by Charles Hendricks | May 18, 2018 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary, team
Get your Rotary / On the Road Collaborative t-shirts, they are now available for $20. Let me know how many you want!
“I want to make a difference in the world.”
If you have ever said this but feel like you are limited as to what you can do, maybe you should change your perspective. One person might not be able to change the world, but you can change the world for one person. Hopefully you will decide to change their world for the better. It may be a simple smile but even better if it is an outstretched hand of hope and love.
I believe it is our duty to each day work to serve others. This is my “Why Rotary” story. Why, because we serve others.
Rotary allows me to amplify my efforts and multiply my impacts. I call it the magic of Rotary. This year the Rotary Club of Rockingham County partnered with the Rotary Club of Harrisonburg to write a grant to benefit On the Road Collaborative. We are now selling t-shirts designed by On the Road Collaborative students to help fund the grant. This is where each donation, each community member, each action makes a huge difference. We need you to purchase a t-shirt. We can all come together to help our community by offering students love and support through On the Road Collaborative. Sure the OTRC team offers students exposure to different career opportunities taught by community leaders. They give students strong role models to follow. They show students a path for the future that maybe the students did not think was possible for them. However, what I have seen first hand is On the Road Collaborative staff offers love and support to students in our community that may or may not feel that love and support from anyone else in the community.
So how can you make a difference? Purchase a t-shirt. They are $20 each.
When you purchase one, one will be donated to a student participating in OTRC. That $20 directly supports OTRC efforts. If you get a shirt, it has our logo so you can use it to enter the Gaines Group Architect’s Red Wing Roots Music Festival ticket contest. More than anything, you get a cool t-shirt, designed by students, and you show love and support for a student in our community. Check out the contest HERE.
On the Road Collaborative is a non-profit youth empowerment organization that sets under-served middle and high school youth on the road to college and career by connecting them to dynamic educational experiences and caring adults during the out-of-school hours.
Thanks to Brad Cohen for all his work putting this grant effort together!
A huge thank you to Ted Marrs at Abrahamse and Company Builders in Charlottesville for purchasing the first t-shirt! These guys always go above and beyond for their clients and the community. Thanks Ted!
by Charles Hendricks | May 1, 2018 | artwork, community, First Friday, Local Leaders, Office Culture
Each month we host a new artist for Harrisonburg’s First Friday in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
Also, The Marvin Window and Door Showroom is a stop on the First Friday Chocolate Walk again this year.
ELLEN H. VANOVER
(Artist: Watercolor, Pastel, Pencil)
I was born and raised in the small town of Hinton, Virginia. Hinton is right smack in the middle of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Growing up, I will always remember the special times I had with my family, Daddy (Harry Hollar) being able to make and fix everything, but always saying he was the Master of None; and Mom (Ethel) for keeping her wits trying to raise five girls, and her sense of humor doing it. Look’in back, they sure were some good ol’ times. Now, I have three super daughters, two great grand kids, and a wonderful Hubby. Their love and support for my art overwhelms me.
Being a country gal and with my family, I enjoy and appreciate the sights of the Shenandoah Valley. I’ve also traveled to and lived in other countries and experience their cultures. Even though I started painting pictures of things you would find here in the good old country days, I’ve grown to include the things you still find in other places around the world.
I like sharing my memories through these paintings and prints. Most include a short story on what inspired me to create them.
Thank You for Your Support!!
by Charles Hendricks | Apr 5, 2018 | artwork, community, First Friday, Local Leaders, Office Culture
First Friday Art Opening – This Friday w/ Aaron Zook
Aaron Zook is a Harrisonburg native and self-taught photographer presenting his work for April’s First Friday Art Opening.
Where:
Gaines Group Architects features an artist each month at the Depot in Harrisonburg for the First Friday Art Opening. This is our chance to support the local art community and Arts Council of the Valley by allowing them a no cost place to show their work and for you to spend money showing them your love of their work. Come to see, buy, talk, and enjoy some of our food and drink while you are here. The Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. on the second floor has a history display of the CW line that is deep with stories – just ask Charles. Artwork is displayed in the gallery (hallway back to Herr and Co.). Food and drink are available along with lots of conversation and networking in the Gaines Group offices.
