Rocktoberfest to benefit Local Non-Profits

by Charles Hendricks | Oct 17, 2026 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, family, Local Leaders, Rotary

The Rotary Club of Rockingham County is putting together a benefit for area non-profits. ROCKTOBERFEST will be held on October 31, 2026 at the Alpine Goat Brewery in Augusta County. This annual family friendly event will feature Live Music by Rocktown House of Music Cover Bands, Trent and Eric from The Steel Wheels, and The Judy Chops. In addition there will be food trucks, drinks, and a Halloween Costume Contest sponsored by Connexa Real Estate.

Come and trunk or treat sponsored by Partners Excavating or win the Costume Grand Prize which includes a RTIC Cooler packed with Connexa Swag, a $100 Shenandoah Valley Airport Voucher, haircuts from AJ’s Barber Shop, and a Halloween bragging-rights medal!

FREE Professional Fall Family photos by Elise from The Downtown Creative!

If you are 20 or under you get in FREE (of course you can still get a ticket to support the cause if you want). All proceeds go to support Rocktown House of Music, Massaanutten Regional Library, and the Rockingham Rotary Foundation.

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY BEFORE THE NEXT PRICE INCREASE!

See you on the 31st! BOO!!!

Bridging: creating a bonded community

by Charles Hendricks | Oct 7, 2026 | architecture, Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, family, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership, Local Leaders

I have been reminded over and over these past three weeks that I need to step forward and do something. Our communities are not what I want them to be and I have a responsibility to try to change that reality. We have lost some of our bonded community that once existed. It was probably not perfect then and it will not be perfect in the future, but we need to get back to bonding as a communities. We need to find bridges across lines of age, race, social class, and political belief. Bridges that build social cohesion and shared purpose linking diverse individuals together for the common good.

In his book “Bowling alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” Robert Putnam argues that the erosion of civic organization – from bowling leagues to PTAs to Rotary Clubs has severely depleted America’s supply of “bridges of social capital.” When these civic organizations thrived, active conveners provided neutral physical and social spaces that prevented retreat into like minded echo chambers. Conveners actively counter the decline of bonded communities by creating shared tables where diverse perspectives can be interacted with face-to-face. When this happens in a structured dialogue communities grow and prosper. Community members start acting in ways that help others without expecting something in return, just trusting that community will be there for them too if needed. This approach breaks down stereotypes transforming ideology about groups into neighbors with recognizable human concerns. Local challenges become community challenges where cross-sector conversations deliver buy-in for the greater good.

Negotiations are built on relationships and trust instead of a win-lose scoreboard. Larger concerns in the community can be discussed before quick action is needed providing time to evaluation, research, and conversation.

Rotary is one place that I see this work happening weekly. I am 100% convinced that we need more voices at the table in Rotary, but those voices that are already at the table are building the community that I want to live, work, and play in. We just need to amplify and multiply those efforts across a larger area.

At our firm we are striving to build community through our work on community centers, accessible housing, childcare facilities, schools, offices, and even luxury homes. We look for ways to bring people together by adding front porches, finding spaces for gathering, and encouraging design for all. From aging in place to ADA to universal design to affordability to energy-efficiency to healthy strategies for buildings we are trying to find ways to bridge over divides and bring people together. We want to support conversation happening through sitting face-to-face and talking, to playing, to listening to music. So we also seek out pro-bono project with local non-profits that are doing this work. We volunteer, design, and donate money to organizations that are building community. We also do this work by showing up at events to network and have conversations, by mentoring students at all education levels, and by being supportive of each other within our firm.

There is more to do. I am feeling a call to work harder at brining conversation together across all boundaries. I am not sure yet what form that will take. I know it needs to happen for this community, our community, our commonwealth, our country, our world to be the place I want it to become for future generations.

If you want to have conversation and build bridges let me know. Perhaps a lunch is the next step. Let me come speak to your civic group. Invite me to talk to your students. Give me a chance to figure out the call I am hearing.

Lets build the bridges that bond our community together for the greater good.

The Lasting Impact of Local Mentorship

by Charles Hendricks | Jul 31, 2026 | community, Empathy, family, Harrisonburg, Leadership, Local Leaders, Mentorship, resources, team

Why investing in local non-profits builds community:

Blog post written by Hannah Cundiff

At Gaines Group Architects, we believe that businesses investing in local non-profits that provide mentorship opportunities can help support generational change building a stronger community for years to come. Almost everyone has had a mentor at one point in their lives. Whether a teacher, coach, church leader, or even just an older friend, having a mentor helps with development at a young age and can help you grow as a person as you get older. That is why we actively support local non-profits like Big Brothers Big Sisters, whose proven mentorship model creates a ripple effect of generational change.

In 2025, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Harrisonburg-Rockingham served 127 local youth. Their mission is simple yet powerful: create and support one-on-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. And the results speak for themselves. In 2025 alone:

100% of Littles graduated high school.
97% agreed they felt closer to their bigs
91% increased their disapproval of risky behaviors.
88% improved their familial relationships.
88% experienced an improved sense of social accecptence with their peers
87% improved their grades.
77% increased confidence to do well in school

Big Brothers Big Sisters Harrisonburg Rockingham

The impact of mentorship isn’t just something we talk about; it’s something our team lives out.

