Warren County Sheriff encourages resilience as Women’s Resource Center awards $16,000 in grants

Created with a vision to empower local women to change their world, the Front Royal Women’s Resource Center (FRWRC) recently handed out $16,000 in grants to 12 women looking to launch or restart careers, build businesses or pursue educational opportunities.
Some of the recipients at the Dare to Dream Luncheon — and the keynote speaker Warren County Sheriff Crystal Cline — spoke about the challenges they’ve faced in their lives and careers, urging those around them to persevere.

“The first time I walked into a patrol briefing room in uniform, the room laughed. Not one person, not two. The room. And today, I walked into this room in uniform as the sheriff of Warren County. If you remember nothing else I say this afternoon, remember this: the first reaction of the room does not get to decide the final outcome of your life,” said Cline in opening her address to the 90 people in attendance at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club on Saturday.

Elected in November 2023 to serve a four-year term as sheriff that began Jan. 1, 2024, Cline started her career in law enforcement with the Front Royal Police Department in 2001 as a civilian employee. She became a sworn law enforcement officer in 2003 and served in patrol, investigations, undercover, administrative, and supervisory assignments before advancing into executive leadership. She is the first woman to serve as sheriff in the county’s history.

“Her leadership reflects the belief that public service demands both strength and character, and that women can lead with determination, can open doors, raise standards and leave institutions stronger than they found them,” said FRWRC President Valerie Wells Bennsky in introducing Cline.

Cline said she learned toughness from her mother early in life and encountered her own challenges as a child.

People she meets now see her confidence and leadership, but, she said, they “do not see what came before the uniform,” describing herself as a little girl who grew up in a small town in Nebraska with a single mom who worked two jobs. A little girl who lived in government housing and ate government cheese, struggled with terrible eyesight and severe hearing issues that required multiple surgeries because medical care had been denied when she was a child.

“They do not see the fear, the hurt, the humiliation. They don’t see the moments when life teaches you very early that if you’re going to become something, you’re going to have to fight your way there. But I saw it. I lived it and it built me,” Cline said. “This event reminds us of a truth I’ve seen throughout my life and career. There is no force equal to that of a determined woman. I believe that with my whole heart because I have lived it.”
Cline talked about her early days on the police force and times when she doubted her career choice, recalling an interaction shortly after she graduated from the police academy that “turned violent in seconds.”

“In the middle of that struggle, a thought hit me hard — ‘What am I doing here? Why am I doing this?’’ she said. “I have five kids at home. And here I am in a nasty, gross motel room. With a woman who does not want me there and is preventing me from doing my job. It made me really think, ‘Am I going to get out of this?’”

Noting the probability that “every woman in this room has had some version of that moment in her life,” Cline said that she learned that determination is not the absence of fear, but rather “what you decide in the middle of fear. I stayed. I learned. I got better. I kept showing up. And over time, I built a career in law enforcement that spans two decades.”
She said that she continues to reach for new goals and strive to be a role model for others.
Cline recently graduated from the FBI National Academy at Quantico, where she said fewer than 1% of law enforcement officers from across the country are accepted. She was the only sheriff and one of only 27 women in a class of 254.

“I was proud to stand in that space, not just for myself, but for every woman who has walked into a room knowing she might have to be twice as prepared and twice as sharp to outperform expectations before she ever receives any respect at all,” Cline said.
She encouraged grant recipients and their friends and family members to believe in themselves.

“Do not let a hard beginning convince you that you are meant for a small life,” Cline said. “Do not let setbacks make you quit and do not waste your life waiting for permission from people who were never assigned to approve our calling.”

Joey Waters, chair of the Dare to Dream selection committee, introduced the grant recipients. Winners of Elaine Bromfield Memorial Scholarship Grants were Megan Hahs and Jennifer Robison.

Calling Bromfield a “fierce advocate for women’s rights who really helped this organization grow,” Waters said the Bromfield family established an endowment fund for those grants.
Hahs, who has worked in the funeral industry for more than four years, will use her $4,000 grant to complete her studies at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and will take a national exam in order to become a fully licensed funeral director and embalmer, Waters said.

