FAIRMONT — Tonya Daft doesn’t call herself a hero.
Instead, she calls the children who belong to the Buffalo Creek Dream Makers Conservation Club, an organization she helped revive, heroes. She calls her husband Jack a hero because Tonya has suffered a back injury and in her words, “he has to do all the hard stuff now.”
However, despite her humility, Tonya Daft was selected as a Marion County Everyday Hero because of her work with Dream Makers Conservation Club among numerous other activities. These other activities include serving as the secretary of the General Federation Women’s Club of Marion County. She is also secretary of the Marion County 4-H Foundation, but the Buffalo Creek Dream Makers group takes up a great deal of her time.
The club, which was founded in 1997 by her son late son Adam Daft, has grown to include 52 children from all over West Virginia and parts of Pennsylvania. During club activities, the children get hands-on experience on dealing with nature.
“We do anything that has to deal with conservation,” Daft said.
Club members recently participated in a clean up of the Mon River Trail where six miles were cleaned of trash and debris, Daft said. She also noted that the club recently cleaned up a fishing spot along the Monongahela River of all sorts of rubbish.
“It really kind of sad,” Daft said about having to clean a significant amount of trash from a spot where people stop to enjoy the fruits of Mother Nature.
Club members also focus on recycling efforts. The club members take everything from aluminum cans to empty medication bottles to recycle, she pointed out. Daft, a bee keeper along with her husband, and her club members also recycle old bee boxes.
When shipped to bee keepers, the insects are placed in the mail in a specialized box. When the bees arrive, they are removed from the boxes and placed in the hives, leaving the containers empty, at which time they are most likely thrown away.
“But we’ll get them back to the distribution center for reuse,” Daft said.
The Dafts also work on educating the youth about a wide variety of items. Club members participate in activities, including honeybee preservation, wildlife studies, Adopt-A-Highway, camping, fishing, Civil War re-enacting, hiking and even astronomy.
“We go to re-enactments and do living history,” she said.
The Buffalo Creek Dream Makers will actually be attending a re-enactment at the Droop Mountain Battlefield site in early October. Club members also participate in a Civil War-era ball, which is staged by the West Virginia Re-enactors Association, Daft said.
For their work with the community, the Dafts have received numerous awards. She received the award for being the State Environmental Protection Volunteer of the Year from Gov. Joe Manchin in 2007. Tonya and Jack have also received numerous Environmental Protection Agency awards from both President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton.
The Buffalo Creek Dream Makers Conservation Club has also received awards for service. The club was recently named the Outstanding State EPA Group by President Bush for its members work on preserving honeybees. The group has also received the Mountain Laurel Award in 2008 for being the top state conservation group for ages 5 to 14.
The club is currently accepting members from all areas. Anyone wishing for more information on the Buffalo Creek Dream Makers Conservation Club can contact the Dafts at 304-825-6103, or via e-mail at rebeld4h@mountain.net or rebeld4h@yahoo.com.
Daft also spends her time with other organizations, including the West Virginia Re-enactors Association, the Mar-Mac board of directors, and the Central Appalachian Astronomy Club. She has been involved with the local 4-H club, and she also helps with the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Tonya and Jack have a daughter Tasha who is 24 years old and a nurse at Fairmont General Hospital. There son Adam passed away in 2000.
E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.
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