Urban Views Weekly November 30, 2016

Nov. 30, 2016

Help us pick our Visionaries see page 2

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2017

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Visionaries Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ -- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Help us pick our Visionaries Urban Views Weekly invites you to nominate a person whom you believe best embodies the courage, compassion, integrity, inspiration and vision displayed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The nominee should live in the Greater Richmond and Petersburg communities.

Two individuals will be selected and featured in our January 2017 Martin Luther King edition.

Letters of nomination should be 400 words or less, and must include the nominee’s full name, address and telephone number. Nominators should include his or her name, address, telephone number and email address.

Help us showcase the good work being done in our community by dedicated heroes and heroines.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 1, 2017.

Submissions may be emailed to Publisher@ UrbanViewsWeekly.com, or mailed to:

FUNdraising Good Times

What is a culture of fundraising?

Part three of a three-part series Everyone has to have a responsibility for fundraising. We call this a culture of fundraising.

Others refer to it as a culture of philanthropy.

Either way, this shared responsibility is at the core of nonprofit fundraising and sustainable organizations. But what exactly is culture? Here are three perspectives:

“We believe that a culture of fundraising (or philanthropy) is created over time.”

1. “If you want to provoke a vigorous debate, start a conversation on organizational culture.

While there is universal agreement that (1) it exists, and (2) that it plays a crucial role in shaping behavior in organizations, there is little consensus on what organizational culture actually is, never mind how it influences behavior and whether it is something leaders can change.”

(Michael Watkins, Harvard Business Review) 2. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

Peter Drucker

For more information call: 804.441.6255 2

Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

Here’s what we know: culture evolves over time.

It’s about what you say and do, and what you don’t say and don’t do.

Those in positions of leadership like to believe they shape the culture of their organizations.

When things go wrong, they like to believe that culture is beyond intervention.

We believe that a culture of fundraising (or philanthropy) is created over time.

Integrating fundraising into the life of the organization takes multiple forms. It starts with the mission, vision and goals. It takes form through the interactions and decisions of employees. continues to page 11

Ervin B. Clarke, Publisher publisher@urbanviewsweekly.com

Urban Views Weekly

6802 Paragon Place, Suite 410 Richmond, VA 23230 Attention: Visionaries 2017

3. “Organizations that continue to operate in traditional, tightly controlled, top-down environments, rather than adapt to more fluid systems and approaches, risk having their relevance and funding dry up.” Cynthia M. Gibson, Beyond Fundraising: What does it mean to build a culture of philanthropy?

VOL. 9, ISSUE 48 Urban Views Weekly, LLC 6802 Paragon Place, Suite 410 Richmond, VA 23230 Office: (804) 441-6255 Fax: (888) 439-2534

Flora C. Clarke, Administrative Assistant flora@urbanviewsweekly.com Shelia O. Spurlock-Shaw, Advertising shelia@urbanviewsweekly.com Nickkol Lewis, Art Director Visual Appeal, LLC | visualappealstudio.com

www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

The Deal

By Nathaniel Sillin

Focus on Credit Factors, Not Credit Scores You should want to know your credit score. After all, your credit can be incredibly important to your financial future. It could impact your likelihood of getting approved for a loan and the interest rate you’ll get on new financial products.

However, understanding the factors that influence your credit score can be even more important than knowing the score itself.

There are five key factors that influence your credit scores.

Fair Isaac Corporation’s FICO credit scores are used for most lending decisions in the U.S., and the latest FICO base scoring model has a 300 to 850 range. The score depends on the information in a person’s credit report, and the lower the score the more likely the person is to pay late.

Past credit mistakes can stay on your reports for seven to 10 years. While the impact of negative marks diminishes over time, the credit-building process can be slow. However, just as a rising tide lifts all boats, improving your core credit factors could help raise all your scores over time.

FICO shares the five key factors that you should focus on to build healthy credit and the approximate weighting of each.

1. Payment history – 35 percent. A history of on-time payments can help your credit, while late payments, collection accounts, bankruptcies or other negative payment-related items could hurt it.

