Showcase Mgazine September 2023

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SEPTEMBER 2023

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Paul Seiple | paul@showcasemagazine.com

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753 Main Street #3, Danville, VA 24541 Phone 434.709.7349 info@showcasemagazine.com www.showcasemagazine.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Paulette Dean | Jane Fuller | Paul Seiple | Lee Vogler

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kyle Buckner | Pedro Hernandez | Lee Vogler | Kristy Wilkins

COVER

Austin Hunter Sparks, photo provided by Kyle Buckner

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Making a Difference

One Ride, One Event, and One Donation At a Time

BY JANE FULLER PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEDRO HERNANDEZ

Pedro Hernandez, better known as “Gator,” is the president of Bikers Against Trafficking Virginia. He grew up in Florida, the youngest of four siblings. Hernandez’s parents moved the family from New Jersey in 2002, hoping for a better life and more opportunities. Throughout his school years, he was involved in baseball and the youth ministry, working to make a difference in the lives of young people and keep them off the streets.

After graduating high school, Hernandez continued to be involved in the community, volunteering with

organizations that helped those in need. In 2018, he moved to Virginia with his fiancé, who is now his wife, and her family. It was here that Hernandez saw a need for an organization dedicated to combating sex trafficking.

Hernandez’s parents had been involved with Bikers Against Trafficking in Florida, an organization started in 2016 by two individuals who had been trafficked themselves and wanted to help those still trapped in a life of sex trafficking. The organization quickly grew, with chapters all over the US and in Canada.

“My parents joined a chapter in 2017 in Florida. When I moved to Virginia, I felt there was a need for an organization here,” Hernandez said. He started the Virginia chapter and wanted it to be more than a motorcycle club. “I envisioned an organization that would help the community while helping international in eliminating sex trafficking.”

Hernandez sees the mission of Bikers Against Trafficking as existing to “eradicate human sex trafficking & restore those affected through building awareness, clinical trauma counseling via F4T, job placement, housing assistance, and mentoring. We also provide addiction counseling via F4T.”

The Virginia chapter holds two annual rides a year and bike nights to raise awareness and funds to promote its mission. They also speak at schools, churches, and local community organizations to spread their message and educate others about the dangers of sex trafficking. “Whatever we can do to spread awareness,” Hernandez added. “We do

everything through donations.”

Hernandez and his team are dedicated to being the voice of those who don’t have one and providing a safe house for individuals to heal. Their goal is to make a difference in Virginia and around the world, one ride, one event, and one donation at a time.

Through his work with Bikers Against Trafficking, Hernandez has become a leader in our community, inspiring others to get involved and make a difference. He is passionate about helping those in need and is committed to making the world a better place.

Hernandez’s story is a testament to the power of one person to make a difference. By taking action and starting a chapter of Bikers Against Trafficking in Virginia, he has helped to raise awareness about the dangers of sex trafficking and provide resources for those who have been affected by it. His work is an inspiration to others and a reminder that anyone can make a difference if they will take a stand.

Hope and Keep Going

The Halfpipe of Addiction

BY PAUL SEIPLE PHOTOS COURTESY OF KYLE BUCKNER

Kyle Buckner is a local entrepreneur who began skateboarding around age 13. His nephew, Austin Hunter Sparks, 10 years younger, tagged along for the ride. “I was skating with a bunch of friends,” Kyle said. “I vividly remember this little part where I was looking down and Austin was hugging on my leg while I was skating.” Austin enjoyed getting into the same things as Kyle, and Kyle loved it too.

The two were connected at the hip.

Kyle remembers being with his mom when she babysat Austin. “From the moment he was born. I would change his diapers.” Their mutual love of art

strengthened the bond. They spent countless hours drawing together. “His parents still have a Spiderman drawing I drew, when he was a baby, on his wall.”

As Kyle got more involved with skating, so did Austin. The two hung out behind the Food Lion near Kyles’s childhood home with his friends honing their ollies, skateboarding skills for those not in the loop. One time, during a trip to a skatepark in Florida, Kyle flipped out when he couldn’t find his nephew. “Of course, he was literally at the top of the ramp with these Vans pros just talking to them.”

