A Little Push to the Finish Line

By Matthew Harris

It’s a cold Saturday morning. You probably wouldn’t want to leave the house without gloves and a hat. Coach Ro Gammon’s breath visible as she cheers on dozens of runners struggling to make it three miles to an imaginary finish line. They’re getting ready for the 10^th annual Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K. And they’re counting on Coach Gammon to get them ready by the end of March.

“My reward is seeing people achieve their goals,” said Gammon.

Gammon is a volunteer for the YMCA 10K Training Team in Midlothian. She’s been a part of the group ever since it formed in 2002. It started with a little more than 800 people and has grown from there – 2,802 in 2003 and a 3,333 this year.

She’s seen people go from walking in the 10K one year, to running in marathons. And while that may be some people’s goal, it’s not what the Saturday morning program is all about.

“If they never do anything more than a 10K, we’ve accomplished our goal, because it’s all about fitness.”

This year more than 200 people are helping with the YMCA 10K Training Team. They get people moving at more than a dozen official training groups at Richmond-area YMCAs. And when the trainers say they do it for the love of coaching and running, they mean it. Everyone’s a volunteer.

The program costs $50 to join. The cost includes the race registration fee. It also gets you into the YMCA once a week for exercise. Training team members also have access to the coaches, who give them tips, a running schedule and online support through message boards.

The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K is now the nation’s fourth largest 10K. The Peachtree Road Race 10K in Atlanta is the largest in the nation, with more than 55,000 runners last year. This year SportsBackers hopes to have 35,000 people participating on March 28^th. By the end of January 15,000 people had already signed up.

For many participants it’s the first time they’ve put on running shoes to actually run in years. The sweat dripping off their face is evidence after having only moved less than a mile.

Tiffany Longest stretched in a corner while eyeing her fellow runners. She’s trying to lose weight after recently having a baby.

“I wanted to do something for myself,” said Longest, a novice runner who traveled all the way from Tappahannock to train in Midlothian at the YMCA on Coalfield Road. “It’s just another way to get you going.”

There are three different levels of training. People who have some running experience are in the intermediate group. The next group is for novice runners, who may not have done any running in the past few years. The final group is for walkers, people who just want to be active but don’t have a need for speed. They won’t finish together, but they do have one thing in common, trainers who keep them moving, at least for the next few months.

A part-time personal trainer herself, Gammon’s love is getting people motivated. The former teacher says it’s in her blood.

“I just have a ball.”

She gets up before a lot of people on Saturday morning, she’s at the YMCA by 6:30. She warms up all three groups before sending them and a small group of trainers off into Midlothian neighborhoods.

Their footsteps are unmistakable. The sound of their new running shoes hitting the pavement a wakeup call for the rest of us who are trying to sleep in on Saturday morning. Their heavy breathing can be heard as they’re trying to take in the thin, cold air. This year’s groups got off to a particularly cold start.

“What really surprised me was the very first training session it was 3-degrees, 6-degrees and they came out anyway. They were excited to be here,” said Gammon.

But the runners admit they couldn’t do it without Gammon and the other trainers.

“It’s tough to imagine running in weather like this without the group there to keep you motivated,” said Jay Lequin, a novice runner who has his wife Amy there to help push him along as well.

“We like the challenge of it,” noted Amy, who also counts on the coaches to keep her moving.

That’s why the coach doesn’t mind an early morning wakeup call each Saturday leading up to the 10K. Her challenge is making people’s goals come true, and she does it mostly with simple encouragement. Her loud cheer is there to keep them going, whether they’re there to get fit, stay fit or fit in with a new group of friends.

“I get to encourage people and that’s what I love to do.”

The Future of 34,000: What’s being done for the employees of Circuit City

Jamekeya Myles is the mother of two girls, Treyanna, age 5, and Tysheanna, age 2. In addition to her daughters, Myles also supports her mother and younger sister. She also now has 58 individuals who she views as family looking to her for support.

Myles is the store director at a Circuit City store in Richmond, Va. Recent announcements about the company have left her in a tough situation.

“I’m trying to stay positive for my team at home and my team at work,” Myles said. “It’s definitely not easy and it’s even harder to keep everyone motivated to continue to serve our guests in the store.”

