Commanders set training camp dates

How is Eric Bieniemy is fitting in as the new Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator?

How is Sam Howell working out as the first year starting quarterback?

From the sidelines, Commanders’ fans can get a glimpse for themselves when the NFL team opens training camp July 27 at its headquarters in northern Virginia (21300 Coach Gibbs Drive, Ashburn, 20147), at Commanders Park.

Starting each day at 9 a.m., Camp will run through

Aug. 19 and is open free to the public. Spectators must register online in advance, however. Shuttle service from Dulles Town Center will start at 8:30 a.m. each day and run on 10-minute intervals.

Much scrutiny will be given to Bieniemy (who also holds the title of assistant head coach). As Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, he helped the franchise to Super Bowl crowns in 2020 and 2022.

In KC, he worked effectively with talented QB Patrick Mahomes who many consider the best in the game.

In D.C., it will be different as he tries to break in second-year pro Sam Howell, 22, out of the University of North Carolina. The Commanders’ fifth-round draft choice in 2022, Howell sat the bench a year ago until the final game of the season. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he led Washington to a victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

The preseason opener will be Aug. 11 at Cleveland.

The regular-season opener will be at FedEx Field Sept. 10 against Arizona.

Section B

Kristin DuMont became involved with Richmond Moms Demand Action, a local volunteer group committed to ending gun violence in the community, in 2017. She says the work of reaching out to local and state officials did not come naturally to her.

“I did find advocacy work intimidating at first and, if I’m honest, I still do,” the Richmond native wrote in a recent email. “There’s a natural tendency to feel small and helpless in the face of something as big and scary as a national gun violence epidemic.” She had influences she could look to, including the Rev. Valerie Carter Smith who modeled what it meant to be a woman in ministry when Mrs. DuMont was a teen. For her, the book “Little Women” also is an example of “women finding their voice.”

“Every generation bears the call to leave the world in better condition than they find it,” Mrs. DuMont explains. “I hope that I can be a role model to my own two daughters to show them that they have a voice, and they can use their voices to make the world better for everyone.”

In the case of Moms Demand Action, it took just one voice speaking out on social media to spark a movement. Now the organization has chapters in all 50 states and Washington D.C. which support hundreds of local groups such as Richmond’s.

“Thanks to years of advocacy by Moms Demand Action volunteers and other gun violence prevention groups, in 2020 the Virginia General Assembly passed the strongest gun safety laws in the South,” Mrs. DuMont said. “We are very proud of that accomplishment.”

She says making Richmond safer for her own children and the broader community was the reason why she accepted the position of co-local group lead alongside Anastasia Dzura last year. A former teacher who started out teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) as a volunteer in high school, Mrs. DuMont backpacked around the world after earning her bachelor’s degree, and continued to teach ESL.

While at Huguenot High School, where she taught from 2003 to 2012, Mrs. DuMont saw the effects of gun violence firsthand. She witnessed students threatened by gun violence and experienced threats of violence herself.

“We are more committed than ever to confront the gun violence epidemic in our city and nation by advocating for common sense gun laws, promoting proven gun safety education and supporting local partners who are doing the important work of gun violence interruption in our community.”

The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions reports that one-third of children under 18 in the U.S. lives in a home with a gun, and only about half of those homes practice safe gun storage. Richmond Moms Demand Action are working to get information about gun safety and the Be SMART program into the hands of Richmond parents.

RMDA volunteers attended General Assembly sessions earlier this year when gun violence prevention legislation was considered. They also attended the dedication of the Markiya Dickson Imagination Zone at Fonticello Park in May. The playground commemorates Ms. Dickson, a 9-year-old girl who died after being shot during a Memorial Day cookout in 2019. An 11-year-old boy and man also were wounded.

“I think the biggest impact we make is simply showing up as often as we can,” Mrs. DuMont says. “It’s not enough. But it’s a start, and I hope that Richmond Moms Demand Action volunteers will always show up to stand next to victims and survivors of gun violence and advocate for change that will make our community safer. Meet the board leader of an organization determined to decrease gun violence and this week’s Personality.

Volunteer position: Co-Local Group Lead of the Richmond Moms Demand Action.

Occupation: Preschool director, Providence Christian School.

Date and place of birth: Richmond, 1980.