Some types of accounts, such as utility or mobile phone contracts, don’t generally report positive activity (on-time payments) to credit bureaus. But if the account gets sent to collections, that could still hurt your credit.

You might want to open an account that reports your payments to the credit bureaus if you don’t already have one (you can call the issuer and ask). Some people start with a secured credit card or a credit-builder loan from a credit union, but consider what type of account best fits your situation.

2. Amounts owed – 30 percent. The amount you owe versus your available credit, known as your utilization rate, is another important factor. A lower utilization rate often leads to better credit.

If you’re able to pay down credit card debt, that could quickly improve your utilization rate. Increasing your cards’ credit limits and keeping credit cards open even when you don’t regularly use them could also help. www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

3. Length of credit history – 15 percent. FICO looks at the age of your oldest account, newest account and average age of all your accounts. A longer history is usually better than a short one.

the months leading up to applying for an important loan.

Keeping accounts open, and ideally in good standing, can help you increase your length of credit history. Even when you close an account it will remain on your reports and count towards your credit history for seven to 10 years.

4. New credit – 10 percent.

The new credit section considers how many new accounts you have, what types of accounts they are and recent inquiries into your credit.

5. Credit mix – 10 percent. Your experience with different types of credit, such as revolving credit and installment loans, could impact your score, particularly if there isn’t a lot of information in your credit report.

Having at least one credit card could help your credit mix, although that’s

continues to page 11

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Hard inquiries generally occur when someone requests your credit report to make a lending decision or rental screening. A single inquiry will generally drop your score by a few points for several months, while multiple inquiries could have a larger negative impact.

However, credit-scoring agencies let you shop for a loan without a penalty.

Multiple hard inquiries for some types of loans, such as auto loans, could count as a single inquiry for creditscoring purposes if they occur within a 14- to 45day period.

Soft inquiry, which can happen when you check your credit or a company pre-qualifies you for an offer, don’t hurt your credit at all.

Try not to open new accounts unless you need them and avoid new hard inquiries in

“The writing is inspirational, intense, enigmatic and historical…”

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KICKING BOTTLES, NEWS & DUST is the story of a foster kid in the 1950s, raising children as a single parent, decades as a journalist and becoming a top editor.

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CHANGE Robots Driving Covered Wagons, the just-­‐released last volume of the trilogy, describes the perils, influences and merits of progress.

Even with his professional accomplishments, most of Proctor’s years as a Marine and for a third of his 40-­‐year journalism career, he was a functional alcoholic. Still, he remained resilient, pushing his own goals and mentoring dozens of others along the way. This collection, fused with verve and reality, lives in part as the writer’s medicine cabinet, healing by story telling, the forever quest to understand oneself and observe the world’s beauty and absurdity as it speeds by.

Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

3

ViewPoints

By Dr. T

The CROOKED ROOM...Not just a theory The Crooked Room is a sociological concept that is summarized in the following description: “In one study, subjects were placed in a crooked chair in a crooked room and then asked to align themselves vertically.

Some perceived themselves as straight only in relation to their surroundings. To researchers’ surprise, some people could be tilted as much as 35 degrees and report that they were perfectly straight, simply because they were aligned with images that were equally tilted. But not everyone did this: some managed to get themselves more or less upright regardless of how crooked the surrounding images were…”

veracity on the topics raised or areas wherein the people should expect their leaders to be well versed and on top of the subject were dismissed as irrelevant.

Celebrity and entertainment became a powerful aphrodisiac and the electorate was whipped up into a powerful frenzy wherein the cult of personality won the day and the rhetoric of dissension, outrage and racial animus, fear and tribalism prevailed. It was definitely NOT politics “as usual” and to many onlookers, it seemed to absolutely dismantle the American democratic standard of fair play, high morality, and the exceptionalism that this Democracy decries throughout the civilized world.

Professor Melissa Harris Perry uses this “When Black women theory as the central focus of her book Now we find ourselves in the crooked Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and are confronted with room trying to stand up straight.

