“The day we found out Lauryn’s diagnosis, it was like having a nightmare.” That’s how Lauryn’s father, Richard Lewis, explains how he felt when his family heard that the swollen lymph node on his daughter’s neck was cancer. On that…
As soon as Todd Hale, a professional artist and ART 180 program assistant, started chatting with a shy seventh-grader named Stephon in the cafeteria of Binford Middle School in Richmond, he knew he’d met a fellow artist. “I was immediately…
When two of their classmates were murdered in 2004, a group of students came to Richmond educator Ram Bhagat for guidance. Bhagat, a member of the Richmond Peace Education Center (RPEC) board of directors, helped the teens organize a conference…
Students and CIEE host siblings enjoyed a holiday get-together, no doubt celebrating traditions from around the world. At right, Jean and Tom Anderson (front) orchestrated a family reunion of sorts with Ludvik, Simon, and Malte in Prague. ____________________ When Jean…
After a routine ultrasound twenty weeks into her pregnancy, Jodi Lemacks heard the words no parent ever wants to hear: Your baby has a heart defect. It is one hundred percent fatal unless he has three open-heart surgeries. She and…
He was hospitalized two hours away from home and placed on the waiting list for a new heart. It didn’t seem like anything that anyone said to me was going to make things better,” Towanda Bagley says, as she reflects…
When she was two, Zemon Briggs’ mother enrolled her and her siblings in childcare, summer programs, and other enrichment activities at FRIENDS Association for Children in Richmond. As a young adult, FRIENDS helped Briggs apply for college scholarships and loans.…
For Eva, her role as a certified nursing assistant with Family Lifeline’s Home Care program is more than just a job. Eva’s position at Family Lifeline, a personalized support program for children, parents, and seniors, led her to a second…
Clementines, cucumbers, mini-carrots, and apples served at after-school activities; kids participating in organized activities during recess; a child riding a stationary bike while reading in class. Lofty goals or reality? “This is the kind of energy we’re trying to bring…
With four boys ages four through twelve, Beth Cornwell is a busy mom. Her daily focus is keeping her family organized and active, and NOVA of Virginia Aquatics plays an important role. Sons Quinn and Matthew swim on the NOVA…