Circuit City Stores, Inc. announced that it would officially liquidate all of its assets on Jan. 16, leaving 34,000 workers unemployed. Many of these employees are continuing to work through the liquidation process, but some were disappointed in the breaking of the news. Even so, Circuit City is providing some assistance to the employees as they search for new careers.

“I actually got the official word from CNBC,” Myles said. “We knew the court hearing started at 10 (A.M.), and by about 10:15 (A.M.) it was on the news. That was the hardest part I think – seeing it there first.”

Like Myles, other employees also heard the news prior to an announcement from the corporate office.

“My mom actually sent me a text message to see if I was okay,” said Melissandre Pierre-Chrispin, customer service associate. “I didn’t know what she was talking about at first. Then I called the store immediately to see if it were true and to see what information anyone had. Unfortunately, none of them knew much either.”

The liquidation announcement came after Circuit City was unable to find a party to purchase the company. Though two bidders were considered to be motivated possibilities, neither was able to submit a proposal that was acceptable to creditors.

Previously in November of 2008, Circuit City announced the closing of 155 store locations followed shortly by the filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Jason Miller, a member of management in a Richmond store, worked for Circuit City for eight years, and says he was quite surprised at the liquidation announcement.

“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Miller said. “I’ve only had two jobs in my adult life. I joined Circuit City in 2000 and never once thought I’d be going back to square one looking for a new career. Now I am constantly worrying about the life my daughter will have if the economic conditions don’t support me finding employment.”

But Circuit City is not leaving its employees without some assistance in the job hunt. On Feb. 4, the store support center, or corporate office, hosted a job fair with nearly 50 agencies in attendance.

“The job fair was an awesome concept,” said Andrew Eaton, district manager for Circuit City. “I feel like it at least gave our employees some assurance that there are job opportunities out there and ready to take them on. Our turnout was not as great as we had hoped, but every employee helped is a success.”

Others, however, were disappointed at the opportunities available at the job fair.

“There were hardly any job openings for the Richmond area,” said Tek Singh, a former employee at the corporate office. “And you might as well have not shown up if you didn’t have tech experience.”

Singh stated that the majority of the business and organizations present were from the D.C. area, with several in Tennessee and other surrounding states.

Though working the current liquidation sales, employees are also encouraged to continuously apply for jobs and given the necessary time off for interviews and other processes for new employment.

“I want my partners to know that I’m here to help them find a job,” Myles said. “Whether I can provide them with a recommendation or just the time to search for a job, I’m happy to do so. It’s the least I can do when they are giving so much right now.”

Circuit City has yet to announce a final closing date for the remaining locations, but a letter to employees predicts the date as being on or around March 21. Forty-four stores did, however, close on Feb. 16.

Restaurant brings new hope

A father dedicates his time to helping those with disabilities find jobs and gain confidence

By Dena Reynolds

The most frustrating part of Rebecca Voskeritchian's workday is getting a ride to her job.

She depends on van rides and when the van is late then she calls a taxi to get to work on time as a host at Positive Vibe Cafe.

Once at work Voskeritchian's day is much easier. She greets customers from her wheelchair behind the low welcome desk at the café in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center in Richmond.

Positive Vibe Café originally opened in 2003 as a job-training program to help those with physical and cognitive disabilities. After the success of the training program, a restaurant opened at the facility in 2005. Of the 25 employees at the restaurant, 17 have a disability.

The training program and restaurant work hand and hand as the profits from the restaurant fund the café’s job training program, which has graduated more than 260 students.

“I was drawn to what they’re trying to accomplish here, and I’ve started to feel at home here,” said Voskeritchian, who was born with spina bifida and used crutches and braces as a child.
Garth Larcen owns and manages the cafe.

“Some may call it reverse discrimination, but I only hire hosts who are in wheelchairs,” said Larcen, who originally employed Voskeritchian to help out in the kitchen.

Voskeritchian said, “I can’t just go get some of the manual labor jobs that people could get. It would have to be something that’s accessible and then you do have people’s discriminations. Even though we don’t want to believe it’s possible I have run across that.”

