Side by Side in Richmond hosts youth group meetings most days of the week. Here, young people ages eleven to twenty gather and discuss things like healthy relationships, role models, and body image. Some of the meetings – built around…
“When we come here, we start from zero.” For people coming from different experiences and refugee communities, zero can mean different things. For a young refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo or Bhutan who has spent his lifetime in…
When Stephanie Kirksey first heard her daughter’s eating disorder diagnosis, she remembers feeling discouraged, angry, scared, and unsure where to turn. Her primary care physician suggested she contact Beth Ayn Stansfield, founder of Stay Strong Virginia. “After that first phone…
The fight against cancer has changed dramatically since the American Cancer Society was founded more than one hundred years ago by a group of doctors in New York. In 1913, the ACS’s field army sought to educate people about the…
Eight months ago, Leroy Markland was sitting in his car in a Lynchburg parking lot. He felt like that car was all he had left. “I hit bottom. Things were falling apart,” he said of his substance abuse. “My wife…
It's incredible to see a child's self-esteem grow, just because a trusting adult told them, ‘I believe in you.’” That's the ultimate power of mentoring, according to Laura Leporati, a mentoring program coordinator for AMP! Metro Richmond. “It is important…
Imagine living just a mile from the James River, but never visiting any of the access points that line its banks – or even knowing that the river exists. Many of the children from Richmond’s East End neighborhoods – an…
Two years ago, the Starke family was living in Singapore, and mom Arpie and the kids, Mary Mac and Thomas, were visiting friends and family back in their hometown of Richmond for the summer. Keen Starke remained in Singapore for…
Newspaper clippings, photo collages, and resource flyers cover the hallways of The McShin Foundation in Henrico. It’s apparent this is not a typical treatment center with a clinical feel. There is a homey authenticity to the building and to the…
I started my studio in 2003 with a CD player and some dance shoes,” says Eleanor Robertson about Rigby’s Jig Ballroom Dance Studio in Richmond. “I was amazed by how quickly that business grew and how many people came through…
