project forward. John Wickline, WVU Extension Service Program Assistant, has also lent his expertise to help research and promote the campaign.
“As the state’s Continuing Education Committee Chairman and the Harrison County President, I presented this campaign during our recent state meeting and got the green light to take this program statewide,” Rummel added. “The WVU Extension Service has asked our team to represent WV CEOS at the upcoming State Fair to build support and gather more signatures on our petition.”
Signature forms and marketing materials have been created to assist the effort. The project was introduced to county members during the May Harrison County Council meeting, where organizers gathered feedback and outlined upcoming events.
April Lanham, of the Harrison County CEOS Marketing Committee, shared, “Our mission is not only to help us secure a legislator to present this to the state senate, but our biggest mission is to make state HISTORY.”
To learn more about the “Pledge of WV” project, sign the online petition, view upcoming events, or donate to offset campaign costs, visit facebook.com/pledgeofwv or use the hashtag #PledgeofWV.
About West Virginia Community Educational Outreach Service (WV CEOS): The WV CEOS is a voluntary, nonprofit organization that cooperates with the West Virginia University Extension and the Harrison County Commission. As one of the largest educational organizations in the nation, its members conduct motivating educational activities that promote lifelong learning, leadership skills, and community involvement. The program is open to all residents across West Virginia’s 55 counties.
For membership information, contact John Wickline at 304-624-8650 or visit the Community Educational Outreach Service page on the WVU Extension website at https://extension.wvu.edu.
