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Personality: Mary R. Sadovszky
Spotlight on chair of CancerLINC’s Bags & Bourbon Benefit
Mary R. Sadovszky, chair of the Bags & Bourbon Benefit, a live and silent auction to benefit CancerLINC, is working weekends and nights to make this charitable event Richmond’s most memorable spring fundraiser.
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Henrico’s Varina District poised to elect 1st African-American female to county School Board
The Henrico County School Board is set for a historic new addition with next week’s election — its first African-American female member.
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President Barack Obama
His story is the American story — values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others.
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Reaching the peak
Robert Dortch’s pilgrimage to Mount Kilimanjaro
Richmonder Robert Dortch Jr. is a man of faith. So he was pleased to learn that his guide up Mount Kilimanjaro was named Emmanuel. In the Bible, Emmanuel means “God with us.”
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Personality: Dr. Monroe E. Harris Jr.
Spotlight on Virginia Higher Education Fund’s ‘Jazz Inside Out’ honorary chairman
When it comes to charitable, arts or education-related events that take place in Richmond, it’s not uncommon to see Dr. Monroe E. Harris Jr.’s name listed as a donor, participant or leader.
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Personality: Richard Allen Jackson Sr.
Spotlight on VHEF’s honorary co-chair for 12th Annual Jazz Inside Out
Richard Allen Jackson Sr., M.D. describes himself as compassionate, caring and supportive. The decision to be the honorary chair for the 12th Annual Jazz Inside Out, along with his wife, Eucharia “Ukay” Jackson, fits right in with those ideals.
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Personality: Larry Williams
Spotlight on 6th Annual Black Pride RVA Weekend planning committee co-chair
An end of college trip in 2014 with a former partner brought Larry Williams to Richmond, but the Black Pride community he found here made him stay.
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Personality: Ari Abad
Spotlight on co-founder of Woman Life Freedom RVA
When Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year old Kurdish woman from the city of Saqqez in the Kurdistan Province, died Sept. 16, 2022, in police custody after being arrested for not properly wearing her hijab, the story resonated with Ari Abad. Hijab’s are headpieces worn by some Muslim women.
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Personality: Kenda Sutton-EL
Spotlight on co-founder and board president of Birth in Color RVA
Kenda Sutton-EL knows that all births aren’t equal in Virginia.
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Personality: Shavon M. Ragsdale
Spotlight on Village Against Violence Foundation founder
If it takes a village to raise a child, Shavon M. Ragsdale works to make sure the village is ready, willing and able to protect and support those most in need.
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A Jackson Ward Journey
Unearthing the history and legacy of civil rights attorney Roland J. ‘Duke’ Ealey
When my wife, Sasha Finch, and I purchased the 1880s East Clay Street building on Jan. 4, 2012, it had been dormant for more than 10 years. Plywood covered its outside window and inside the level of disrepair was undeniable. A fire on the second floor had caused considerable damage to much of the property. Yet something drew us to this building. We saw beauty in this wonderful old brick structure. For five years we worked steadily on the property’s exterior, rebuilding damaged brick walls while preparing the interior for its eventual renovation.
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Personality: Rebecca Cornett Massey
Spotlight on VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Advisory Board chair
Rebecca “Becky” Cornett Massey describe herself as being enthusiastic and a teammate. When hearing the new chair of the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Advisory Board discuss the center’s role in the Richmond community, her enthusiasm in being part of the center’s team is evident.
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Personality: Meredith Hertzler
Spotlight on He She Ze and We board president
In 2016, family led Meredith Hertzler to reach out to the nonprofit He She Ze and We. She found a supportive community that she continues to rely on each day.
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Personality: Utibe O. Bassey
Spotlight on honorary chair of Centennial American Heart Association 2024 Richmond Heart Ball
Nigerian-born Utibe O. Bassey grew up in Connecticut and has family scattered far and wide, but none in Virginia. When she moved to Richmond in the summer of 2020 for a job with Dominion Energy, she was all alone and the pandemic was raging.
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Personality: Kathryn ‘Katie’ Hamann
Spotlight on chair of Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Richmond
Kathryn Ayn “Katie” Hamann is dedicated to raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease. Her volunteer efforts with the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Richmond began 13 years ago. That’s when, through her work with Door to Door Solutions, a company specializing in helping senior citizens to relocate, she realized many families are dealing with a loved one with dementia.
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Personality: Amy E. Robins
Spotlight on co-founder, volunteer coordinator of RVA Clean Sweep
Keeping Richmond’s neighborhoods clean and litter free is about more than just aesthetics for Amy Elisabeth Robins. “If you live in a community where residents and children are walking through trash, that has a negative impact on quality of life,” she says.
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Personality: Dr. Susan T. Gooden
Spotlight on president of American Society for Public Administration
Being in leadership is not always an easy thing. Leaders must tackle the tough decisions and issues for their organization. But Dr. Susan T. Gooden, professor of public administration and policy at Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, is up to the challenge.
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Personality: Martha Franck Rollins
Spotlight on board chair of Coming To The Table RVA
From growing up on Plantation Road in segregated Martinsville to co-founding a nonprofit striving to confront and heal the legacy of slavery and racism, the life of Martha Franck Rollins has been long, eventful and transformative — and it’s far from its final chapter.
