We hold to our belief that it requires action, time, and energy to build a stronger, more vibrant community. Community has many scales and our collective actions create a ripple effect. Last week Charles had a full schedule of events and he was reminded of the value each of us plays in serving our community. He attended his regular Tuesday morning Rotary Club of Rockingham County meeting which focused on Polio vaccinations around the world. This terrible disease is very close to eradication but simultaneously on the brink of another worldwide outbreak. The work of Rotarians to raise awareness, money, and to take action has made a significant difference with now only two countries in the world reporting wild Polio cases. As an aside, there has been a minor outbreak in a small community in New York, but it is not reported as a wild outbreak. These cases in New York remind everyone of the critical importance of vaccinations.
After Rotary, Charles headed South to Mary Baldwin University to talk sustainability with business majors. The first class he participated in consisted of freshman students who were eager to discuss and learn how an architect applies sustainability to their work. The excellent conversation and questions showed these students have deep desires to understand the impacts business has on the environment how they can be a part of creating a better future for everyone. The second class was a small group of students who have a primary focus and deep understanding of sustainability in business. The conversation was focused on how to build a sustainable business using the three principles of sustainability; people, planet, and profit.
Charles hit the road after meeting with the MBU students and went directly to Eastern Mennonite School for a second day of teaching Sketch Up and floor plan creation to high school students. The class is tasked with designing a 900 square foot house with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom as a tool to learn this software and create three dimensional spaces.
To round out his day of service, Charles participated in a spirit night that he helped organize at Harmony Square Dairy Queen. Named “Pints for Polio” this twist on a traditional fundraiser is an annual event that raises Polio awareness in a family0friendly environment.
Not all of our days can be this jam-packed with community service, but is not lost on us how it takes many hands and willing hearts to intentionally build a better, stronger, more vibrant community.
Charles with students from Eastern Mennonite School picking up trash.
It was a busy weekend for Rockingham Rotary Club and Eastern Mennonite School’s Interact Club as they teamed up to pick up trash along Rt. 42 in Rockingham County. As a sponsor and liaison between these two clubs, Charles helps these clubs collaborate on projects. This clean up effort happens twice a year and and is necessary for keeping our community clean. The sunshine and cheerful volunteers made this weekend’s cleanup extra special!
The work of Rotary is known around the world for putting service above self. This organization’s main work is to eradicate Polio worldwide, to build friendships through service to the community, and to make the world a better place. Charles says that seeing the energy and enthusiasm of the Interact members inspires him to do more service for the community. If you want to be involved in serving your community or have a potential service project, feel free to reach out to Charles to learn more about the power of Rotary or learn more here and here.
Later into the weekend, we were thrilled to join the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Scholars Latino Initiative. This organization goes beyond an after-school program or mentor pairing system or college preparation group. SLI is a family that supports each other to help fulfill dreams, break down barriers, share frustrations, and achieve goals. Their mission reads “Scholars Latino Initiative supports Latino/a/x high school students with college access through rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, scholarships, and supportive mentorships.”
The celebration last night was filled with fun and friends as well as incredible Latino inspired foods. There were celebrations of past successes and reunions of old friends. Lua Project played a fusion of Appalachian and Latino music and the medleys were magical.
The important work being done through SLI is critical for our community. We all need to come together to help one another and those that are the most marginalized need systems in place like SLI to find their full potential.
Congratulations on 10 years, we look forward to the next decade.
It’s time to discover another great mind behind the design and today we are excited to feature team architect, Deborah Smith. Deborah is no stranger to setting BIG goals for herself and is a tremendous support to others in her role as an architect and as a servant leader in the community.
Originally raised on a sheep farm in Rockingham County, she naturally gravitated towards hobbies involving drawing, combing through house plans, watching HGTV, and solving puzzles. She has a remarkable green thumb from helping in the garden during her childhood and originally thought this would lend well to a career in landscape architecture. It wasn’t until she visited Virginia Tech and wandered through the hallways of the architectural school that her dream of pursuing architecture was realized. Seeing the architecture studios through its pyramid skylights and feeling the creativity exuding from the desks covered in drawings and 3D models set her on a path that would become her very successful career. Looking back at this inspirational visit, she didn’t know at the time just how much work would be involved to achieve her goals, but this memory stands out as a big influence in her journey.
After a rigorous 5 years of studying at the Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Design, Deborah graduated and joined the Gaines Group in 2012. She dove into working at the firm headfirst and was the single employee working with Charles in the Harrisonburg office for the first few years. After one year of working at the firm, Deborah knew this was the path for her and set the goal to eventually tackle the architecture licensing examination process to become a registered architect. Because she likes an added challenge and she was curious about the innerworkings of running a small business, Deborah started an MBA program at Eastern Mennonite University while working full time at the firm. Years of hard work paid off when she received her MBA in 2016 and passed her final architectural licensing exam in 2018 to finally be able to call herself Deborah Smith, Registered Architect.