Helping others
Carolyn Carper has volunteered at the cafe for two years.

“Here you see a person as a person and forget about their disability,” she said. “I just love it here.”

Carper is one of the many waitresses and bartenders who volunteer at the café, working only for tips. They say it is not about a paycheck, but about helping individuals with disabilities succeed and be a part of the community.

Garth Larcen started Positive Vibe Café as a way to create a job for his son Max, who suffers form muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. Despite earning a college degree, Max had a difficult time finding a job.

“It was taking a toll on him. He was throwing in the towel,” said Larcen.

The cafe not only created a place for Max to succeed as a working professional, but an outlet for him to gain confidence again.

“We believe in what they do,” said Larcen about his son and the disabled individuals he works with on a daily basis. “It gives them a sense of purpose.”

Skills of a lifetime
All the proceeds from the restaurant allow disabled students from area high schools and disabled adults in the community to attend a four-week job-training program at the cafe for free. They learn about cooking, cleaning and customer service.

“It is phenomenal what happens in just four short weeks. They learn that there is a world out there to help them,” said Larcen.

The restaurant staff works closely with the students and Carper enjoys helping to train the students while she waitresses.

“They are really shy at the beginning and then they just blossom. They gain so much confidence and personality,” said Carper, who assists with lunch internships for the students.

Cooking 101
During a recent training class, students from Henrico and Chesterfield County Schools learned how to fix a ham and cheese quiche from a local chef.

Travis Milton, Executive Chef at Bottega Bistro spent two hours assisting students through the steps of making the crust, cutting the ham and cracking the eggs for the quiche.

“What do you think?” said Milton after the students were handed plates of quiche at the end of class.

Kalvin Branch, 19, of Henrico High School, participated in the morning training class on cooking and grabbed a plate of quiche before his lunch internship shift began.

After tasting the baked quiche, Branch responded to Chef Milton.

“Need hot sauce,” Branch said.

The room broke out in laughter as someone handed him some hot sauce. After a second bite of the quiche with hot sauce Branch revised his review.

Branch said, “It’s da’ bomb.”

Kim Gissentanna, 19, giggled as Branch poured on even more hot sauce. She helped make the quiche with Branch and the other students. She attends Monacan High School and hopes to work with the elderly one day.

Gissentanna recently finished her internships in the restaurant as part of the training program.
“I like to help bus tables. I ask if they want any more to drink. Take their plates for them. Clean their tables, their chairs and the floors,” said Gissentanna.

Chef Milton looks forward to teaching the students the skills to prepare them for a job.

“Coming to teach here is probably one of the best things about being a chef," said Milton. This is an opportunity to help kids do something I love. Seeing them enjoy it is very cool.

Chefs from area restaurants teach recipes, such as baking cookies and preparing salads; as well as knife skills, safety and sanitation. The students are also taught interviewing skills and resume writing near the end of the program.

Gaining confidence
Tracie Goins is a Chesterfield County teacher who brings her students to the training program and tracks their progress.

“This gives them an opportunity,” said Goins. “And, it is all graded. They have a final exam where they make a milkshake using fresh fruit at a weighing station.

Stephanie Lau plans the final exam, the recipes and the class curriculum as the program's trainer.

“We teach them the basic skills in cleaning and cooking that they can use most anywhere,” said Lau. “Some students really excel with the hands-on training.”

She started working at the café’s training program eight months ago.

Lau said, “It’s very satisfying to be part of the community. This raises awareness for everyone."

Success stories
Many students have graduated from the Positive Vibe Café’s job-training program and gone on to land their first job.

“One of my students from the summer now works at Einstein Bros. Bagels. I love that,” said trainer Lau.

Owner Garth Larcen loves to tell stories about his employees and all the students his program has helped, but one story is his favorite.

“I did this for Max. He has opened up, learned to socially interact with people and has grown into himself," said Larcen about his son. "He helps manage as well as host and I know if I have to leave in the evening that it’s in good hands with Max," he said.

“If he hadn’t had his son then this place would never have happened,” said Goins, who continually sees her Chesterfield County High School students graduate from the program and gain the confidence to look for a job.

