For James Conley Justice II, the last 12-months have arguably been the most eventful of his nearly five-years as the 36th Governor of West Virginia. From his mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, to his emergence as the national standard-bearer through his leadership in the vaccination effort, Justice has left an indelible mark upon the office which he currently holds, and the state he calls home. Throughout the successes and setbacks – struggles and triumphs – Justice has never wavered in his desire to bring “the goodness” to West Virginia.
Regardless of the level of celebration or criticism the governor’s initiatives have elicited from his constituency, and despite the accusations sometimes hurled at Justice regarding his reputation as “a talker,” one truth is irrefutable: Justice rarely fails to take action when action is called for.
“My father had an expression he would say when I’d come bragging to him about how hard I tried to do something,” Justice said, during a press briefing last November. “He would look at me and say ‘don’t confuse effort with accomplishment’.”
In the face of a global pandemic, Justice’s message has been both stoic and consistent; take care of yourself, take care of those around you, and let’s all take care of West Virginia. In other words, “we all pull the rope together.”
In spite of all that has happened in the past year, what may end up being remembered as Justice’s greatest accomplishment is the success of the West Virginia Game Chamber initiative, a program which the Governor has tirelessly championed since accepting the position as “Head Coach” on July 29, 2020.
As explained on the organization’s website, “West Virginia Game Changers is an initiative designed to educate, support and empower our youth to make healthy choices as they prepare to be our leaders of tomorrow. Our youth and their peers will help influence positive community development. Our goal is to encourage our youth to lead by example through healthy lifestyles, improve the future, and make a difference in the state of West Virginia.”
Game Changers was originally conceived and developed in 2019 by a group of caring West Virginians, dedicated to “changing the game” in the battle against opioid and substance misuse, as well as mental and emotional difficulties faced by the youth of the state. And while the program was initially successful, it was the governor’s acceptance of his role as “Head Coach” which garnered the widespread attention it needed to become a beacon of hope for those in need of help.
In a July 29 press conference announcing his acceptance, “Head Coach” Justice said, “Since the first day that I walked in the door as your Governor, I’ve made a real commitment to helping our kids and that’s exactly what this program is going to do,” Gov. Justice said. “Our kids are absolutely our greatest treasure in West Virginia. So we need to do all we possibly can do to make their lives the very best they can be.”
In the same press conference, Justice went on to announce the launching of Game Changers’ Virtual Summit, a celebrity-endorsed peer-education program that was live streamed in county schools across West Virginia last fall.
During a mid-November press conference, Governor Justice announced the Game Changers “Change Their Holiday” promotion, a successful collaboration between West Virginia Game Changers, and several prominent businesses to provide a “complete” holiday for families who otherwise would not have had any holiday at all. The program was a tremendous success. Through Justice’s leadership, more than $50,000 was raised in just over three weeks, providing families in need all across West Virginia with an average of $1,200 in gift cards.
In February, during his “State of the State” address, Governor Justice announced the Game Changer Initiative’s biggest success to date: a partnership with the world-renowned Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
“I thank WV Game Changer, the Drug Intervention Institute, and Hazelden Betty Ford for joining forces and working with our school systems to make a powerful difference for the next generation of West Virginians,” Justice said during the address.
Just one week later, Justice told the WV Daily News, “It’s been a real honor being the head coach of Game Changers. At my State of the State last week I mentioned Game Changers is partnering with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, and that’s an amazing step forward.”
Justice went on to say, “If you step back and look at all the goodness that’s going on with our schools, [sic] Game Changers is absolutely addressing this situation with substance abuse and all the different problems that comes with that. The whole Game Changers network is doing just that: it’s changing the game. And again, what an honor it is to be their head coach. [sic] We’re making it happen, we’re absolutely making it happen.”
In a year filled with ups and downs, the Game Changers Program has been that beacon, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of Governor Justice’s biggest contributions to the people of West Virginia.
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