CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice participated in several West Virginia Day events at the State Culture Center today, in celebration of the state’s 156th Birthday.
The festivities began with the Governor and the First Lady meeting and speaking with participants of the West Virginia Ambassador’s Camp – an annual educational summer camp for incoming ninth graders from across the state. The students sang “West Virginia Hills” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in honor of the state’s birthday and one of the students joined First Lady Justice in the traditional state birthday cake cutting ceremony.
During an address to the students, Gov. Justice highlighted some of the accomplishments made by the state of West Virginia over the past year.
“West Virginia has been blessed beyond comprehension,” Gov. Justice said. “We continue to knock it out of the park over and over…can you believe that West Virginia has the lowest unemployment we’ve had in over a decade?
“We are on our way and we want to be able to just keep going and keep going until we are able to help everybody because there are people out there that are still really hurting,” Gov. Justice said. “We have an opportunity right now to springboard West Virginia in the fact that all these kids will end up wanting to stay because of all of the opportunities that we have within West Virginia.”
The winning show choir from the First Lady’s Art Series – Rave Revue from Ravenswood High School – also performed during the celebration, singing “My Home Among the Hills” during the event.
First Lady Cathy Justice, meanwhile, sang praises of all those who attended the ceremony for showing their dedication to their home state.
“Just being here and showing your support just means everything because that’s what we are, the people of West Virginia stick together,” First Lady Cathy Justice said. “Great things are happening and we’re just so proud of every single one of you.”
From there, the Governor and First Lady made their way to the Culture Center Theater for the annual Interfaith Program – a prayer service held on West Virginia Day each year for people of all religious backgrounds to come together in saying thanks for the previous year’s blessings and to ask for a successful year ahead.
“For all your prayers that went out last year, good things happened,” Gov. Justice said in another address during the Interfaith Program. “That’s what the good Lord does for each and every one of us. When we reach out to Him and say, ‘We got to have your help,’ He comes, he’s always there for us.”
The Governor also asked for those in attendance to continue praying every day for the state’s positive momentum to continue.
“Keep saying your prayers for goodness for West Virginia because we want to awaken to a day to when your grandma wants to have a picnic and all of her family is here in this state and they can come to the picnic because they’re here and they’re not scattered out all over the country,” Gov. Justice said. “I want you all to stay here and I want you to have opportunities here that you can’t have anywhere else. It’s the greatest place on Earth, hands down.”
The Interfaith Program also included religious music sung by The Gospel Harmony Boys and scripture readings from Rev. Jeffrey S. Allen, Executive Director of the West Virginia Council of Churches and by Jill Upson, Director of the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs.