RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
Richmond City Hall
900 E. Broad Street, Suite 200
Richmond, Virginia 23219
www.council.richmondva.gov
All Richmond residents invited and encouraged to attend
WHAT Richmond will honor HandsOn Greater Richmond, Friends of Chimborazo Playground, Radio One and Virginia Voice during the Richmond City Council Formal Council meeting on Monday.
Of the many duties performed by Richmond City Council on behalf of the community, one of the most rewarding is the recognition and honoring of individuals, businesses and organizations who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others and help to make Richmond an even better place to live, work, learn, play, visit, and raise a family.
Recognizing and honoring those who provide resources, time, talent and energy on behalf of the Richmond community sets a standard for service to others; encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation; and, inspires others to action. It is for these reasons that Richmond City Council publicly recognizes individuals, families, groups organizations, and businesses through the confirmation of awards during Formal Council meetings.
WHEN MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2009
During first part of Richmond City Council FORMAL MEETING
6:00 -8:30 p.m.
WHERE Richmond Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall, 2nd floor
900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia
CONTACT For more information, please contact Steve Skinner, Richmond City Council, at 804.646.6052/937.1386 or steven.skinner@richmondgov.com
BACKGROUND _________________________________________________________________
The awards include:
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Virginia Voice
For nearly thirty years of providing free services to people who are blind, vision impaired, or otherwise print challenged due to a disability.
Established in 1979, Virginia Voice is dedicated to helping people keep connected to society by providing access to printed news and information through the translation, recording and broadcast of the printed word into spoken word. Individuals using the services of Virginia Voice range in age from 10 to 105, with an estimated 58 percent over the age of 70.
Serving more than 1,700 print challenged individuals daily in the 40-mile Metro-Richmond Area directly through closed-circuit radio broadcast, Virginia Voice is also available statewide, nationally and internationally through digitally recorded internet-based audio files that are freely available and accessed from their website; and through closed-circuit radio rebroadcasts in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Supported by individual donations, organizations and grants, Virginia Voice has more than 200 volunteers who read daily newspapers, magazines, books, newsletters, and assistive publications from organizations providing services to people with disabilities.
JOINT COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS
HandsOn Greater Richmond
Established in 2005, HandsOn Greater Richmond is a web-based volunteer networking clearinghouse that matches citizens and organizations interested in volunteering their time, talents or treasure with opportunities in the Greater Richmond area.
Since their creation, HandsOn Greater Richmond has assisted with the facilitation of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of volunteer work, supplies and expertise on behalf of numerous community projects across the area. These projects have included various nonprofit projects and many beautification efforts and cleanups on behalf of the Richmond Parks System.
The outstanding work of creators supporters of HandsOn Greater Richmond is creating positive change in our community by strengthen the connections and capacities within our community and providing inspiration and engagement through meaningful service and leadership opportunities.
Friends of Chimborazo Playground
A grassroots organization, Friends of Chimborazo Playground is a nonprofit group working to increase and enhance the safety and beauty of the city playspace and recreation area located near Chimborazo Park, between N. 29th and 31st streets, and E. Grace Street in Richmond’s Historic Church Hill neighborhood.
The outstanding work of Friends of Chimborazo Playground includes ongoing support of the Chimborazo playspace and the recent construction of a new playground and community garden on September 10, 2009 in coordination with the grant funding and direction of the national KaBOOM! organization, which funds and manages the building of new play spaces in a “community build” process. Additional partners included the City of Richmond, Church Hill Association, Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association, Home Depot, friends, volunteers and other organizations.
Radio One
A national radio network operation company, the Radio One company was established in 2004 and owns and operates 69 radio stations in 22 American cities that specialize in urban-based formats targeting African-American listeners. Locally, Radio One owns WPZZ (Praise) 104.7 FM, WKJS (KISS FM) 105.7 FM, WCDX (Power) 92.1 FM; WTPS 1240 AM, and WKJM 99.3 FM.
In the spring of 2008 the local Radio One radio stations partnered with the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities to host a “Send a Kid to Camp” radiothon fundraiser. A successful event, the radiothon was held again in June of 2009. Over the last two years, and through the generosity of individual donations from citizens, this six hour fundraising has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars and enabled more children in our city to attend summer camp.
OTHER BACKGROUND __________________________________________________________
Richmond City Council meetings
Richmond City Council holds an average of 12 official monthly public meetings to discuss, deliberate, and act on laws and policy on behalf of the community. Citizens are invited and encouraged to attend these meetings, which include (but are not limited to) two “Council Formal” Meetings, two “Council Informal” meetings, six Council Standing Committee meetings, and Public Hearings/Special Events/Commission meetings held on an as-needed basis.
Formal Council meetings
Richmond City Council Formal Meetings are typically held the second and forth Monday of each month, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. (With the exception of August, when no Formal meetings are held, and holidays). These meetings are held for deciding official Council action, which includes discussing, adopting, rejecting, and amending laws and approving the budget. Formal meetings include a time for pubic comment and are televised live on the local PBS station and are replayed in Richmond on Government Access Channel 17, beginning at Noon and 7:00 p.m. daily.
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