Black Women in America, where she Everything in the room is tilted race and gender explores the particular epistemology and the images we see all around Black women face in “white spaces.” stereotypes, they us are not only incomprehensible Dr. Perry interrogates the uniquely to us and distorted beyond the are standing in a complex identity of race, sex and gender imagination, but in spite of it all, in identity that these women of color face. “crooked room”...” that CROOKED Room we are trying When Black women are confronted to make ourselves “Fit In.” The images with race and gender stereotypes, they we see and the personalities we now are standing in a “crooked room”, and they have to figure out face are redefining America’s basic nature and completely which way is up. When they find themselves being inundated deconstructing her character and belief systems exposing with warped and distorted images of their humanity, some an ugly nostalgia squarely putting us in the past. This is Black women tilt and contort themselves in order to “fit” the NOT normal but rather, a culture that belies our senses and distortion rather than stand up straight in a space that is undermines ALL of the things we stand for as Americans and extremely disorienting and uncomfortable. The citizenry of the make America the great nation we’ve known her to be. It is United States of America is currently being confronted with an an act of both patriotism and extreme courage to Stand Up alarmingly similar situation as we begin to acclimate ourselves Straight in that crooked room, as many try to make you believe to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and the that the room is straight, the room is normal, and the room subsequent transition process that is happening before our eyes. is nothing to be opposed to but rather to embrace. No matter how many times they say, “It’s NOT a crooked room! ” and What was once deemed as common decency, decorum and “Why not give him a chance?” We will continue to push back the highest standards of knowledge and political discourse against this “normalization.” Because, by any measure, this were completely discounted during this presidential campaign. year’s presidential win and the A complete lack of all the problematic cast of unsavory aforementioned seemed to get Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Ph.D. characters gathered round mass affirmation rather than Founder and Artistic Director the president-elect are NOT condemnation. Crude and “Normal!” #ThisIsNotNormal, The Conciliation Project and Associate Professor low-class name calling were and everyday we will keep Virginia Commonwealth University applauded, and lack of any making that fact known.

DrT@Margins2theCenter.com | www.theconciliationproject.org fundamental knowledge or 4

Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

Letter to the Editor

Differing views on what just happened My wife and I were enjoying our Nation’s Thanksgiving week-end capped off by an excursion through Richmond’s exquisite Museum of Fine Arts.

As we were leaving, we happened to pick up a copy of your fine newspaper, dated November 23. To our utter astonishment, we discovered the sky had been falling, after reading the ViewPoints article. It appears to be too late to repent to avoid the gloom descending over our great Nation. It is clearly too late to retreat back to the womb, as the esteemed author concluded her piece with “We will NOT GO BACK!” We must credit the author with bringing us to a reality check. We are now again concerned with the Nation’s dismal economy, treacherous treaties with Iran and Cuba, a national deficit doubled over the previous eight years, failing public school systems with ever increasing appetite for our tax dollars, pervasive ease of illegal immigration including covert terrorists, deepening and dangerous disrespect of our Nation by enemy and formerly friendly nations, a widening core of our population unemployed and despairing of ever getting suitable employment, and many more concerns.

Having been made aware of the current reality, the change to hopelessness is palpable, at least until January 20, 2017.

- Lawrence Cogut Alexandria, Virginia

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Family Features

Potato Prosciutto Waffles

Exploring a Culinary Classic Endless possibilities with potatoes

Delicious and nutritious, it’s no wonder potatoes are a menu staple for many. Everyone craves meal variety, and potatoes offer a perfect canvas to inspire new flavor exploration so you can enjoy something different every day. From russets, reds, yellows, whites and purples to petites, fingerlings and more, there are multiple varieties to keep dishes interesting.

You might be used to preparing this kitchen staple mashed, baked or fried, but these inventive recipes show how easy it is to incorporate flavors and techniques to create new potato dishes for any meal of the day in 30 minutes or less.

Find more meal ideas featuring a variety of potato preparations at www.potatogoodness.com/recipes/ PotatoGoodness.com/explore.

Steak and Potato Tacos with Poblano Chiles Yield: 12 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes 2

tablespoons olive oil, divided

1

large onion, sliced

salt

2

poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced

pepper

12 ounces white potatoes, quartered

lengthwise then cut crosswise into

1/4-inch thick slices 1

flank steak (12 ounces)

garlic powder

In heavy, large nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.