Over the years, Austin fell more in love with skating while Kyle turned more towards woodworking. “I had a wood shop. Austin and I were in Greensboro one day and he said, ‘I want to start a skateboard brand.’” Kyle didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a pile of napkins, asked Austin for his ideas, and the two sketched out the brand in a pizza shop.

“He wanted to call it Sparx with a ‘X’,” Kyle said. Later that night, while Austing was working on designs, Kyle built the first board. But, within a year, things took a turn. Austin started traveling down a “dark path.”

The change left Kyle confused and heartbroken.

The dark path was laced with drug use and partying with friends. Opioids were his drug of choice. The downward trajectory derailed the Sparx dream. “We were at a skatepark in Lynchburg, Virginia, and we met this kid who was an incredible skater. He was going to be our first sponsorship under the Sparx brand.” On the day of the scheduled photoshoot with the skating prospect, Austin didn’t show up.

Austin was entering rehab for the first time.

Continued to Page 12

HOPE AND KEEP GOING: THE HALFPIPE OF ADDICTION

Kyle felt lost. “It was just me there. I was trying to carry it myself when Sparx was really Austin’s vision.” Eventually, the vision faded and Sparx became a “What could have been?” Kyle started a successful electronics customization printing business called Design Skinz. While Austin’s addiction grew darker.

In 2017, Austin went to work with Kyle at his print shop. For a brief moment, things looked better, but the cycle would continue. Austin would work great for a while and then gradually stop showing up until he would disappear altogether, ending in an unsuccessful trip to rehab. Kyle always thought, “Oh, they aren’t the right rehabs. Go to the next one.”

In 2020, Austin started working with Kyle again. “I thought he had been clean for a while,” Buckner said. But one day, while on a lunch break, Austin overdosed in his car. “I gave him mouth-to-mouth until the paramedics arrived.”

“I think he was always scared of disappointing me because I had put him on this pedestal.” Kyle always felt that his nephew would have a comeback story.

“I just knew it. One day, he was going to be doing something like this for other people.” Helping others who were on the same dark path, Austin had escaped.

Whenever Austin would go to rehab, he would send Kyle the same message: That was it. Things started looking up for Austin after being prescribed Suboxone. Suboxone is a drug to help addicts manage and overcome their addiction. It’s a mixture of two medications, one that stops withdrawal symptoms and another that makes you sick if you use opioids.

Austin was finally clean. While he got his life back together, he lived with Kyle. “I could see that he was getting back to the Austin I knew he could be.”

But like for so many people struggling with addiction, the demons didn’t let go. Austin relapsed, the same as nearly seventy to ninety percent of people who try to get clean.

Austin retreated down the same dark path again. “I remember my sister, Austin’s mom Melissa, saying, ‘Kyle, he’s in a really dark place. He doesn’t want to see or talk to anybody right now.’” After much prodding, Austin eventually agreed to try another rehab. “I still have this notebook where I found all these places to go, and it was really hard to find somewhere that had a bed open,” Kyle said. After finding a facility in Virginia Beach, Kyle got a call from Melissa. She said, “He’s not ready yet.” Disappointed and frustrated, Kyle began

Kyle Buckner with Austin’s son, Karson.

distancing himself from Austin. “It was driving me crazy. I was trying to help.” It was August 26, 2020.

On October 7, Austin passed away from a heroin overdose.

The pain of losing a loved one to opioids is multifaceted. You grieve the person you loved deeply for the wonderful side of them you remember. You feel like a failure for having been unsuccessful in helping them overcome the addiction. And mostly, you feel lost in a seemingly never-ending spiral of “What could have beens.”

Even through the darkness, Austin Sparks was a happy person. Kyle said, “He was always smiling. No matter how mad you were with him, he would make you smile. The anger would evaporate when he walked in.”

About a year after his death, Austin’s five-year-old son, Karson, discovered the sport his father loved. He asked Kyle to take him to a skatepark. Kyle flashed back to a picture of him and Austin when he was five. “I was there, at the skatepark, with Karson and said, ‘I gotta bring this Sparx thing back.’”

