Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Photo courtesy WVU Tech Athletics CommunicationsWVU Tech volleyball will host Ohio Christian University for conference play on Friday at 7 p.m. in Van Meter Gym. The Golden Bears will also be welcoming Not Us West Virginia including WVU Tech’s Not Us Club.
Photo courtesy WVU Tech Athletics CommunicationsWVU Tech volleyball will host Ohio Christian University for conference play on Friday at 7 p.m. in Van Meter Gym. The Golden Bears will also be welcoming Not Us West Virginia including WVU Tech’s Not Us Club.
Southern West Virginia has felt the effects of the rampaging drug crisis for quite some time.
Now there is a movement which hopes by targeting the next generation it can put an end to the misery that has plagued the Mountain State.
The movement is called, Not Us WV.
Madilyn Bodkin, who is an Ambassador for the statewide movement and the President of the WVU Tech Not Us Club, explained the goals of the campaign.
“We are an extension of the Not Us Movement which was founded August 2018 by Melodi Hawley,” Bodkin explained. “It is a grassroots drug prevention and awareness campaign. At the club we encourage students to have fun without doing drugs and make them aware of what happens to them if they use drugs.”
Friday night, WVU Tech volleyball will host Ohio Christian at 7 p.m. at Van Meter Gym and will join forces with Not Us WV and WVU Tech’s Not Us Club to bring further awareness to the movement.
Hailing from southern West Virginia, Golden Bears interim head volleyball coach Amber Linville is a big supporter of the Not Us WV movement.
“I went to my first meeting, not knowing what I was getting into, but it was an amazing movement,” Linville said. “I hope to see it spread, not only statewide, but into other states also.”
One of the key components of the movement is to encourage people to explain why the Not Us movement is important to them.
“Our big thing is to get the information out to everyone and for them to tell why it is important to them,” Bodkin said. “For me, I lost my grandmother to drug addiction. We have seen the repercussions of the drug epidemic and we are saying, enough is enough. I don’t want my kids to have to go through this. This is not normal, drugs literally being in your back yard.”
Fellow WVU Tech student Cameron Toney is also an ambassador for the statewide movement and his story brings a personal face to the struggle, but also a successful one.
“When I was a teenager in high school, I was addicted to pills,” Toney said. “Once this movement started, I got involved to share my first-hand experience and how I came through it. (Drug addiction) effects every single person and every background. It does not discriminate.
Fans wishing to learn more about Not Us WV are encouraged to come early to the volleyball match Friday.
“There will be people here from the bigger part of the movement and from the club before the match,” Bodkin said. “People can come early and learn about Not Us and what it is all about.”
Information is also available at the web-site, www.notuswv.com or on Facebook and Instagram at NOTUSWV.
The match with Ohio Christian (1-2) will be the first of two key River States Conference showdowns for WVU Tech. After Friday’s clash, the Golden Bears welcome Indiana University East (2-1) Saturday in a noon match.
WVU Tech is 1-2 in the conference and is coming off a tough five-set loss on the road at Rio Grande. Winning their home contests will be key to making the postseason for the Golden Bears.
“Ohio Christian and IU East has had their successes and struggles as well,” Linville said. “IU East in general is normally one of the top teams in the conference, year after year. Ohio Christian gave them a run and pushed them to five sets. We are not really sure what to expect, so we are just trying to study film and prepare.”
“These matches are very important,” Linville continued. “This team plays so well when they are relaxed. My main goal is to keep them relaxed and playing their game. If we play our game, we are incredible.”
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