Add onion and chiles and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

Transfer onion mixture to bowl. In same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over mediumhigh heat. Add potatoes and saute until golden brown and tender, about 12 minutes. Return onion mixture to skillet with potatoes and keep warm.

Sprinkle both sides of steak generously with garlic powder, chili powder, salt www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

chili powder

12 corn tortillas (6 inches each)

chopped fresh cilantro

pico de gallo salsa

hot sauce

and pepper. In heavy, large skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, turning once, about 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer steak to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes.

While steak rests, heat tortillas on griddle or over gas flame until warm, turning frequently with tongs.

Courtesy Potatoes USA

Yield: 6 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes 1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

2 large eggs, beaten

3 medium russet potatoes (or 3 cups mashed potatoes)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt, plus additional for salting water

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh thyme 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly lay prosciutto on paper. Bake 10-15 minutes until prosciutto is crispy.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Peel and cube potatoes. Place in pot of salted water and bring to boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to rapid simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Strain potatoes from water and transfer to large bowl.

Mash potatoes with fork or potato masher.

Add milk, butter, eggs, cheese and thyme to potatoes. Stir to combine.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add to potato mixture and stir until just combined.

Crumble prosciutto and fold it into batter.

Heat waffle iron. If required, grease with cooking spray.

Spoon about 1 cup batter onto waffle iron and cook according to iron’s instructions until waffles are golden, about 4 minutes.

Keep waffles warm in 200°F oven until all waffles are cooked and ready to serve.

Serve with touch of butter, sour cream or poached or fried egg.

TanyaFree.com/ Urban Views Weekly Poll Over 50% of Americans planned to avoid discussing politics with family and friends at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year according to a recent poll. Political tension can lead to some pretty difficult conversations this holiday season after such a very brutal campaign season.

What’s your take? Are politics a sore subject with your family and friends?

Check out the story and respond to this week’s poll at TanyaFree.com and the Urban Views Weekly FACEBOOK Page. Listen to the Tanya Free and Friends Talk Show Wednesdays @ 2pm on WCLM1450AM streaming LIVE @ TanyaFree.com and BlackTalkRadioNetwork.com. You can now watch us LIVE at TanyaFree.com and ustream.tv

Thinly slice steak. Top tortillas with steak and potato mixture; sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with pico de gallo and/or hot sauce.

Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

5

Shop Local Black Busine SHOPPING CHALLENGE Let’s cut to the chase. By now you’ve heard the statistics.

Almost $75 of every $100 you spend locally stays in your community. Local businesses employ millions of people across the country. Local entrepreneurs spend exponentially more money on community programs than their larger counterparts.

All impressive, indeed, and while those facts relate to the broader community, they are also applicable to the Black community. So then why are millions of African Americans driving away or logging on to their computers for their Christmas shopping this holiday season? Some cite convenience or busy schedules without realizing just how much impact they can have on their local community by spending a few dollars locally.

Buy Every Week from a Black Business Breaking the habit can be tough, so start small. Challenge yourself to make at least one purchase each week from at least one Black Business. Encourage your friends to do the same and you could be making a monumental difference in your community.

Buy Gifts Cards from Black Business Gift cards are becoming an increasingly massive portion of holiday spending. More than 80 percent of holiday shoppers will buy at least one. More than $28 billion will be shelled out on gift cards this year, according to the National Retail Federation.

MARKETING Share Your Knowledge One of the main disadvantages small businesses have when advertising their services is a limited marketing budget. Instead of spending millions of dollars on television, radio and print ads, local businesses may be able to allocate only a few thousand dollars to getting their name into the public view.

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Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

But with the advent of social media marketing and digital strategies, you can help spread the word on local businesses this holiday season – without spending a dollar.

Local shops depend on grassroots-type advertising for much of their promotional strategies. Spending huge amounts on marketing isn’t possible for many mom-andpop retailers simply because of their small size. Do your part this holiday season by serving as an advocate for your favorite local businesses.

