Published: July 04, 2009 11:23 pm      

Ex-West Virginians urged to come home

Amid the steaming platters of fried chicken, green beans, cole slaw and potato salad under the log-style picnic shelter across West Virginia this summer, there is some earnest politicking occurring between the catch-up talk about the kinfolk at family reunions.

And the hard pitch being made at such gatherings has nothing to do with partisan politics.

It’s all about efforts to inveigle transplanted brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles to leave destinations where they have roamed and come home.

“Come Home for the Reunion and Stay for a Lifetime” is in its second year, a campaign Gov. Joe Manchin suggested last year in his State of the State message to lure West Virginians to return to their native soil and start life anew.

In its first effort, the Department of Commerce targeted ex-West Virginians through a series of magazine ads in areas such as Cincinnati and Cleveland, letting them know about the advantages of life in the hills.

And it doesn’t hurt to try to make them a little homesick, either.

“What we felt this year was doing something different,” says Kim Harbour, a spokeswoman for the department.

“So we’re using a network of friends and families, knowing how strong family reunions and school reunions are in the state, particularly in the summer. We felt it was a natural fit to use reunions to help us promote the whole ‘Come Home to West Virginia’ campaign.”

Working with regional planners, the department prepared special kits to be passed out to relatives returning to West Virginia for such gatherings.

Initially, the agency felt 10,000 would suffice, but in the first week of billboarding the concept in newspaper advertising, all of the kits were committed. So the department had to double production.

“We knew we had hit upon something,” Harbour said. “It’s actually been very efficient for us. We’re working with about 270 individual reunions, and each had about 60 or 80 people attending. If we’re helping to sponsor 270 reunions, suddenly we’re reaching tens of thousands of people.”

Mindful of the close ties among West Virginia families, Manchin hit on the idea a year ago of trying to reverse the out-migration in a state losing population.

“West Virginians are all about family, and even when they leave, they maintain their strong ties to home,” the governor said.

“It’s what makes us special. There’s been a lot of positive changes and growth in our state in recent years, and I truly believe that now is the best time to come back home. We are delighted with the positive feedback and the opportunity to provide information about West Virginia’s tourism and economic opportunities into so many hands this summer.”

Manchin eyes another strong reason beyond simply shoring up family ties.

“Businesses locate where they can find good talent, and if we can get more people with the skills and talents to come home to join the people who are already here, there is no end to how the state can continue to diversify and prosper,” he said.

Harbour is impressed with the response among reunion planners.

“We’re handling all sizes,” she says. “We’ll take all comers. No reunion is too small.”

Reunion leaders may visit a special Web site, www.hometowv.com, or call the Department of Commerce at 304-558-2003.

“We’re extending the campaign through the fall,” Harbour said.

“We think about fall as the homecoming season when communities sponsor parades. We offer that up for people who might be doing a homecoming.”

One part of the campaign entails the use of sheets of postcards families can mail to relatives who wandered into other states, and there is also an official West Virginia travel guide, extolling the scenic highlights — all of it intended to make displaced residents yearn for the homeland.

Another tack is to appeal to returnees from Iraq and Afghanistan as the basis of a new dimension of workers with specialized skills.

“That’s hard to measure,” Harbour says about the campaign’s effectiveness.

Yet, there is some evidence that populations in a number of communities have actually increased within the past year.

“It’s really hard to measure the demographic population shift,” Harbour said.

“We’re happy to get positive information about West Virginia into as many hands as possible. It’s a very efficient campaign for us. Everybody is very enthusiastic.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com