Skating was like therapy for Austin. “Even in the darkest times when he was fighting for his life, skating made him feel free just for a moment.”

Kyle recently opened a skate shop on Main Street in Danville, aptly called Sparx Boarding Co. Buckner has brought the Sparx brand back to life to carry on Austin’s legacy and to allow Karson an opportunity to stay close to the memories of his father. “Karson looks just like Austin. He loves to come to the shop. He calls it his dad’s shop.”

Kyle knows Austin would be proud of what’s become of Sparx and he feels like Austin is with in every step of the way in this labor of love. “It was weird doing the logo, the design, the shirts, and everything like that. It was like I was doing it with him. It felt like with every decision he was sitting in a chair beside me at the computer.” Kyle asks himself with every decision what Austin would have liked or what he would do next. “Looking right now, I know he’d want Tie-Dye shirts in here.”.

Sparx Board Co. opened because of Austin’s initial vision. But Kyle has a new vision for the shop. He hopes the shop unites the local skate community and helps to spread awareness of the realities of addiction.

“It’s cool to carry on the Sparx brand, but I want this to help some way in the world of addiction. That would be the real success in this story.”

For individuals grappling with addiction, the initial step towards recovery involves asking for help and accepting the help that’s offered. Families endeavoring to support a loved one caught on the dark path should understand that addiction is a disease, not a mere choice. It requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted recovery strategy primarily focused on tackling the fundamental emotional and mental health challenges that prompted the initial decision to experiment with opioids.

Kyle shared a message he wants people to take away from Austin Sparks’ life. “Hope and Keep Going.”

Stop by and see Kyle Bucker and Karson Sparks at Sparx Board Co. at 326 Main Street, Unit 101 in Danville, Virginia or visit www.sparxboardco.com.

Austin Hunter Sparks and Kyle Buckner.

Epic Health Partners, LLC

Epic Health Partners, LLC is a communitybased behavioral health facility that has provided an array of wrap-around services to the community for approximately eight years. Our programs provide training and support that enables individuals with functional limitations to achieve and maintain community stability and independence in the most appropriate and least restrictive environment.

Epic Health Partners offers same day access service, which is a model of care in which individuals receive behavioral health intakes/assessments and initial appointments for treatment services on a walk-in basis. The same day access model reduces individual no-shows and improves timely access to care, leading to greater individual satisfaction and treatment engagement.

EPIC Health Partners, LLC provides the following Mental Health and Substance Use services:

Comprehensive Crisis Services (CCS): Comprehensive Crisis Services are intensive in nature, and their primary focus is to reduce the risk of psychiatric hospitalization, homelessness, inability to care for self, isolation from natural/community supports or incarceration. Epic’s Comprehensive services are:

• Mobile Crisis- (Adults and Children) Mobile Crisis provides integrated, short-term crisis response, stabilization and intervention for adults and children experiencing a mental health or chemical dependency crisis within the community.

• Community Stabilization- (Adults and Children) stabilizes the individual within their community by providing additional support to the individual and/or support system while transitioning between levels of care.

Community Mental Health Rehabilitation Services: CMHRS services provide treatments designed to meet each person’s or families’ unique needs. These services help individuals and/or families gain access to essential services (e.g., food security, housing, and coping/ parenting skills, etc.). Epic’s CMHRS services are:

• Mental Health Skill Building (Adults 18 years and older)-provides training and support to enable individuals with functional limitations to achieve and maintain stability within their community.

• Intensive In-home Services (Children Only 18 and under)- provides intensive services in the home with a child and legal guardian to help create stability and prevent out-of-home placement.

Outpatient Therapy (Adults and Children ages 3 to 99)

The primary goal of Outpatient Therapy is to help individuals cope with life stressors and manage their mental and emotional health.

Tele-Psychiatry (Adults and Children)

Provides a psychiatric assessment and medication management through videoconferencing with a Psychiatrist or Nurse Practitioner.