I serve as a mentor to two “Littles” through a student organization at James Madison University. Even though they are fellow college students, you are never too old to benefit from a mentor. When I first met them, both were quiet and kept to themselves. Over the past few months, watching them come out of their shells and step into super active members, and wanting to become “bigs” themselves has been incredibly rewarding.

I also know the value of mentorship firsthand. Throughout high school and college, one of my older friends has helped me navigate hard times in high school, overcome the anxiety of transitioning to college, and step confidently into JMU’s massive Marching Royal Dukes colorguard. She still checks in on me today. I see her as an older sister figure, and I remain deeply grateful for her guidance.

At Gaines Group, this passion for mentorship spans our entire team. Aimee Lawson, one of our designers, is a Big Sister with BBBS. She frequently shares updates on the fun activities she plans with her Little and the incredible growth she has seen in just a few short months. (Read more about Aimee and her Little here).

Investing in a local non-profit like BBBS shows that a community that comes together to support mentorships has a stronger bond between people, improves the overall community, and builds a better future.

More Information:

https://thegainesgroup.com/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-harrisonburg-rockingham-county/

https://bbbshr.org/

The “Starter Home” is Dead But a New American Dream Will Rise

by Charles Hendricks | Jan 16, 2026 | aging in place, architecture, family, Multifamily Design

We have all heard the “American Dream” of a white-picket-fenced yard surrounding our 1,600 sf brick 3 bedroom 2 bath home with a deck and big backyard. That sounds amazing in 1980 when that dream cost around $55,000. With the average income of that era you could easily qualify for a 30-year mortgage and still take a family vacation. As we move into 2026 that same home will cost around $500,000 if you can even find one for sale. With the median income in 2026 for a family the stretch mortgage is in the range of $350,000. As a result a townhouse has become the new “starter home” and even that can be a stretch as demand outpaces construction. With short supply and high demand for home ownership, we are seeing the average age of a first time home buyer go up from 1980 when it was 29 to today where the average is 40.

As we see the demand for townhouses to fill the void for first time home buyers, we are also seeing a growing demand for luxury townhouse solutions. Families are making these communities that now offer clubhouses, community pools, landscape maintenance, playgrounds, and dog parks their lifetime homes. In 2025 townhouse construction hit a record market share of over 18% of all single-family home starts.

Is there a better way?

Another approach that is emerging in many communities is multi-generational dream homes, accessory dwelling units, and tiny houses. Each of these bring flexibility to the dream. The ADU backyard movement provides diversity of housing in a community at a lower price point. It can be used as an ADA compliant unit or a secondary income to support a higher mortgage. The tiny home enables a lower price point for purchase of a home with the option to do an addition in the future if needed. We are working on multiple projects that fall into each of these categories.

The new American Dream builds a stronger future

The new American Dream often brings a higher level of design than the 1980 brick ranch adding style, durability, energy-efficiency, and indoor environmental quality as driving factors. The new dream brings families together, builds stronger communities, and deepens a focus on quality over quantity. I am excited to see the future we are shaping with these innovative project types.

10 Tips to Go Green This Thanksgiving 2025

by Charles Hendricks | Nov 21, 2025 | family, Holiday

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, and—let’s be honest—a lot of food. As we look ahead to Thanksgiving 2025, it’s the perfect time to commit to making your celebration more sustainable. By incorporating just a few eco-friendly practices, you can reduce your waste and carbon footprint without sacrificing any of the holiday joy.

Here are 10 tips to make your Thanksgiving celebration green:

In the Kitchen & Shopping:

Shop Local for Your Feast: Commit to buying ingredients from your local farmer’s market, a Food Co-op, or a farmer in your area. This not only supports your community but drastically reduces the transportation distance and associated carbon emissions of your meal.
Skip the Paper and Plastic Bags: As you head to the grocery store, always remember to take your reusable bags.
Use a Reusable Roasting Pan: Skip the increasingly popular, but environmentally unfriendly, disposable roasting pans. A sturdy, reusable roasting pan is a better choice for the environment.
Compost Leftovers: Instead of throwing away vegetable scraps, turkey bones, or uneaten leftovers, remember to compost them. This diverts food waste from landfills, where it would otherwise produce methane gas.

On the Table:

Use Cloth Napkins: Americans use an enormous amount of paper napkins each year. Help reduce this paper waste by switching to cloth napkins for your celebration.
Use the Fancy China and Silverware: Ditch the disposable plastic utensils and paper plates. Using your permanent China plates and silverware not only elevates your table setting but prevents single-use waste from ending up in a local landfill.

Hosting & Travel:

Ask Guests to Bring Reusable To-Go Containers: You’re guaranteed to have leftovers! Help your guests take food home sustainably by asking them to bring their own reusable to-go containers instead of relying on disposable plastic or aluminum.
Use LED Bulbs: Use LED bulbs to light your celebration. They use significantly less energy and last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Remember to Recycle: Be mindful of all the extra packaging that comes with holiday groceries and new items. Set aside bins and remember to recycle all eligible packaging instead of throwing it away.
Carpool: If you are traveling or hosting guests, plan to carpool. By reducing the total number of miles driven individually, you can collectively lower the carbon emissions associated with your holiday travel.

