I blinked and summer vanished, and just like that, another autumn is upon us.
The RFM calendar is packed with fun things to do this fall (beginning on page 70, with even more events on our website), including free fun at our wonderful area libraries, activities galore at RVA’s fabulous museums, a variety of plays, concerts, and movies, plus open houses at area private schools and Halloween events all over town. If you don’t subscribe to RFM’s weekly emails, RFM eNews, you’ll want to head to our website and sign up (or scan the QR code on page 9) to get the latest on all of our area’s happenings delivered straight to your inbox each Thursday, just in time for your weekend planning. It’s going to be a fantastic fall, and we want you to be in the know for all of it!
This issue marks RFM’s fifteenth anniversary – can you believe it?! I know I can’t! Our very first RFM cover kid from way back in October of 2009 turned twenty-three last month, and my then three-year-old son just headed off to college (yes, it was very bittersweet!). Some of our earliest fans have raised their families, become empty-nesters, and have continued to enjoy RFM as grandparents. New parents have gotten to know RFM, too, and have helped us keep print alive and well by embracing the magazine and sharing it with their friends, family, and neighbors. A lot has changed over these last fifteen years, and we’ve found even more ways to connect with families – through our website, our emails, and on our social media channels, while continuing to bring you the printed magazine we so often hear that you still look forward to picking up.
We’re so grateful to you, our readers, for your support over these past fifteen years, and we’re also immensely thankful for the many local, regional, and national businesses, attractions, and community resources who have trusted us with their brands and helped keep RFM free for all these years. I am humbled every day and so honored that so many respected companies choose to partner with RFM for their marketing, and we will continue to work hard for them and for you to help build healthy families across the Richmond area and bring you content that inspires, educates, and uplifts.
Speaking of RFM’s fantastic content, we’re serving up another great issue for your reading pleasure, so let’s get to it. We can’t wait for you to get to know our amazing cover dad, none other than Virginia State University president, Dr. Makola Abdullah. He’s used his years as an HBCU student and educator to transform every part of VSU, and by all accounts, he’s just getting started (page 30).
Our recent tour of the newly-renovated 125-year-old Richmond gem that is The Valentine inspired our deep dive into this RVA institution, beginning on page 54. We know you’ll want to put a family visit on your fall to-do list.
From the benefits of bilingualism to teaching your kids how to be more independent, there’s something for everyone in our fifteenth anniversary super-sized issue. Enjoy!