Social Media Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram offer the perfect forum to inform others of Black businesses. Use your platforms to send out ideas and introduce businesses to others. Your hundreds of friends and followers can be a powerful economic force.

You can also post photos of your recent purchases with information on where you purchased it, what you spent and how much you love it.

Seeing a certain item may trigger a gift idea, producing more business for local owners.

A Better Shopping Experience Most of us have experienced the holiday shopping rush at a large retailer. Crowded aisles and long lines are just a couple of guaranteed sights during the waning days of the shopping season.

Procrastinators are better off opting for the local shopping experience instead. Because while busy, local shops will be exponentially less crowded than their larger counterparts.

This will allow you to leisurely shop for the last few remaining items on your wish list without the hassle.

REDUCING STRESS Hidden Savings Shopping locally can save you more than holiday cash.

Stress, body weight and environmental harm are at risk of

increasing during the holiday season. Implement a little bit of local shopping into your routine and watch those negative implications melt away.

Here’s how: Save Stress ‘Tis the season to be jolly, not stressed, frenzied, or roadraged. Trade in the hustle and bustle of over-packed malls for a relaxing stroll through your favorite downtown business. The benefits of slowing things down over the holidays can improve your health, well-being and overall mood, especially when schedules are at their fullest.

GIFT GIVING The ‘Already-Has-Everything’ Recipient We all know them. We may even be one. Shopping for some people is just plain difficult. They either have one of everything or don’t seem to want anything in particular.

“I already have everything I need” or “Don’t feel like you need to get me

esses this Holiday Season Developing a website, creating brochures or writing a mission statement for free can help your local group promote its missions.

ALL YEAR LONG

Food Donations Why not spend your Christmas spreading some holiday cheer – and delicious food? You can spend Christmas Eve cooking your favorite dish or baking some special cookies, then take them to your local shelter on Christmas morning.

Your gesture will surely be appreciated by the hungry, as well as by the shelter staff. And it is a simple act of kindness that can be turned into a tradition, passed on to children or replicated by your friends and family members.

anything” are common responses from them. The simple solution to pleasing these friends and family members is to find a gift card from a local Black Business.

CHARITIES Don’t Forget Non-Profits Some local organizations are focused not on selling products, but on improving the lives of disadvantaged community members. Non-profit groups, soup kitchens and children advocacy organizations are all seeking help this holiday season. And what they’re asking for is simply a hand. They need more manpower to achieve their goals and spread the word on their efforts.

Lending Your Skill Set Can you spare a few hours every weekend in December? You may be asked to run errands or visit with people. Maybe deliver food or products to clients across town.

Professionals in the creative services field can offer their skills free of charge as a holiday contribution.

By Bernard Freeman

Not just for the Holiday Season Sure, Christmas is a great time to shower your loved ones with locally bought gifts. But what about the other major holidays throughout the year?

Extend your yuletide joy to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays and anniversaries for maximum impact on your local community and business owners. Your effort in doing so may make more of a difference than you realize.

A recent collaborative study by the Small Business Administration, United States Department of Labor and other major organizations found that small businesses employ about 77 million Americans and account for 65 percent of all new jobs over the past 17 years. So by spending your money locally, you are helping keep your friends and neighbors employed during the holiday season and beyond!

Charitable Contributions You may find yourself short on time this holiday season, but maybe you have a few dollars to donate to a local organization.

Your contribution could go a long way toward furthering the cause • Eighty-nine percent of consumers agree that their 1990 of a group near and market shares, it would indepe ndent businesses contribute positively to create 200,000 dear to your heart. new small businesses,

Here are some of the other notable findings from the study:

You can conveniently make online donations or in-person cash contributions. Either way, donating funds is a simple way to show your support while making a difference in the lives of those who need it.

local economies.

generate nearly $300 billion in revenues and employ more than 1.6 million American • Residential neighborhoods served by a workers. successful independent business district gained, on average, 50 percent more in home values than • If just half of the United States employed their citywide markets. population spent $50 each month at locally owned independent businesses, it would generate • Independent retailers return more than three more than $42.6 billion in revenue. times as much money per dollar of sales than chain competitors. Independent restaurants • For every square foot a local firm return more than two times as much money per occupi es, the local economy gains dollar of sales than national restaurant chains. $179 vs. $105 for a chain store.

