12 The Hampton Roads Messenger
Volume 9 Number 11 Around Hampton Roads
Cox and the Trust For Public Land Name Heidi Ketler as Virginia's Cox Conserves Hero
Asset Based Community Development Training in Newport News
Do you see things in your neighborhood that you would like to see changed but don’t know who is a neighborhood leader that can help you? YOU can BE that neighborhood leader. Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is a powerful and inclusive approach to community development.
Applications are being taken for the free summer ABCD workshops that will help you to develop the neighborhood leadership skills needed to promote that change. You can attend either
Saturday, July 25, 2015 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at South Morrison Family Education Center at 746 Adams Drive in Newport News, or
Saturday, August 8th from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 1129 33rd Street in Newport News.
Learn how to focus your efforts on discovering and mobilizing the resources that are already present in your community. When people become more productive together - they exercise their power to address problems and realize dreams!
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Learn to tap the potential of your neighborhood.
Discover how to build more community engagement and involvement. Be challenged to be a great neighbor. Open to youth and adults.
The interactive dialogue and introductory training combines theology, theory and practical tools and skills around engaging our communities. The training will provide guidance into how to discover your city faith, how to look for the assets and signs of hope in your neighborhood, how to be a champion for the people in your area and how to be a catalyst of hope and transformation in your community. Professionals and community workers are also invited to attend to learn about the ABCD model and how to become involved in the ongoing work.
Left to Right: Fernando Gracia, director of Programs FRIENDS of Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia's 2015 Cox Conserves Hero Heidi Ketler and Cox Communications Virginia's Vice President of Residential Sales Jeff Merritt (PRNewsFoto/Cox Communications)
CHESAPEAKE, Va., -- Cox Communications and The Trust for Public Land has named Heidi Ketler as Virginia's 2015 Cox Conserves Hero. Ketler's nonprofit of choice, the Roanoke Valley Chapter of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, will receive $10,000 on her behalf. Representing Fairfax County/Fredericksburg, Hampton Roads and Roanoke, the three finalists were chosen by judging panels from Cox's Virginia service areas. The finalists then competed in an online public vote to be named Virginia's Cox Conserves Hero.
Ketler has volunteered more than 2,000 hours with the Blue Ridge Parkway by clearing trails, cleaning overlooks and building community connections. She has engaged more than 200 volunteers and helped remove more than 2,500 pounds of trash and 1,800 pounds of recyclables from the Parkway.
The two runners-up each receive $5,000 for their nonprofits of choice. Jason Gallant, representing Fairfax County/Fredericksburg, selected Downtown Greens as his nonprofit of choice; Hampton Roads finalist Nancy Degges chose VB Clean Community Volunteers, Inc.
Brian Batteiger, Bill Gordge, Anne Little, Chris Clifford are previous recipients of Virginia's Cox Conserves Heroes award.
As either a finalist or winner's nonprofit of choice, the following Virginia organizations have also received financial support from the Cox Conserves Heroes program: Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, Friends of Green Spring Gardens, Friends of Norfolk's Environment, Herndon Environmental Network, Lynnhaven River Now, Newport News Green Foundation, Park Partners, Pathfinders for Greenways, South Norfolk Neighborhood Watch, Tree Fredericksburg, Virginia Beach Clean Community Commission, Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation Foundation and Virginia Living Museum.
Cox Conserves Heroes recognizes volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces. Ketler is the national program's 42nd winner. Cox Conserves Heroes was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications, to honor local conservation volunteers.
Through the Cox Conserves Heroes program, more than $500,000 has been donated to environmental nonprofits and nearly 150 volunteers have been honored. Cox Conserves Heroes also takes place in Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and Massachusetts.
Hampton's Contraband Camp History Detailed in Magazine
The latest edition of Archaeology, a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, includes a lengthy article about Hampton's contraband camp and the efforts to record its role in the city's history.
For more information, or to register please contact Traci Snell, Department of Human Services, (757) 369-6808 or
tsnell@nnva.gov .
ABCD Workshops are sponsored by the Newport News Department of Human Services with funding provided by the OJJDP Community Based Violence Prevention grant.
Apply for Cooling Assistance June 15 – August 15
To qualify for assistance, you must be a resident who is responsible for cooling expenses with a monthly gross income that meets eligibility guidelines
Families needing help with their cooling costs this summer may apply for the Cooling Assistance Program beginning Monday, June 15. Apply online at
commonhelp.virginia. govpick up an application form at any Norfolk Department of Human Services location or call 664-6035 to have an application mailed to you.
Cooling Assistance may help cover one or more of the following expenses: Electric bills to operate cooling equipment A once-in-a-lifetime payment of an electric utility security deposit Repairs to a central air conditioning system or heat pump Purchase or replacement and installation of an air conditioner
To qualify for assistance, you must be a resident who is responsible for cooling expenses with a monthly gross income that meets eligibility guidelines. For example, gross income must be at or below $1,276 for a single-person household and may not exceed $2,628 for a family of four. Households must include one child under age six, a disabled individual, or a vulnerable adult who is age 60 or over.
Assistance is based on availability of funds. Cooling Assistance is a component of the Energy Assistance Program, funded by the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program block grant.
Small Business Workshops in Portsmouth
The Virginia Housing and Community Development Corporation (VHCDC) will be offering a two-part series of workshops titled "Startup $$$ Hampton Roads" geared to helping small business owners learn organizational basics. They will both be held on Saturday, August 8th at the ODU Tri-Cities Center, located at 1070 University Boulevard in Portsmouth.
Part One: Small Business Accounting (9 a.m. - Noon) Part Two: Small Business Financing (12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.) Go to
www.vhcdc.org to learn more or register.
Friant & Associates Opens Manufacturing and Distribution Facility in Suffolk
West-coast based Friant & Associates, maker of custom office furniture, has opened a 357,000 SF manufacturing and distribution facility in Suffolk's CenterPoint Intermodal Center. The new facility was built from the ground up and will leverage all of the benefits the close proximity to the Port of Virginia offers, including increased efficiency from port to manufacturing to shipping and significantly better shipping lead times. The overall investment is $17.4 million dollars.
yessuffolk.com
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation Has Your Staycation Destination
Following an 1861 decision by a Union general, escaped slaves were declared contraband, or illegal war goods, and freed. Thousands of fugitive slaves, including this group in Pamunkey Run, Virginia, provided the Union army with labor and established independent communities.
(Virginia Beach, VA) – Kayaking, paddle boarding, pools, games, food and other fun? Sounds like the makings of an incredible adventure vacation, but don’t bother packing a bag, because you don’t even have to leave the 757! Virginia Beach Parks & Recreationhas you covered with everything you need for a staycation that your entire family will remember forever! We’ve assembled a list of the top activities available this summer, right here at home.
July 2015
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