We need joy to live, otherwise we are just surviving

by Charles Hendricks | Dec 31, 2024 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, family, Holiday, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary, team

I have been selecting a word of the year for several years now, instead of making a resolution that I forget about before the first week of January comes to a close. It is not always a word that guides me during the year, but focusing on a word has had some power a few times as I was going through some rough patches in life. Grace is a word that I have adopted a few times and I feel like I have grown a lot into accepting things I cannot change and giving myself grace along the way. After a rather rough 2024, I think I need to focus on a new word for 2025. As I look to the year ahead, I know there will be challenges, but I am going to focus on joy this year. I am going to try to allow the frustrations and challenges in life to have less weight than the joy that I will have this coming year. I know I have a blessed life and have been given many opportunities that others have not been given. As I think back over the past year and all the challenges faced, I can see there was more joy than frustrations, I just gave the frustrations power.

In an effort to remember joy first, here is a list of some of the things that brought me joy this past year.

I got to see the Northern Lights for the first time. One of my clients shared images from his home under construction.

My youngest daughter graduated high school, traveled to Europe, and found the right college for her next chapter. My oldest daughter continues to thrive, impress, and conquer the world. They are both wonderful humans and bring me joy on a regular basis.

I got to celebrate Mariya as she entered the next chapter of her life while hanging out with some of our awesome Harrisonburg team members.

The MTC foundation formed and held its first fundraising event. I was able to support the event through social media promotion and giving time to the organization.

I got to see the Orioles win over the Yankees in dramatic fashion and share the experience with family (not all of which were thrilled with the outcome of the game). We also got to see a lot of fish, which is fun, and should always be part of a baseball game trip to maximize joy.

Another year of supporting WNRN’s books and brews was a highlight, especially when one of the authors is also one of your clients.

We got to see the finished cabin in West Virginia, the saved historic building in Broadway, the saved porch in Rockingham, the modern house in Rockingham, got a new office in Charlottesville, and started another project at Eastern Mennonite School – all of these and those not mentioned (especially those cool houses we have under construction that I will do updates on later) bring so much Joy!

Fireworks are fun and I had the chance to enjoy some thanks to Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and the Downtown Lottery. If you like fun things like fireworks you should support HDR too. Downtown also got a lot of new art work to fill our town with joy.

I made it to the Hot Air Balloon festival this year and the weather was nice enough that the balloons got to float away.

Our Rotary Club does amazing work allowing me to serve community through so many events including the Harrisonburg Soapbox Derby and partnering with We Serve at Eastern Mennonite High School to stuff stockings and clean up the highway. The best part of Rotary are the friendships we get to build and the difference we can make together in our community. The sense of joy in making our community better is endless.

We were able to host 12 artists for First Friday and I think they all made a least one sale at their shows. If nothing else, we added exposure to their work and celebrated the beauty of art creation in our community. Supporting local artists is a great source of joy.

I was able to attend a lot of musicals this year including Beetlejuice, Twelfth Night, Tina, Fiddler on the Roof, and Annie. Regardless of what you heard, I enjoy going to see these talented performers.

Dad and I attended our first JMU Men’s basketball games and they won.

I got to attend some amazing concerts to see some amazing talent including Judy Chops, Who Shot John, Wood Brothers, The Steel Wheels, Christone Kingfish, AJR, Almost Monday, mxmtoon, Nickel Creek, Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, EMS Touring Choir, and more.

The Harrisonburg Rockingham Child Day Care Center opened! You want JOY, visit a daycare.

Our clients fast food oriental restaurant finished construction and opened and I got to eat some of their amazing food!

Red Wing Academy brings me so much joy each year playing at our First Friday event in December.

I got a Charlie Brown cake for my birthday!

Our Rotary Club took on the challenge to plant new Peace Poles in the community and register existing Peace Poles on the international Peace Pole map. This effort is so fulfilling, spreading Peace in our world that is so focused on violence. The Peace Pole is an internationally known symbol of Peace and stand as a daily reminder that we each have a role in spreading Peace on Earth. True Joy comes from helping build a stronger community.

I love mentoring, teaching, and sharing about architecture, building science, aging-in-place, using empathy as a design tool, and of course the history of the depot. This past year we hosted job shadow students in our office. I also had the chance to teach at Massanutten Technical Center. On the Road Collaborative students visited our office as did the Bridgewater historical society. We had the Central Virginia chapter of AIA visit the office to hear about our work.

Probably the best joy filled highlight of the year for me is how many times I have had a crowded table at my house filled with family or been invited into April’s house to join her crowded table. It is an awesome blessing in my life to have such a large group of family so close and we even got to spend some time with family from out of the area this year. I may not be the best cook around, but with April by my side (who is an excellent cook), we were able to make several meals that kept everyone happy this year.