March 2011
The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League
www.grccl.org
R a l e i g h C o u rt — A H i s t o r I C A L N E I G H B O R H O O D L O O K I N G F O R WA R D
Goodwill’s Strategy: From Recycling to Jobs and Training
By Ellen A. Brown If you have been worried about your neighbors, especially those with disabilities, or youth and seniors who cannot find jobs in our depressed economy, I have some good news. Goodwill Industries has a plan to tackle all of these problems, and you can help! It is time for spring cleaning…and for donating a load of old clothes and small appliances to your local Goodwill retail store for recycling and reuse.
That is what I was thinking before I visited with Jim Shaver, Vice President for Marketing and Development at the Melrose Jobs Campus Project, headquarters for Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. I came away, hours later, with a radically different impression of this organization, and great enthusiasm for the projects they are running…benefitting adults, youth, seniors, and the broader community. I had no idea that Goodwill Industries spends millions of dollars each year to support a Senior Community Employment Program, a School to Work Transition Program for youth, and other programs for adults with disabilities. Nor did I expect to find such a modern and attractive
Inside This Issue President’s Message..................................................... 3 No, We Don’t Have Any Sardines................................ 4 Raleigh Court History................................................ 5 More Sparkle in Grandin Village................................ 5 Finding Art Everywhere - Photo Collage...................6-7 Things You Need to Know........................................ 10 Calendar................................................................. 10
classroom/warehouse facility, with new furniture, the latest in technology, and even art: a large mural painted by Sarah Black, a student at Hollins University! No newcomer to the region, Jim Shaver worked for the Roanoke Times (5 years), and then at WDBJ (27 years!). He and his wife, Margie, happened to attend the Council of Community Services banquet back in January, and we started
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March Membership Meeting in New Location Please note the change in location for our March meeting. We’ll gather at the Community Room of TAP’s Raleigh Court Child Development Center at 2202 Grandin Rd. This is the former Raleigh Court Elementary School, across from Patrick Henry High School. Look for the signs! The meeting will be Thursday, March 10 at 7pm, and the program will be devoted to recreational opportunities in Roanoke. Special guests will include Michael Clark, Operations Manager of Roanoke Parks and Recreation, with an overview of the City's recreational programs. Free and open to the public.
Greater Raleigh Court Civic League Officers 2010-2011 OFFICERS President: Chad Braby 798-2576 chadbraby12@gmail.com Vice-President: Vacant Treasurer: Ruth Dickerson 345-2187 ruthD@colecpas.com
Martha Graves mgraves@wdbj7.com Immediate Past President: Susan Koch 345-9977 s.koch@verizon.net COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Membership: Greg Brock
Special Projects: Tony Stavola 345-0010 astavola@carilion.com Greenways: Mike Urbanski 344-1388 mike_urbanski@cox.net Building Management: Bobby Hartman 204-1440 Rjhartman74@yahoo.com
Recording Secretary: Keith Dabbs 342-2446 kdabbs@carilion.com
Adopt-a-Highway: Kurt Navratil 343-7373 kdnavrat@cox.net
Corresponding Secretary: Cassandra Van Hyning 798-1996 cvanhyning@spectrumpc.com
Brook Dickson bdickson@hollins.edu
Web & Social Media: Jake Gilmer
Neighborhood Affairs Committee: Vacant
The Court Reporter is published by the Greater Raleigh Court Civic League fives times a year on or about the first week of September, November, January, March, and May.
Directors at Large: Greg Brock GBrock@wdbj7.com Melissa Morgan 312-3587 Melissa@RealEstateReborn.com Jake Gilmer jgilmer@rcarc.org Matt Pritts pritts@woodsrogers.com
Grandin Road Merchants Liaison: Kurt Navratil
Program: Melissa Morgan Mary Dykstra Dawn Werness 343-2151 dawn2151@cox.net Newsletter: Ellen Brown 981-0206 mynewestchapter@verizon.net
Green Up Lawns & Landscapes
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From the President
President’s Message I am not a native of the Roanoke Valley. Even though I’ve lived in Raleigh Court for the last seven…, and in the region for nine of the last thirteen… years, I’ve been told I have a long way to go before I’m granted my “local Roanoker” card. I feel like I’m in good company. A lot of the folks I meet seem to be transplanted from another home. New York seems like a common answer to the “where are you from” question. Ohio, Pennsylvania and Minnesota come up often, as well. Folks seem to drift south until they get wedged against these mountains, and then they stay.
my job necessitated a move away after two years, I was, quite literally, heartbroken. I’m not a big believer in fate as it relates to predestination. My wife and I worked hard to find our way back to the Valley several years later. However, aside from our concentrated efforts, there was an unmistakable element of luck (fates, magnetic pull, or karma) that somehow landed us here in the Raleigh Court neighborhood.