•

If

independent

businesses

regained

www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

7

How to Guide

How to Select Your Ideal Christmas Tree Everyone’s favorite season (ok, nearly everyone) is upon us again. Which means it’s time to bring out or purchase a Christmas tree.

Check the limbs for strength, too. They should be sturdy enough to easily hold the weight of your ornaments and strings of lights without sagging too much or snapping off.

The Christmas tree is the biggest symbol of the holiday season, the centerpiece of holiday decor. You could spend as much as $40 or $50 and potentially hundreds of dollars. You could get a green one or a white one. You could get a plastic one that comes out of a box or a sweet smelling pine one harvested from a Christmas tree farm.

Know the Variety The most popular variety of Christmas trees is as follows:

Choices! Choices!

So how do you go about picking the perfect Christmas tree?

The answer to that question depends on personal taste. It also depends on you doing a lot of research so you can make an informed decision. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Fraser fir: With a rich fragrance and elegant look, the Fraser fir has needles that are dark green on top and silvery white below. It often has a skinny shape that suits small rooms.

Douglas fir: With the classic wedge-shaped look and needles that range from blue to dark green, the Douglas fir is known for its longevity after it is cut.

Noble fir: The upward-curving needles and dense branches of the noble fir make it a holiday favorite.

Know Your Space The first and most important thing to know is what kind of space you have to set up and display your tree. You should measure for not only the height of the room, but also for the ideal width of your tree.

You should also know whether part of the tree will be obscured from view. Because Mother Nature rarely makes perfectly symmetrical, filled-in trees, it can be helpful to position the tree in a way that will hide its “ugly” side.

Scotch pine: The Scotch pine has a cone shape and ability to retain its needles for a long time with or without water.

White pine: With long needles and a beautiful green color, this is one of the more fragrant pines. popular route and pick a pre-cut tree from a store or roadside stand, it can be harder to tell how long it’s been since the tree was harvested.

If your tree has to be visible from all angles — 360 degrees around — then it makes your search a little tougher. The important thing is to be aware of the space your tree is going to be placed in so you can choose the right shape and size.

You can often tell the freshness of a tree from the strength of its needles. Take a branch in your hand, gently wrap your fingers around it and pull toward yourself to see how many needles fall off. If they seem securely attached, that’s a good sign.

Know the Freshness If you’re cutting a Christmas tree yourself at a farm, you know it’s as fresh as possible. But if you take the more

You can also tell freshness from its fragrance and color.

Freshly cut trees will often have a strong scent to them and an attractive green color.

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These are by no means the only Christmas trees you should consider. There are dozens of different varieties available each year, so find out the strengths and weaknesses of each kind.

Whether you value the needle retention, scent, needle texture or color, a good tree farm or Christmas tree retailer will be able to explain the differences and steer you toward the variety that will best meet your wishes.

Merry Christmas!

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Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

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Zero new HIV infections, that’s the goal December 1st marks World AIDS Day, a time when we pause to remember those who have died due to AIDS; we celebrate the progress that has been made and consider how the epidemic has impacted us as individuals and as a community. In addition to the many advances that have been made through the years in the development of life-saving medications, in July 2012, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Truvada for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Taken once daily, the medication reduces one’s risk of acquiring HIV if exposed. This is the newest tool in the HIV Prevention toolkit, and its approval is excellent news for individuals who are at high risk for HIV infection. On May 2, 2016, the Richmond City Health District began offering PrEP to the clients it serves.

While there have been great strides in reducing the number of new infections since the beginning of the epidemic, there is still much work to be done. Cities in

the Southeastern part of the United States continue to have high rates of new HIV infection, with African Americans and people living in poverty being particularly hard hit.

Despite this trend, there is some good news. From 2011 to 2015, the number of HIV diagnoses has declined in Richmond city, with 104 new diagnoses in 2011 to 68 new diagnoses in 2015. Seventy-one percent of new diagnoses in Richmond were among the African-American community.