What Aaron Zook does:
He draws inspiration from the hard-working people that make everyday life happen behind the scenes. He is a bartender, mountain guide, and perpetually sleep deprived.
“Here’s the thing. It doesn’t get any easier out there darlin, I’d be lying if I said it did. But give in to the depravity of the soul for just one moment, and you’ll discover that there isn’t much difference in all of us. We all have that moment where we sit and breathe. We shake our heads and slap ourselves around. Then we walk out into that big bright world. Don’t forget your shades.”
About the show:
This project was hard for me to put my finger on at first. It was born out of frustration really. When I was a kid, I could never quite decide what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” In my more recent life, I’ve listened to my fair share of “when are you going to get a real job..?” and “are you ever planning on using your degree?” Finally, an older gentleman went so far as to ask me what it was exactly that my peers and I did with their time. When I stopped to think about it, my answer was…everything. People like me do literally everything. So, this show is for the people that aren’t where they want to be yet, but where they need to be for now. It’s for the late nights of wondering where we’re headed. For the moments of pure joy when we figure out where we’re supposed to be. For the passion projects and side hustles. For the empty shows, struggling to make progress, and wondering when it will all finally click.
Look me in the eye.
It will.
by Charles Hendricks | Mar 26, 2018 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary
Join Rockingham County Rotary in supporting First Step, Generations Crossing, and the Rockingham Rotary Foundation with a $150 donation per person. This donation gets you into one of the best parties in the valley. There will be plenty of food, drink, and of course some of the best people around. The party is held on the club level at JMU’s Bridgeforth Football Stadium on April 27th at 7:00 pm. The ticket also gets you a chance to win a 2018 Chevy Cruze. This donation also changes lives. First Step gives women that have been abused a fresh start. Generations Crossing brings old and young together providing them with activities and interaction. Rockingham Rotary Foundation impacts our community and our world. Your donation supports all three!
Let me know if you want a ticket!
First Step strives to provide the best possible accommodations for survivors of domestic and dating violence, and their children, who are in need of support services and / or safe shelter. First Step is staffed 24/7 to ensure that safety and availability are their top priorities with a focus on empowering survivors to achieve their goals.
Generations Crossing provides adult and child day care for the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County community. This unique inter-generational program is an opportunity for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school age children to interact with adult participants. Generations Crossing is a non-profit 501 (C)(3) corporation.
Rockingham County Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Our club leverages donations to support local organizations such as On the Road Collaborative, Harrisonburg Soap Box Derby, Love Packs, as well as International projects like Pure Madi.
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 26, 2018 | artwork, community, First Friday, Local Leaders, Office Culture
First Friday Art Gallery opening featuring Amanda Dicken
After a couple months off for the cold weather, we are back! Come see us this Friday!
Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
Artist: Amanda Dicken
Bio:
Amanda Dicken was born near Cleveland, OH in 1980, and grew up surrounded by the artistic talents of her parents. Early on she knew she wanted to pursue art full-time, and spent her college years at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, where she attained her Bachelors of Art degree and realized she had a knack for figure drawing. She spent a summer abroad, studying art with her professors and peers in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France, and the next summer at the New York Art Academy for an intensive training course in figurative art.
She spent ten years living in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, teaching painting and drawing while experimenting in many different mediums, including pastels, oil, and acrylic painting. She finally combined her love of drawing and painting using watercolor and Micron pens, and has continued using these mediums for her ever-evolving portraits and frames. She and her boyfriend moved out of the congested city and into the mountains of Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she makes portraits and works in the art community.
Statement:
Each portrait is made from either a family photograph or photograph found at flea markets or antique malls. Micron pen, layers of watercolor, gouache, and other mixed media are combined to bring the portrait to life, capture the passage of time or forgotten identity of each individual. Each frame is built-in foam board and created by this same process, and is designed to capture their personality, era when they lived, or the feeling their lives are long past. I’m excited when a person viewing my portraits is reminded of people in their own lives, whether past or present, and encourages me to keep developing this unique, family oriented body of work.