For my part, I have a similar story. I’m mostly a mutt, having drifted up, down and side-to-side most of my life. I call myself a mutt, but one of the Midwestern varieties. Flat land… Corn and soybeans as far as the eye can see… Home of the TV anchorman voice, totally devoid of accent... Plain…
The great thing about this Valley is, no matter where you live or work, you’re only minutes away from the great outdoors. Raleigh Court is no exception. I can be running on the singletrack trail of the Murray Run Greenway in minutes. I can be biking alongside the Roanoke River just as quickly. I’ve kayaked those waters at the edges of our neighborhood for an under-utilized outdoor adventure. And from my upstairs windows, on the northern horizon, I can view the same iconic McAfee Knob where I had my first memorable look at the local scenery.
I landed in Roanoke purely by chance. Not long out of college, a job transfer found me consulting an atlas and trying to locate Virginia on the map, before tracing the route to this corner of the state. As I manhandled a U-haul truck up I-81 from the Deep South, my skepticism flip-flopped. Mountains! Roanoke is surrounded by mountains! Who knew?
Without a doubt, we’re blessed in this neighborhood and in this Valley. Blessed with bountiful natural surroundings, and graced by excited, committed citizens. Please join us at our next gathering on Thursday, March 10. Several outdoor enthusiasts will fill us in about all the outdoor opportunities in our backyard. See you then.
Careening into town on that glorious autumn Sunday in 1997, I was looking for something. I found an outdoors store where a helpful attendant pointed north and sketched a rough map. Within hours of my arrival, I was standing on the iconic McAfee Knob, overlooking the Valleys of Catawba and Roanoke. My beautiful wife notwithstanding, it’s as close to love at first sight as I’ve ever come. I rented a tiny apartment in Old Southwest. My favorite thing about it was the view of Mill Mountain from the front porch. A close second was the fact that I could leave my front porch and be riding a bike up the same mountain in three minutes. For a flatlander, it was a brave new world. I consumed every hike and bike trail these mountains had to offer, and when
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No, We Don’t Have Any Sardines!
By Ellen A. Brown I met with Jim Muscaro at his restaurant (Jimmy Sardines… Italian Pizza Shop) and had a great conversation with him about the restaurant business and the neighborhood. He has been in the business for many years, having started out as a bartender at Corn Beef & Co. in downtown Roanoke, and gradually moving up and into ownership… of the Village Grill, and of Back Creek, in Roanoke County. He purchased this property in 2006 and has only recently completed the renovations, but the resulting building, painted a warm and inviting orange on the outside, and decorated with whimsical fish-art on the inside, is delightful, beckoning the passersby to come in and try out the cuisine.
“We don’t have any sardines,” Jim explains…even though lots of people ask us if we do.” And, he adds, “No, I don’t think that the wooden fish hanging on the walls are supposed to look like sardines, either.” (More like goldfish and rainbow trout…) The artist, Courtney Cronin, asked Jimmy if he’d like to let her hang up samples of art on the walls, and now the restaurant has quite a few of her colorfully painted creations on display. I didn’t ask Jim how many fish she has sold, but I’m sure her art helps the restaurant sell lots of pizza! What a surprise…to find another art gallery in Roanoke, sandwiched between the Stop and Go and the Village Grill! (You can find several fish art photographs taken by Kara Duffus in her collage of art and architecture in the village). —continued on page 7
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Raleigh Court History By Nelson Harris
On October 19, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived by train in Roanoke for the dedication ceremony of the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Salem (then in Roanoke County). What many may not know is that President Roosevelt’s motorcade traveled through Raleigh Court on that day! The president’s route began at the intersection of Jefferson Street and the N&W Railway tracks, where he disembarked. He was
joined by Virginia Governor Peery, Roanoke Mayor Sidney Small, and Sixth District Congressman Clifton A. Woodrum. The motorcade traveled out of downtown passing down Thirteenth Street, supposedly to allow Congressman Woodrum’s mother to be able to personally meet the president. The Woodrums lived across the street from Mountain View, the Fishburn mansion. The President then traveled across Memorial Bridge, up Virginia Avenue (now Memorial Avenue), turning south at the intersection with Grandin Road. Along Grandin Road, Raleigh Courters were positioned waving flags and applauding as the President and his companions drove slowly past them in an open convertible! The President then moved past the Grandin Village area to the intersection with Brandon Avenue, turning toward Salem. Older residents of the neighborhood recall the day the President visited our neighborhood and the fanfare that accompanied his visit to the valley. Thousands attended the President’s dedication ceremony and there was a parade held on Main Street in Salem later that day to mark the grand occasion. But before all of those ceremonies, the President paid a brief visit to Raleigh Court! The photo, from the collection at the Historical Society and Museum of Western Virginia, shows the President, Governor Peery, and Congressman Woodrum in the convertible as they traveled through Raleigh Court.