Explaining that she had to pause her coursework in order to care for her children, Hahs said that completing her licensure will significantly boost her career and income.
Sharing some of the challenges she has faced, Hahs expressed appreciation for “the people in this room who encouraged me to apply. I would never have done it on my own.”
A former registered nurse at Blue Ridge Hospice where she worked for 14 years, Robison is using her $2,000 grant toward educational costs as she completes her nurse practitioner degree from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania. With a focus in adult and geriatric primary care, Robison plans to provide in-home care to patients.

“I’ve been watching the challenges of people graduating from hospice — people who are homebound who cannot get to a primary care provider. We all need primary care providers…. So I’m going to focus on house calls,” she said.

Five women received $1,000 grants through the Dare to Dream program.
Started in 1999 by FRWRC founder JoEllen McNeal, the enrichment grants are funded by the organization with a goal of helping women “move forward with their lives,” said Waters.
This year’s recipients were Mary Carter, Janet Counts, Charli LaMattina, Karina Segura and Sally Price.

Carter holds a degree in music and will use her grant to fund classes to become a Warren County Public Schools teacher.

“I never saw myself teaching, but my husband and I have a medically complex daughter. When I decided I was going to go back to work after she was born, I decided I wanted to go into substituting. And I just fell in love with teaching,”  Carter said.
With a business management degree and a background in helping businesses grow, Counts is now focusing on developing her own digital business aimed at uplifting other entrepreneurs. The grant will go toward website design.

“I really appreciate it,” Counts said. “I can’t get into what this means to me or I’ll cry, but I’m really thankful to be here and thank you for the organization and all the support.”
A retired emergency medical services professional, LaMattina has pivoted to finding greater fulfillment by cultivating her passion in homestead gardening. Her grant money will go toward a drip irrigation system and a greenhouse.

“Last year, I tried to start my garden and I quickly learned that Virginia is different from Chicago,” said Lamattina. “We have a lot of deer that come into our yard and groundhogs so a lot of my garden got eaten. With this greenhouse, I’ll be able to grow my garden and be able to participate in farmers markets a lot more and provide fresh produce and herbs to the Warren County community.”

The only female HVAC technician on her crew, Segura enjoys the work and strives to be a role model for other women facing challenges in life, said Waters. She’ll use grant funds to pay for additional certifications and to purchase work boots and tools.
“I’m a domestic abuse survivor and we can do anything,” said Segura. “I always want to say to anyone going through that situation that anything is possible. It’s brighter on the other side.”

After breaking her neck a few years ago, Price took an early retirement from her nonprofit work. Since recovering, she has started work as a consultant to several local businesses. She’ll use grant funds to purchase a new computer that’s more compatible with her current enterprise.

“It’s never too late to learn something new,” she said.
Five additional $1,000 grants were awarded through a partnership with the Warren Memorial Hospital Foundation. Recipients were Haley Dawson, Lori Howard, Morgan Meredith, Susan Tschirhart and Lexi Painter.

Currently a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital in Woodstock, Dawson plans to use grant funds to pursue licensed practical nursing (LPN) classes at Laurel Ridge Community College.

“I’m very thankful that I got this scholarship,” she said, adding that she plans to pursue her registered nursing and bachelor of science in nursing degrees.

The founder and executive director of Harvest Missions Outreach Center, Howard will apply grant money to support specific key supervisor training to help the nonprofit become the first faith-based certified Matrix Recovery Program in the world. She said that the program is used in drug courts all over the United States and in 37 countries, but there are no faith-based certified sites.

“This community has been so wonderful to Harvest Missions. We have developed so many great partners,” Howard said.

Meredith is the clinical director at Liam’s Chance Behavioral Services on Main Street and will use grant funds for a Behavior Feeding Therapy workshop.

“I’m very excited to continue my education and give back to children with disabilities in our community,” said Meredith, who is a board certified behavior analyst.

An accomplished hiker, Tschirhart is coordinating with other women to develop Next Bend Adventures, a program that supports women walking the Appalachian Trail together. She’ll use grant funding to complete the Wilderness First Responder certification to support her growing program, said Waters.

“She’s working on completing the Appalachian Trail in sections and wants to help rest of us do it too,” said Waters.

Commented Tschirhart, “That invitation is open to all of us and you’re never too old or limited to step foot on the Appalachian Trail and I will show you how to do that.”

Painter is currently enrolled in the nursing program at Laurel Ridge and will use funding for her educational expenses, Waters said. Painter was unable to attend the event due to a school conflict.

Contact Laura Ruby at