West Virginia University Reed School of Media and Communications students are working to bring a day of joy, sports, and fun activities to Robert L. Bland Middle School students following the severe flooding that displaced them from their campus for the 2026-27 school year.
Students enrolled in Media 438 will host a Mini Day of Play at Jackson’s Mill, a WVU extension campus, on Oct. 14 at 11:30 a.m., with the help of student athletes and JROTC students from Lewis County High School. This event, sponsored by Get Moving, Inc., will allow nearly 500 Robert L. Bland Middle School students to participate in games, sports, and various other activities.
The Mini Day of Play is part of a greater effort by University students to support the middle school community. Students will host a sports equipment drive in Morgantown and surrounding areas in the weeks leading up to the Mini Day of Play. The equipment collected will be used at the Oct. 14 event before being donated to the middle school to replace items lost in the July flooding.
Equipment needed:
Amounts below reflect the total number of donations desired for that item, not the minimum donation required. Anything helps.
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60 yoga mats
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2 portable basketball hoops
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6 portable disc golf baskets
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30 Disc golf putters (even a small amount would help)
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8-10 outdoor basketballs
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3 softball tees
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3 ball buckets and bucket covers
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2-3 buckets of practice softballs
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2 travel bowenets (hitting nets)
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Practice wrestling mats
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Competition wrestling mats
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Wrestling singlets
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Wresting headgear
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Practice soccer balls for boys’ and girls’ teams
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Practice footballs
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Agility ladders
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Vertical jump boxes
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Outdoor volleyballs
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Gaga balls
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Badminton sets
If you have new or gently used equipment to donate, you can ship it directly to:
Eugenia Reesman, 160 Jackson’s Mill Rd, Weston, WV 26452
Or, donate via the Mini Day of Play Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2O3M0QTLKL3G9?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_ggr-subnav-share_6YGB1ZHE8MSDGMFTNW6H
This project offers Media 438 students the opportunity to apply the content development, strategic marketing, and role division they have learned in the classroom to helping West Virginia communities.
“WVU students serving the needs of West Virginia children exemplifies the purpose of our University. By directly integrating the classroom content into fulfilling community needs, students overwhelmingly see what a difference they can make,” said Elizabeth Oppe, teaching professor of Public Relations.
“This is bigger than just one day. These students and staff have gone through so much tragedy in such a short period of time, so giving them a small sense of normalcy and time to have fun with their peers is incredibly gratifying,” said junior Crystal Hanes, a Sports and Adventure Media student.
The Mini Day of Play will be on Oct. 14 at 11:30 a.m. at WVU Jackson’s Mill campus, 160 Jackson Mill Road, Weston, West Virginia.
Get Moving Inc. is a nonprofit based in Morgantown, West Virginia, that works to reduce childhood obesity and promote healthy habits among youth in the Mountain State by providing free community events to children and their families throughout the year. To learn more about Get Moving Inc., please visit www.getmovingwv.org.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Oppe at Elizabeth.Oppe@mail.wvu.edu or Crystal Hanes at cfh00011@mix.wvu.edu.