Statewide, new HIV diagnoses during the same timeframe have remained relatively stable.

With a goal of reducing the number of new HIV infections to zero, the Richmond City Health District offers many HIV related services for clients who are at risk for HIV. Patients can receive free HIV testing, risk reduction counseling, access to free condoms, and counseling and education for PrEP. For those clients who are interested in PrEP,

“I fought for my country.

Now I'm bringing the fight to my HIV.” - Reggie

HIV TREATMENT

WORKS

Get in care. Stay in care. Live well. cdc.gov/HIVTreatmentWorks For questions and resources, call 1-800-533-4148

Continues to Page 11

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Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

9

Tips for a Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby 1. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet 2. Don’t drink alcohol

5. Exercise 15 to 20 minutes a day

3. Don’t smoke

6. Get adequate sleep

4. Avoid secondhand smoke

7. Manage stress

vcumom.com

Expand your network and Grow your business.

Central Virginia African American Chamber of Commerce

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Urban Views Weekly | November 30, 2016

www.CVAACC.org

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804-262-1700 804-577-1230 Classifieds Fax response to:

FUNdraising from page 2

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Please include area code when sending PLACE YOUR AD TODAY

Board members and executives guide it through policies. the Richmond City Health District will multiple STD diagnoses in the past year, Outstanding proofs will be considered approved on have Tuesday, Oct. 18 10 a.m. EST804.649.6868 Fundraising culture manifests through engagement perform all of the required labs and follow people who unprotected sex at with Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM with donors and community leaders. It Please demonstrates as well asfor provide the and medication partners, and men who sex reviewinyour adup, carefully content design beforemultiple checking the appropriate boxhave below. the emphasis placed on fundraising planning, and how and work with patients to ensure that with men. all employees and board members are encouraged to they have access to the PrEP PLEASE MAKE CORRECTIONS ASmedication NOTED AND RE-FAX Not sure if PrEP is right for you? Contact participate. regardless of ability to pay.

Erica Henley, PrEP Coordinator at 804PLEASE MAKE CORRECTIONS AS NOTED; NO NEED TO RE-FAX There is a culture of fundraising whether we acknowledge PrEP is a great tool for people who 205-3508 or Erica.Henley@vdh.virginia. it or not. It could support your nonprofit, or it could be REVIEWED have any risk of acquiring HIV. ItMY is AD gov or Kendra Weindling, STI/HIV I HAVE AND APPROVED taking you down. Fundraising culture includes things particularly recommended for HIV Program Supervisor at the Richmond such as whether or not you engage in “emergency” or “last negative individuals whose partner is City Health District for more information. minute” fundraising; your donor retention rate; how long HIV positive, individuals who have Kendra can beDate reached at 804-482-8007 or Signature it takes to send out an acknowledgement; the quality of had syphilis in the past year, those with Kendra.Weindling@vdh.virginia.gov. your database; and whether or not fundraising is delegated to a select few.

Office: (

Gibson advocates breaking down artificial barriers, “In organizations with a culture of philanthropy, fund development is no longer separated from engagement.

This reflects the fact that people today are connecting with nonprofits via multiple channels (e.g., social media, volunteering, blogs, meet ups, petitions) and engaging with them in multiple ways (e.g., as donors, volunteers, board members, constituents).”

Creating a culture of fundraising starts when all parties value fundraising and breakdown silos that separate functions within a nonprofit. It requires the commitment of leadership and investment of time.

Beyond Fundraising: What does it mean to build a culture of philanthropy? http://bit.ly/FundCulture.

Copyright 2016 – Mel and Pearl Shaw Mel and Pearl Shaw are authors of the new book FUNdraising Good Times Classics Vol. 1 now available on Amazon.com. For help growing your fundraising visit www. saadandshaw.com, or call (901) 522-8727.

The Deal from page 5

not necessarily reason enough to apply for a card.

Bottom line: Learn which factors matter the most to your credit scores, and try to make a habit of practicing creditbuilding behavior. Creating a system that’ll help you make on-time payments and only using a small portion of your available credit are good starts.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs.

To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ PracticalMoney www.UrbanViewsWeekly.com

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