Where I live now: North Side, Richmond.

Education: Bachelor’s in international studies, William and Mary; master’s in teaching, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Family: Husband, Peter; four children: John, Lily, Sam and Rosie. Richmond Moms De mand

Action is: The Richmond Moms Demand Action group is our local group within the Virginia Chapter. We have more than 500 volunteers from all walks of life in the Richmond area who are committed to ending gun violence in our community.

When and Why Moms Demand Action was founded: Moms Demand Action was founded by Shannon Watts in December of 2012, days after the horrific school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. It began as a Facebook page for moms who wanted to take action to protect their children. In 2013 it joined forces with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, to create Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest grassroots gun violence prevention organization in America. When and why founded in Richmond: The Richmond group has seen many iterations over the past decade. We reformed after the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas one year ago. Now we are more committed than ever to confront the gun violence epidemic in our city and nation by advocating for common sense gun laws, promoting proven gun safety education, and supporting local partners who are doing the important work of gun violence interruption in our community.

National leader: Angela FerrellZabala is the first and current executive director of Moms Demand Action, succeeding in leadership our founder Shannon Watts who retired in Spring 2023. My co-lead is: Anastasia Dzura. Why I accepted position to co-lead: I am motivated by the safety of my own four children, as well as the safety of my broader Richmond community. Together I know we can end gun violence. How gun violence impacts all people: While mass shootings make the news more often, the daily toll of gun violence is shocking. Some 120 lives are lost to gun violence every day in America. And as of 2020, gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children ages 1-17. Gun violence often disproportionately affects communities of color. Black people are 12 times more likely to die by gun homicide, 18 times more likely to experience gun assault injuries, and nearly three times more likely to be shot and killed by police, compared to white people. This is unacceptable, and we as the Richmond Moms Demand Action group are demanding better laws be put in place to protect our community.

Number one goal or project as co-lead: The first goal is to get gun sense legislation passed at the local, state, and federal levels.

Thanks to years of advocacy by Moms Demand Action volunteers and other gun violence prevention groups, in 2020 the Virginia General Assembly passed the strongest gun safety laws in the South. We are very proud of that accomplishment!

Strategy for achieving goals:

Everyone involved in our Richmond Moms Demand Action group is a volunteer, so we rely on the incredible skills and energy of our volunteers bring to this work to achieve our goals.

Number one challenge facing Richmond Moms Demand Action: Because we are still somewhat new as the Richmond group, we are eager to build more partnerships with local gun violence interruption organizations that already are doing amazing work here in our city.

Biggest success story of Richmond Moms Demand Action:

I think our biggest success so far was our Wear Orange weekend, held June 2-4. We had nearly 200 people attend our community gathering to listen to the stories of gun violence survivors, as well as local elected officials who are committed to ending gun violence. The Richmond Flying Squirrels hosted a Wear Orange game the next day at which Markiya Dickson’s sister and family threw the first pitch in her memory. And Mayor Stoney had City Hall lit in orange to show support for gun violence survivors across the city. It was a powerful weekend, and I am so grateful to the work of Jenny Sorci, our Wear Orange lead, for putting together such moving events.

How I start the day: I wish I could say I start the day with a cup of coffee and quiet reading of Scripture, but the truth is I start the day at 6:30 a.m. when my 7-year-old wakes me up to do her hair every morning before she leaves for school!

Best late-night snack: I try not to eat after 6 p.m. (a new habit I picked up during COVID), but this feels like the perfect place to give a shout out to LindaGrams, the best anytime snack made by local North Side connoisseur Linda Jackson-Shaw!

A quote that I’m most inspired by: My co-lead, Anastasia, is always using this quote from MayaAngelou, and it is absolutely inspiring: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

The best thing my parents ever taught me: Be kind to everyone, you never know what someone is really going through.

The person who influenced me the most: This answer is different for different stages of my life, but in high school I was very influenced by Rev. Valerie Carter Smith, my supervising minister at the Baptist Center in Hillside Court.

What I’m reading now and my takeaway: Lately I’ve been reading “The Parenting Map” by Dr. Shefali Tsabary. This book contains a wealth of insight on how to parent in a way that honors my children’s interests above my own ego — so humbling!

Next goal: Universal health care — yes we can!