By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER – The Warm the Children campaign will have a very special guest for the annual WTC Open House this year.
Debbie Phelps, educator, author, and mother of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, will be visiting Mineral County on Friday, Nov. 13, to kick off what has been expanded into the 2009 Warm the Children Weekend.
Phelps, who became the darling of the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she and her two daughters cheered Michael on as he shattered record after record and earned an unprecedented eight gold medals in swimming, will be participating in the Warm the Children Open House scheduled from 4-6 p.m. Nov. 13 at Peebles in Keyser.
Warm the Children is an especially appropriate reason for the former home economics educator and middle school principal to come home to the area, as she has established herself as an innovative, energetic, and talented leader and master teacher - inspiring countless students over the past 30 years.
She has been described as “an avid believer that achievement is limitless for each and every child, no matter the odds.”
Warm the Children, adopted by the Mineral Daily News Tribune in the early 1990s, reaches out to needy children in the area by providing warm winter clothing to those who might otherwise not have enough to keep them warm.
A native of the Westernport area, Phelps earned her bachelor's degree in education from Fairmont State College in Fairmont and her master's degree from Loyola College in Baltimore. She is presently principal of Windsor Mill Middle School in Baltimore.
Earlier this year, she published her first book, “A Mother for All Seasons: A Memoir,” which tells the inspiring story of the mother of three who faced adversity and challenge to raise three successful children and eventually be embraced by the world as “America's Mom.”
Prior to the WTC open house, Phelps is scheduled to participate in a book signing at Main Street Books.
At the open house, Santa Claus will join Debbie Phelps in greeting the youngsters, and Life Images Studio will be taking children's photos with Santa.
Michaela Bush, a seventh grader at Southern Middle School in Oakland, will be vocalist for the event, providing a variety of Christmas music.
Raffle tickets will be available.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, Warm the Children Weekend will continue with the first WTC Bluegrass Show at Keyser High School.
Among those scheduled to appear are Highland Grass and Black Diamond. A special feature of the event will be a reunion appearance of Gene and Joe and the Valley Troubadors.
All participants in the Warm the Children Weekend are volunteering their time, and all proceeds and monetary donations go straight to the campaign for the children.
Keyser, W.Va. —