Check out her work here: www.ArtmandaJane.com
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 12, 2018 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary, team
If you want to make a difference, Rotary is the perfect place to start!
I do a lot of volunteer work. I am not saying that to boast, there is a lot of need, I spend a lot of time serving, and it is barely enough to create a ripple in my community. There is so much need. There is so little time. I do a lot of volunteer work and yet there is so much that remains to be done. We live in an imperfect world and we need more good to happen.
A few years ago a lawyer, Travis Vance, in town asked me to lunch to talk about Rotary. He had heard that I was doing volunteer work and wanted to tell me about his organization. I knew of it, but really did not know the full story. As he spoke about Rotary I could see there was something special about this organization. It turns out that Rotary is magical for those that want to transform their community. It allows a small group of passionate people in Rockingham County to help people across the world. His club, Rockingham County Rotary Club helped people in Limpopo Province of South Africa with a ceramic technology that cleans their water. His club also provides SoapBox Derby cars to kids in town through the Boys and Girls Club. It turns out his club also supports First Step, kids at Christmas through DSS, local parks system, On the Road Collaborative, Ronald McDonald House, Valley Business Keynote, Summer Peace Building Institute, and purchases books for elementary schools to build financial literacy just to name a few things. This small clubs makes a big ripple in the community and around the world. Travis welcomed me to the Rotary experience and asked me to give it a try.
What he did not tell me was that Rotary becomes your family. You build friendships each week. You learn about your community. You partner to make your community better for people you may never meet. You do all this with a diverse group of people: men, women, young, old, and you do it as equals, shoulder to shoulder.
Rotary is built on the 4-way test. It is not an exclusive club that only some can belong to in your community. It is a welcoming group of friends that want to help you make our community a better place. Rotary unites people from all continents and cultures. It allows for the exchange of ideas. It builds friendships and professional connections.
I want to invite you to experience the magic of Rotary. I want to invite you to breakfast with a group of my closest friends. We meet each Tuesday morning at 7am at the Golden Pony restaurant in Harrisonburg. Please come as my guest. If that is too early or the wrong day, don’t be discouraged. There are lunch clubs that meet on Monday and Thursday and a dinner club that meets on Tuesday all in our immediate area. If you don’t live close enough to Harrisonburg, there are clubs around the world. Let me know where you are and I will get you an invitation to your local club.
I really do believe if we all read the 4-way test and acted on it daily this would be a better world. I know if we all built friendships based on a common interest of making our community better we would all benefit. I know Rotary is magic and you deserve to experience it. I know that having you as part of Rotary will make Rotary better. Please let me know where you are and I will help you find the right club of friends that will welcome you with open arms.
Get your Rotary / On the Road Collaborative t-shirts, they are now available for $20. Let me know how many you want!
Rotary allows me to amplify my efforts and multiply my impacts. I call it the magic of Rotary. This year the Rotary Club of Rockingham County partnered with the Rotary Club of Harrisonburg to write a grant to benefit On the Road Collaborative. We are now selling t-shirts designed by On the Road Collaborative students to help fund the grant. This is where each donation, each community member, each action makes a huge difference. We need you to purchase a t-shirt. We can all come together to help our community by offering students love and support through On the Road Collaborative. Sure the OTRC team offers students exposure to different career opportunities taught by community leaders. They give students strong role models to follow. They show students a path for the future that maybe the students did not think was possible for them. However, what I have seen first hand is On the Road Collaborative staff offers love and support to students in our community that may or may not feel that love and support from anyone else in the community.
When you purchase one, one will be donated to a student participating in OTRC. That $20 directly supports OTRC efforts. If you get a shirt, it has our logo so you can use it to enter the Gaines Group Architect’s Red Wing Roots Music Festival ticket contest. More than anything, you get a cool t-shirt, designed by students, and you show love and support for a student in our community. Check out the contest HERE.
Each month we host a new artist for Harrisonburg’s First Friday in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