Addiction and Recovery

Treatment Services (ARTS):

Provides treatment for individuals with substance use and/ or co-occurring disorders. Modalities of treatment include individual, group, family, and relapse prevention. Epic’s ARTS services are:

• Substance Use Intensive Outpatient (SA-IOP Adults only) -Intensive Outpatient substance use program for adults 18 year and older who struggle with a substance and/or alcohol use disorder.

• Medication Assisted Treatment (Suboxone-Adults only)- is the use of medications in combination with counseling, which is effective in the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Other Ancillary Community Based Services:

• Mentoring Services: Community and Truancy (under 18 years of age or younger)

• Family Coaching

• Parent Aide

• Anger Management (Adults and Children)

• Teen Substance Use Outpatient (T-SUOPT ages 12-18)

Education is the most powerful tool one can use to counter any shame or misperceptions about mental illness and to make sure others know what mental illness IS and ISN’T). This is why Epic Health Partners works diligently with other community partners to promote seminars, trainings, and other community events that “spotlight” Mental Health. Talking openly about mental health and appropriately sharing facts and experiences is extremely important in normalizing mental health for the thousands of individuals that struggle daily.

Hours of Operation/Location:

• Epic Health Partners, LLC is located at 155 Deer Run Road, Danville, Virginia 24540.

• Monday: 9 a.m. - 4p.m.; Tuesday: 9 a.m. - 4p.m.; Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 4p.m. Thursday: 9 a.m. - 4p.m.; Friday: 9 a.m. - 1p.m

Confessions of a 30 Something Steps Towards Transformation

BY LEE VOGLER

PHOTO BY LEE VOGLER

In June 2021, I turned 34-years old. After spending the evening at a baseball game with my family, and then ax throwing with my friends, I looked through the pictures the next day with horror. I barely recognized myself. I knew I had gained some weight that year, starting with the pandemic in 2020, but it was something about seeing myself that really struck a nerve. My face was full and puffy. I looked bloated all over. But more importantly, I hadn’t felt good for a while. I was tired regularly. I could barely jog without getting slightly out of breath. This wasn’t me! But that’s what I had allowed myself to become.

So I slowly began a transformation, and then kicked it into high gear when 2022 began. No more soft drinks. I cut way back on processed food and foods with added sugars. You’d be

and high in fiber. There was a stretch where I ate a chicken bowl with black beans and no rice at Chipotle 3 times a week or more for lunch.

The transformation didn’t happen overnight. The first few months, I might have lost a few pounds, but didn’t see a noticeable difference in

than when I started, but best of all, I feel great. I have energy I haven’t seen since I was in my 20s.

I walk between 7,000 and 10,000 steps every day, which isn’t always easy to do when working at a desk most of the time, but I find breaks for short walks. I try to drink 60 to 100 ounces of water a day. I weigh a little under 150 pounds now, so I try to match that in grams for protein. I take Ashwagandha, as well as a daily multivitamin and something called Night Shred Black, which has chamomile, melatonin, and grains of paradise in it, for sleep at night. There are other things I do, but these primary steps have worked for me. Perhaps they could work for you if you’re looking to get healthier in the months ahead. It takes some work, but it is very much worth it.

Slow Down

and Soak Up the Memories

BY PAUL SEIPLE PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTY WILKINS

Singer-songwriter Kristy Wilkins recently achieved a goal most musicians strive to hit. She signed to Goldship Records in Tennessee. She is creating songs for an upcoming album. While Wilkins is mainly known as a country artist, she once was a member of a Celtic band. “We traveled to Ireland and Scotland playing Celtic music and learning about the history of Ireland and Scotland. It’s a genre that I adore to sing,” she said.

While music is her main passion, Wilkins is also a sponsored competitive shooter. She added, “I love shooting competitively and recently won the High Overall Lady Open division in the Tarheel State Rimfire 2-Gun Challenge Championship.” Wilkins will compete in the World Championship in October.

Being outdoors and trying new things like surfing, skydiving, and rock climbing are her comfort zone. “I’m not good at any of them, but love to try. I do enjoy hiking with my dog, and kayaking,” Wilkins said.

