Standalone art for 8/27 issue: Governor gets early birthday gift

CHARLESTON -– To celebrate Gov. Joe Manchin's 60th birthday, First Lady Gayle Manchin presented him with a West Virginia Heirloom Birth Certificate at the State Capitol.

The Heirloom Birth Certificate is a document highlighting a West Virginia-born person's heritage and birth record. The Heirloom Birth Certificate program is a joint collaboration between the Health Statistics Center, a division of the Bureau for Public Health within the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and the West Virginia Children's Trust Fund.

"First and foremost, I am proud to receive this beautiful document that showcases my pride in being a West Virginian," Gov. Manchin said during Friday's ceremony. "The Heirloom Birth Certificate Program will allow many people born in the Mountain State to display and commemorate their heritage – whether they live in our state or outside its borders."

The Heirloom Birth Certificate is an 11x14" record, suitable for framing. Two designs were introduced at the presentation: "Heritage Quilt", featuring a colorful quilt on the certificate's background; and "Majestic Mountains", which includes a scenic mountain image taken at Grandview State Park in Raleigh County. Manchin received "Majestic Mountains" as a gift from the First Lady.

Heirloom Birth Certificates are being sold through the West Virginia Office of Vital Registration for $35. Fifteen dollars of the proceeds benefits the West Virginia Children's Trust Fund, which raises funds to for programs and services in local communities that prevent child abuse and neglect.

Along with the commemorative birth record, individuals also receive a certified copy of the original birth certificate on file which may be used for legal purposes. Heirloom Birth Certificate gift cards are available for purchase through the Children's Trust Fund Web site at www.wvctf.org. Only registrants or their direct relatives are able to purchase the birth records directly through the Office of Vital Registration.