Energy Express

10/10/2026

Have you been a member of Energy Express?

Share your story and help inspire the next generation of Energy Express mentors and volunteers!

Link to Survey :https://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bwwv47UMNTIaSfc
Screenshot the photo with the QR code. Open the photo and hold down on the QR code to open the survey.

10/07/2026

💛 Service brings people together.

💛 Service builds skills and connections.

💛 Service creates hope for the future.

That’s the power of service—and it’s what Energy Express AmeriCorps members bring to life every summer!

10/07/2026

College students serve each summer as AmeriCorps mentors, providing children in Energy Express with unforgettable learning experiences. 📚

Learn more about the benefits of AmeriCorps for career opportunities and personal growth for college students and young adults from America’s Service Commission. ⬇️

10/05/2026

Do you remember the wonder of reaching for something that seemed impossibly big?

A bubble can be enormous, shimmering, delicate, or fleeting. Each new word gives a child another way to describe what they notice, ask what they wonder, and share what they imagine.

A growing vocabulary gives children more than new words. It gives them more ways to understand, question, explain, and create. That is why language and vocabulary are woven throughout the Energy Express day, including moments filled with simple joy
and a little summer magic.

10/01/2026

So thankful for our VISTA, Kelly! 🫶We can’t wait to see the amazing things you do this service year.

VISTA Spotlight: Kelly

Kelly is joining Energy Express as an AmeriCorps VISTA, supporting work that brings summer learning, nutritious meals, and caring connections to children and families across West Virginia.

Through her year of service, Kelly hopes to grow her skills, learn more about community-based work and grant writing, and build meaningful connections throughout the state. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve and looks forward to making a lasting impact through her VISTA service.

09/30/2026

A child notices when someone remembers their story, laughs with them over lunch, and is there to welcome them back the next day. Our mentors notice those moments, too. 💛

“But over time, you learn that the real transformation happens at the lunch table during family-style meals, in the funny side conversations, or in the simple comfort a child feels when they know you’re going to be there again today.”
— Haleigh, Energy Express Mentor, Summer 2026

09/29/2026

Even though we are a summer program, our passion for literacy encompasses all seasons. 🍂📕

What are you reading this fall? We love hearing from our literacy community!

Looking for ways to follow the Energy Express learning model throughout the school year?

- Create a fantastic leaf-themed art activity with attached writing

- Introduce a readers theatre of your favorite fall book

09/28/2026

This summer, WVU Extension's partnership with Egerton University brought hands-on STEM learning and cross-cultural connections to students in both West Virginia and Kenya. As part of the collaboration, WVU Extension faculty visited five primary schools in Nakuru, Kenya, reaching approximately 350 students. Inspired by the book, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," students in both Kenya and West Virginia participated in the same engineering design challenge, building windmills while exploring innovation, problem-solving, and the power of community. Over 850 Energy Express children were involved.

Energy Express youth in West Virginia exchanged messages, photos, and videos with their Kenyan peers through Padlet, creating meaningful connections across continents. Together, students learned that curiosity, creativity, and caring for their communities can bring people together, no matter where they live.

We are proud to continue building on the WVU-Egerton University partnership established in 2024 through the efforts of WVU associate professor Jennifer Ours Williams, creating opportunities that support educational programming, youth development, and global citizenship for teachers, university students, 4K Club members, and youth in both countries.

These photos bring together WVU Energy Express children and students in Kenya. In Kenya, West Virginia University's Jorge Atiles, associate vice president for Land-Grant Engagement and dean of WVU Extension and Engagement and the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, joins WVU Extension STEM specialist Dr. Jennifer Robertson-Honecker to explain the project to students.

09/25/2026

Reading is more than recognizing words. It is learning to make meaning.

When children predict, question, connect ideas, explain their thinking, and reconsider what they know, they are developing skills that matter far beyond the page.

At Energy Express, these everyday literacy experiences help children become thoughtful learners who are better prepared to engage with information and new ideas.

09/23/2026

We are so saddened by the passing of Dr. Cindy Fitch.

Dr. Fitch was a true champion for Energy Express and a generous mentor to members of our state team. We are grateful not only for her guidance and support, but also for the way she believed in this work and in the people carrying it forward.

Her kindness, encouragement, and commitment to children and communities left a lasting impression. She will be dearly missed, and remembered with gratitude.

The WVU Extension community is deeply saddened to share the passing of Cindy Fitch, Extension professor emerita and former associate dean for research, on September 21, 2026. Fitch was a passionate advocate for health and nutrition and was dedicated to helping West Virginians live better, healthier lives.

“Cindy devoted more than two decades of service to this University and our state, but above her professional achievements, I’ll remember her bright spirit and kind demeanor most. She will truly be missed.”