Deborah’s years of experience and education provide a great depth and level of detail to each project she works on. There are parts of each project she enjoys, but she especially appreciates working on adaptive reuse projects in which older buildings are brought back to life for new purposes. These types of projects require a lot of problem-solving during the design and construction process to either make an existing building fit the new use or to expand an existing building to serve a growing organization. Addition and renovation projects are also some of her most memorable projects, especially if it is a historical building! Our office building (the Depot), Eastern Mennonite Elementary School, Deering Hall, and the Blue Ridge Area Foodbank are just a few of her favorite projects to date.
Outside of her life as an architect, Deborah has a dedication to serving the greater community. While studying at Virginia Tech, she served on the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad which is the oldest collegiate student-run, student-led, all-volunteer rescue agency in the country. Currently, she continues to make a big impact in the community by serving as the president of Harrisonburg Women’s Service League; which is committed to supporting women and children in the community through volunteering time and fundraising for local nonprofits. She also recently graduated from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program in which she worked with colleagues to open a pop-up shop providing business and interview clothing to anyone in need, free of charge.
When Deborah isn’t working hard in the studio or volunteering in the community, she loves spending her time reading, gardening, painting, drawing, traveling, and attending the many wonderful community events that happen throughout the year (Red Wing Music Festival being a favorite!) She has a special love for animals and welcomes many rescue animals into her home through fostering and adoption.
Whether it’s setting big goals, serving the community, harnessing her creativity, or having a soft spot for animals in need, Deborah is a team player who makes an impact wherever she lands.
Everyone who works closely with Charles knows of his heart for serving others and his mission to build a better community. His leadership and efforts were officially recognized by Rotary as he was the recipient of the 110% Award in 2022. This special designation is given to an individual who grows the mission of Rotary, carries out responsibilities exceptionally, and makes significant leadership contributions. He intentionally looks for ways to put #servicebeforeself and shares his intentions with others. He points out that his work is just a small part of what Rotary does for the community and a small part of what the Rotary Club of Rockingham County does in the community.
Charles being awarded the 110% Award.
Whether volunteering with fellow Rotarians or tackling pro-bono architecture projects, Charles is making a lasting impact in our community and we are so proud of him. His efforts are a small piece of the puzzle in creating a stronger, better community and he inspires many of us to do the same. As he says, the power of Rotary is the people you volunteer with and the difference you can make when you all come together.
Deborah receiving her certificate upon completion of the program.
Gaines Group Architects has a graduate to celebrate! Congratulations to Deborah on her recent graduation from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber Leadership Program! This ten-month leadership program is designed for participants to learn about our community’s past, present, and future all while building valuable relationships. Deborah was accepted into this program in the summer of 2021. She attended monthly community-based meetings that educated her on our community’s strengths and future growth opportunities.
Deborah is a self-proclaimed introvert, and we are proud of her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and participate in this program that required her to regularly engage in a large group setting. She reflected on her experience and greatly appreciates the opportunity to participate in this program saying it has been “a wonderful experience.” She believes the program did a great job of going beyond typical speed networking events (which tend to be difficult for an introvert). Deborah appreciated the opportunity to connect with others on a deeper level during each session while simultaneously learning more about our community. She specifically enjoyed being able to hear from the community, non-profit, educational, public safety, and local government leaders who gave her a new understanding of what it takes for a community to sustain itself and evolve with the times.
In addition to the monthly leadership sessions, Deborah’s cohort worked together on a community service project of their choosing. Her group opened a “pop-up” shop called First Impressions that provided an opportunity for the public to pick out professional clothes for an interview or job transition. Their group collected professional clothes and welcomed anyone to shop, free of charge. It was a valuable experience for Deborah and her colleagues to work collaboratively on an impactful community event after spending significant time together.
Overall, this program is a wonderful experience to engage with our community and build relationships. Gaines Group Architects’ team member Annie Frazier also participated in the same program and is a graduate of the 2017 cohort. If you are interested in learning more about our community and building new relationships, we encourage you to check out the program here.
Service to my community is my why. It has shaped our business mission statement and it drives my decisions. How can I do the most good for others often allows me to decide what committee to give time to and what non-profit to support. The one organization that does it better than any other, the one that allows me to serve your community and mine and serve those around the world, is Rotary International. So I want to invite you to come to learn more about Rotary on June 7th from 5 pm – 7 pm at Beyond Restaurant.
Service to your community, with Rotary, starts with weekly meetings to build deep friendships while learning more about the community. Each week we have speakers join us to talk about a topic, often are area non-profit, that is also doing good. These weekly meetings are important to build the community among members so when it comes time to do a service project, such as hosting the Harrisonburg Soap Box Derby, we join together not just as Rotarians, but as friends.
I am proud to be a Rotarian and would be proud to invite you to our meeting to learn more. If our weekly Tuesday morning breakfast club is not the right fit for your schedule there are other incredible groups. We often join forces in the valley and team up with other Rotary Clubs to have an even bigger impact.
Our club has helped support some amazing efforts across the valley and around the world. From the Harrisonburg Soap Box Derby to PurMadi to supporting First Step to picking up trash along Rt 42, we work hard together to do good.