More Sparkle in Grandin Village Another new store will soon add to the retail mix in Grandin Village. Thirdgeneration jeweler Geoff Jennings has been busy renovating his new space at 1919 Westover Avenue. That’s the yellow house around the corner from Too Many Books and former home to Village Florists. Jennings will be familiar to many Raleigh Court residents. He and his wife Susan, who is Roanoke City’s Public Arts Coordinator, live in the neighborhood and are frequently spotted enjoying dinner on the patio at Surf ‘n Turf. Jennings is also familiar to brides and Roanokers who love jewelry and other fine things. Since 1998, he’s been president of Frank L. Moose Jewelers, a firm founded by his grandfather. However, last summer he made the difficult decision to shutter the family firm. He recognized that none of his three children wanted to become the fourth generation of jewelers. Also, life styles have changed and fewer brides were ordering the sterling silver, crystal and fine china that were Moose’s specialty. Jennings wasn’t ready to retire, so he’s continuing the business on a smaller scale. A serendipitous conversation with Bill and Andrea Wade, owners of —continued on page 10
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Finding Art Everywhere We are enjoying a renaissance of art in this neighborhood, and we’d like to dedicate this issue to the special photographic talents of a newcomer, Kara Duffus, another of the Roanoke Times “bureau” who lives in our neighborhood, who contributed a very classy shot of the Grandin Theater for our January issue. Now she is showing us what she sees through her camera’s lens, of art and architecture, including several delightful examples of fish art from Jimmy Sardines. See if you can identify each image…
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Sardines—continued from page 4
I was also surprised to learn that it takes a dozen or so people to staff a pizza restaurant, but that’s how many employees are currently on the payroll. Aubrey Dudley, one of the friendliest people I have met in the neighborhood so far (as Roscoe and I have made our daily rounds) works in the kitchen. Kathrin Muelegger (see photo) is probably one of the most photogenic! Aubrey and several other employees live within walking distance of Sardines. The Muscaro family lives in Old Southwest, but they might consider moving into Greater Raleigh Court if they can find the right property at the right price. He and several other employees live within walking distance of Sardines…but the Muscaro family lives in Old Southwest. He (and his wife and 3 year old daughter) might consider moving into Greater Raleigh Court someday, if he can find the right property at the right price. More surprises in our conversation…came when I asked him if he was a native of Roanoke. Turns out he grew up in Roanoke County (Cave Spring), graduated from North Cross School, and that his father was the much revered football coach at North Cross! Then I found out that Jim had gotten a college degree from JMU, in English, had done considerable course work toward a Master of Arts in Teaching, and even taught English at Hidden Valley for three years. He says he misses teaching, and that it was a pretty cushy job! When asked about his competition in the neighborhood, Jim says that he is on good terms with Nathan Webster, who now owns the Village Grill, and hopes to figure out how to collaborate with them in offering a pub crawl in the spring or summer, or maybe to go in jointly on a future social event sponsored by the GRCCL (similar to the one held in January at Local Roots). He’s proud of his special pizza sauce and doesn’t mind hearing customers tell him it’s the best pizza in the neighborhood…or in the city, for that matter. He figures that the more restaurants in the neighborhood, the better, making this a choice destination for couples and families hoping to spend an afternoon or evening in Grandin Village. As for plans for the future, Jim is thinking about adding a deck on the roof, to serve guests in the open air. If you haven’t investigated this newest addition to our neighborhood’s long list of eateries, please go sample an item or two from the menu (including cheese steak, meatball subs, pasta, bruschetta, baked spaghetti, and a wide variety of pizza pies), admire the delightful fish displayed on the walls…but bring your own sardines! page 7
Goodwill—continued from page 1
up a conversation. He encouraged me to drop by for a visit, which became a grand tour of the warehouse, classrooms, art studio, cafeteria, and a very wellequipped jobs training center. Although not as large perhaps as a community college, the campus has all the trappings of one, with an impressive row of offices filled by administrative staff, as well as supervisors and other personnel who were busy in the classrooms teaching or supervising various activities. Many of the staff I met had come through the programs at Goodwill, and were working there in permanent jobs – as receptionists, managers, and even bus drivers. It takes a special sort of person to work in that environment, with a “special needs” population, and I was impressed with the patience, commitment, and friendliness of the people I met. This organization, and particularly this beautiful facility on Melrose Avenue, is the culmination of a long process of growth and collaboration. About ten years ago, several organizations merged: Goodwill Tinker Mountain, the Development Center of Franklin County, the New River Valley Workshop, and the Association for Retarded Citizens in Roanoke. A few years later other mergers took place creating the Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. According to Roy Martin, former Board Chair, this organization is now one of the “most dynamic human services agencies in Western Virginia,” serving people in 31 counties, with retail stores as far away as Charlottesville, Waynesboro, and Wytheville. According to the annual report
for 2010, the retail stores brought in over $27,667,402…and the “industries” in turn paid out over $27,560,200 in wages benefits and taxes. What a wonderful model for other organizations to follow! It is a United Way Agency (.3% of budget), and seeks donations from corporations and individuals (2.2%), but depends heavily on the sale of donated goods (60.7%), contract earnings (10.7%), and workforce development and program services (government and grant funding – 19.0%)...It might be hard to find an example of a non-profit organization with a more compelling mission or well-considered strategic plan. According to recent statistics, Goodwill Industries placed 1,784 people into competitive employment in the community. Clearly, hundreds of Goodwill “alumni” are working in jobs scattered throughout our region – in retail, construction, or health care – and earning a living wage. So, as you think about spring cleaning, or notice the old printer or TV sitting in the garage or attic, remember how many others you’ll be helping (and how much “Goodwill” you’ll be spreading) if you cart your treasures down to the Goodwill store.