Wilkins was introduced to music through her father and cousin. “I grew up watching my cousin play guitar, and my dad writes songs.” The drive to be a musician came at an early age for her. While watch Keith Urban perform at the County Music Awards, Wilkins had a “gut feeling that music was my path. I’ll never forget how he ran down the aisle singing his new song.” From that moment, Wilkins knew she wanted to make a career out of singing. She began performing at age 16.

Everything wasn’t smooth sailing. Obstacles led to Wilkins questioning her choice. There were a few times she backed away from her dream because the music business can be unpredictable. “I learned my lesson. I always miss it. I always come back to it. Music has been so good to me my entire life. It’s my gift and my calling.

I am finally seeing and accepting that. God gave me this beautiful gift. I want to use it to help others,” Wilkins added.

A musician’s inspiration can come from many places. For Wilkins, it’s her parents. She continued, “Especially my mom. That woman keeps me going and has never missed a show, even if it’s out of state. I am extremely fortunate to have a great support system of friends as well.” She also finds inspiration in the words of other songwriters and “living life through adventures and sunsets. I’ve been really trying to slow down lately and soak up the memories.”

Wilkin’s creative spark fluctuates with her season. She uses her guitar like a co-author when writing songs. Presently, she is focused on clearing up mental clutter and prioritizing the important things in life—music, family, and her dog.

When asked about a pre-show ritual, Wilkins said, “It’s nothing crazy.” She likes to review her set and sip on hot blueberry tea with honey.

For aspiring musicians, Wilkins’s advice is to “practice and don’t give up.” Thinking back to the best advice she’s ever been giving, Wilkins remembered a conversation with country legend, Ricky Skaggs. “He quoted Matthew 6:33 to me and explained how the second he started applying this Bible verse to his life, things fell into place. It was a conversation that was much needed, and I will always hold on to.”

Whether it’s music, competitive shooting, or experiencing new adventures, Wilkins’s future is bright. She is ready to accept it with open arms. She plans to “tour with a band, making more music, and helping people along the way.”

LOCAL NOTES: SLOW DOWN AND SOAK UP THE MEMORIES

Paws for a Cause

WRITTEN BY PAULETTE DEAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY

Misty, an older dog pictured, came to us from the owner. We had received a complaint about how she was living outside in a wire cage. The pictures were heartbreaking, and the owner told of her struggles to take care of her pets. She opted to release Misty to us.

It is sad but true that older animals have a tendency to have more health problems than younger ones, and it breaks our hearts when they die. It is also true that most people want a young animal to adopt because they want to spend as much time with them as possible. With those truths comes the sad truth that thousands of older shelter animals are overlooked.

However, dogs and cats that are considered older or even elderly may be the best option for you. Older dogs are generally housebroken, do not have as many destructive behaviors (e.g. chewing) as puppies, and do not require as much exercise. Older cats are already litter box trained and are probably less inclined to have destructive habits.

MEET MISTY

That fund, the Fritz Childrey Fund for Older Friends, is named in memory of a dachshund who lived for a little over fourteen years. His owner, Mark Childrey, has been a tremendous friend of ours for several years. Mark loves dachshunds and adopted Fritz from a shelter when he was a puppy..

This fund has financed veterinary care for many older animals, pays for the adoption fee, and pays for the spay/ neuter surgery. Adoption fees are waived for animals at least eight years old. Older dogs and cats are now in loving homes because of this fund. Donations, of course, are accepted to finance this fund.

It is a sad fact that we will outlive most of our pets. It is painful when they die because our grief goes as deep as our love. In spite of that, we still encourage potential adopters to look beyond the cute little puppies and kittens and search for a loving senior companion.

When puppies and kittens are young, their personalities and characteristics may not be as apparent. When a senior pet comes to the shelter from the owner, if the owners are honest and forthright, we are able to find out a lot

In 2009, we established a fund to help senior dogs and cats who come into the shelter. Sometimes, they have medical issues that, if treated, would make them very desirable pets.

DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY

This nine-year-old chihuahua mix has a heart of gold.

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