The Richmond SPCA – Every Life is Precious

Working with homeless and abused animals can be a difficult job.  The sheer number of four-legged orphans in Richmond and the surround area is staggering.  So it is with much pride that we boast an organization that is dedicated to the preservation and protection of our furry companions; without whom our own humanity might be less evolved.  The Richmond SPCA was established in 1891, and for over a century has work diligently with the community to help decrease the number of homeless animals in the area by providing a safe haven for dogs and cats found lost or abandoned.

The Richmond SPCA stands on the principle that “every life is precious”.  They heavily promoted education, community involvement and volunteerism as means to provide the best care for animals in need.  They also provide vet services, training programs and free or low-cost spay and neutering for adopted animals and pets in the surrounding area.  Notably, the organization is a no-kill shelter, choosing instead to rely on generous foster homes and vet clinics to help disperse the population of the shelter to prevent overcrowding.  The Richmond SPCA also works closely with Hanover Animal Control and other local county shelters to save dogs and cats from shelters that euthanize.

The SPCA is based in the Robins-Starr Humane Society on Hermitage Road (just behind the baseball diamond).  Adoption events are hosted regularly, both at the shelter and various other locations around the city.  Those interested in adopting are encouraged to come visit and use the shelters “Meet Your Match” system, which is designed to help pair you with the best fit for your family and living situation, based on personality and temperament.

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RichmondMom.Com – Kate Hall’s Labor of Love

When you talk to Kate Hall, it is hard to decide if you’re talking to a small-business owner, a devoted Mom – o – three, a social media guru, a Mommy Blogger, a philanthropist, or a children’s book author.  Actually, it’s not really that hard, because within a couple of minutes you realize that she really is all of the above.

I was lucky enough to know Kate when we both worked at the now-deceased local title insurance titan, LandAmerica.  Kate showed up at the company with loads of corporate experience and even more charisma.  Unfortunately (at the time) for both of us, the titan fell and we were both looking for work.

Kate started RichmondMom while she was still in the corporate world.  It was a sort of for fun, sort of experimental thing.  She was learning about web marketing and social media and saw a real need for some solidarity among parents in the Richmond community.  Kate, being Kate, decided to do something about it and started the website.

As she went through grueling interview processes at some of the biggest companies in Richmond (including The Fed), more and more of Kate’s Richmondmom.com customers, readers, and fans were urging her to take it to the next level.  With a deep breath and a giant leap of faith, she did so, and the site has been rockin’ ever since.

In addition to running a business that has more than doubled its client base within a short year, Kate has also jumped in to the social media scene here in Richmond, and through it has participated in many, many (did I say many?) charitable events and causes.  If that wasn’t enough, she actually wrote and self-published an educational kid’s book about Richmond history.

I asked her what gave her the idea for Richmond Rocks, and she told me that she was on Brown’s Island with her family and. her eldest son (age eight) started asking her questions about the area, and she realized that there was LOTS he didn’t know about Richmond history.  So she decided to do something about that, too.

Self-publishing is no easy task, but Kate pulled it off with a team of folks (illustrator, editor, etc) that she simply raves about.  With her customary good cheer and wicked (but great) sense of humor, Kate told me about the whole thing – from finding and hiring Knox Hubard for the illustrations, to working with Hayes and Fisk for photographs of Richmond, to the printing and distribution of the books, to how scary it is to foot the bill for a project like this and hope that it makes enough to even pay for itself.

Through hard work, tenacity, and the fact that the book is fantastic, the book is a success.  Richmond schools teach Virginia history in the 5th grade, so teachers are going to use it as a teaching aid.  Kate’s done signings all over Richmond, and you can check the site for upcoming signings.

Kate keeps up with her many online and networking responsibilities via Facebook, Twitter, and even 4Square (according to which she is the Mayor of Chick Fil A) and she attends the SMCRVA events.  She’s a ball of fire, a whirlwind of wit and energy, and one of the People To Know in our fair city.  And to top it off, she’s super-nice.

Get hooked in with her network on www.richmondmom.com and introduce yourself next time you see her out and about in Richmond.  You’ll be glad you did.

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Core Values – A Chesterfield County Initiative and a Local Artist’s Mission

Richmond’s celebrity storyteller Slash Coleman is participating in a Core Values Celebration that will take place at Tomahawk Creek Middle School at 7 PM on 2/25/10.

The Core Value Initiative is a program based on the book Educating for Character, written by Thomas Lickona.  The program, adopted by the Chesterfield County School Board in 1999, promotes the ideas brought forth in Lickona’s book.   Lickona says that by promoting safety, respect for property, parent productivity, and a good work ethic while a school provides more teaching time, a more caring school environment, and more positive structure in schoolwork that school will be able to ward off things like violence, vandalism, stealing, cheating, peer cruelty, bigotry, and self-destructive behavior.

Slash is giving the keynote address to kick off his new tour – “Core Values Tour 2010″ which will be bookable by schools, libraries, and other organizations around Virginia this year.  His tour is sponsored by Richmond Young Writers, who are giving something back to the man who has given so much to the Richmond Community.

Slash Coleman is a Richmond storyteller who has done his one man show Off-Broadway (“The Neon Man and Me”) and on PBS, and he does a tremendous amount of philanthropic work in Richmond.  We mentioned him in our post about Tinker’s, his aunt’s store where he lends a hand pretty often.  This new tour, “2010 Core Values Tour,” is comprised of 60 minutes of songs and stories that promote honesty, respect, responsibility, and accountability.  Look on his website for booking information.

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