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Things you need to know… Susan G. Komen Greater Roanoke Race for the Cure Everyone knows someone who has battled breast cancer – a mom, daughter, sister, or friend. Gather your friends, form a team, don your running shoes, and join the Race for a Cure to help put an end to breast cancer. Green Hill Park…Saturday, April 9, 2011…5K run/walk…1 mile family fun walk. It’s easy and fun! Register online (www. komenroanoke.org) or call 540-224-6738 (local) or 1-800604-CURE (toll free).
Roanoke City Schools Special Education Advisory Committee News Mary K. Brown, a member of the Roanoke City Schools Special Education Advisory Committee, asks: “Are you the parent of a special needs child? If so, get on board!!” The SEAC wants you to become a part of this group. We are a group of people, just like you, who want the highest level of educational experiences for all SPED students in Roanoke City.
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Reid’s Fine Furnishings and longtime friends, brought Jennings's new store to Grandin Village. The Wades were looking for a tenant for their Westover Avenue building. They had recently been to a trade show in Chicago and were intrigued by a furniture store that included a fine jewelry store. The Wades and Jennings quickly realized that fine furniture and fine jewelry would draw many of the same customers. And so a deal was struck. The new Grandin Village store is called F. Geoffrey Ltd. Customers will receive personalized service from this longtime jeweler and gemologist. Jennings will carry estate and high-end consignment pieces, jewelry and hand-blown glass items. Jennings will continue to offer those special baby goods and gifts that generations of Roanokers bought at Moose’s. He’ll also special order jewelry for customers. Jennings has already jumped into all the neighborhood activities. Even before the store opened, he supported February’s Winter Fest with gift certificates. The store will officially open on March 2. Jennings is planning a Grand Opening on April 7. All are welcome and encouraged to put their names into the silver punch bowl to win gift certificates from Grandin Village merchants.
Who can serve? -
Sparkle—continued from page 5
F. Geoffrey Ltd. 1919 Westover Avenue 345-8881 Hours: Monday and Tuesday By Appointment Wednesday – Friday 10:00 – 5:30 Saturday 10.00 – 2:30
Persons with disabilities, including former students of RCPS Parents/guardians of students with disabilities in RCPS Public service agency representatives Community/civic organization representatives One school representative
SEAC meets the 1st Tuesday of each month, noon-1:00, in the board room of the administration building, 40 Douglass Ave. All meetings are open to the public. For more information on how to become a member, or attend a meeting, contact the following: Linda Caldwell (Parent Resource Center Coordinator) at: 540-777-2904 lcaldwell@rcps.info, or check it out on the website: www. rcps.info. Co-chairs: Brenda Brown (parent) 982-6701 JBNBrown@yahoo.com, Cynthia Groseclose (Parent) 5987188 acreynolds@cox.net; or contact Mary K. Brown 8531911, mkbrown@rcps.info .
Calendar Grandin Village Block Party........Sunday, May 22, 2011, 2-5pm Upcoming GRCCL Membership Meetings: Christ Lutheran Church........................... March 10, 2011, 7pm Christ Lutheran Church...............................May 12, 2011, 7pm
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Greater Raleigh Court Civic League P.O. Box 3092 Roanoke, VA 24015
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Please mail your membership dues ($10 family, $15 business, or $100 life membership) or gifts to: GRCCL, P.O. Box 3092, Roanoke, VA 24015 Or go to www.grccl.org and click on “JOIN US” to fill out a membership application online. Name Address
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