Larcen added about his son, “Max has a serious illness and it’s kind of amazing that he’s still here. Many with duchenne muscular dystrophy don’t make it past their mid-twenties. He turns 31 in about a week."

New Web site connects unemployed Richmonders with area jobs

By Jeffrey J. Kraus

Wynne Reese was ready for the axe.

The 37-year-old Richmonder had been working as the head of college recruitment for Circuit City for a year and had already watched her friends around the office lose their jobs. When the CEO got choked up and began reaching for tissues while announcing the company's demise last month, it hit her too.

“The next thing you know, I’m crying. I’m like, I was totally laughing on the way here. I knew I was getting laid-off. But it just got to be so emotional," said Reese. "It was like, wow, this is affecting a lot of people and I don’t have a job anymore.”

The Greater Richmond Partnership is trying to help Reese, and others like her, stay in town. The economic development organization unveiled this week a new Web site, www.Richmondjobnet.com, that has a simple mission, according to Sara Dunnigan, the partnership's vice president of existing business services.

"What we want to do is help Richmonders find jobs in Richmond," said Dunnigan.

Environmental activist rally in Richmond for clean water

By Asriel Eford

With a stack of papers in one hand and coffee in the other, Emily Francis, an environmental lobbyist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, hurried out the door of her 12th street office in downtown Richmond.

“We have to show federal and state officials that we mean business,” Francis said as she headed toward the state capital building to meet with legislators.

“So this year we are taking a more aggressive approach in our advocacy for clean water.”

And turn up the heat they have.

In a rally organized by the organization, about 200 Virginians braving freezing temperatures and snow flurries, gathered on Capitol Square in Richmond on January 26th to show support for clean water initiatives.

“This location gives us the opportunity to have face time with members of the General Assembly,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation grassroots organizer Jess Barton.

Wearing blue scarves and holding homemade signs, the crowd chanted “clean water now” as state legislators passed by.

“The water is our life and our livelihood,” said Catherine Swann, a resident of Northern Virginia who attended the rally. “The government has been too lax in there actions to help the Bay.”

Governor Kaine was the keynote speaker at the event. In his speech, he highlighted the $20 million dollars he has included in his proposed budget to support clean water programs; despite Virginia’s current $2.9 billion budget short fall.

“It was tough because I am cutting most everything out of the budget,” Kaine said.
“The $20 million may look attractive to cut, but this is just too important,” he added.

The Bay’s main problem is nutrient pollution caused by wastewater treatment plants, farming and air pollution. This affects both plant and aquatic life, not only in the Chesapeake, but also in the rivers and streams attached to the estuary.

According to Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality, ten thousand miles of Virginia’s waters and streams are polluted.

But, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation wants the public to see the crisis as more than just an environmental matter.

“We don’t want Virginians to think this is just an ecological or tree hugger issue, it’s a direct economic issue,” said Chuck Epes, a spokesperson for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Virginia’s blue crab industry, which is an important source of income for watermen, has been declared a federal disaster. The industry is set to receive millions of dollars from the federal government to off-set the financial blow caused by the critically low crab supply.

As a part of what Will Baker, the president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, calls “the biggest grassroots fight for clean water the nation has ever seen”, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has also filed a lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for what they are calling 25 years of failed policies.

Since 1983, the EPA and states along the Bay have signed three agreements to restore the Chesapeake Bay and clean Virginia’s polluted rivers and streams. In the most recent agreement, the EPA promised to reduce pollution enough to remove the Bay from the national dirty water list by 2010. The EPA has admitted that it will not meet that deadline

“The EPA holds the ultimate responsibility for clean water and clean air for the nation,” Epes said. “They need to set and enforce deadlines, rather than setting goals with no consequence for not reaching them,” he continued.

The claim, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C on January 5th, asks a judge to force the EPA to enforce provisions under the Clean Water Act.

According to Chesapeake Bay Watershed Blue Ribbon Panel the estimated cost for restoring the Chesapeake Bay would be around $20 billion.

But the foundation hopes the law suit will get the attention of the new “environmentally-friendly” white house administration and result in more funds to restore the Bay.

President Obama’s pick for EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, vowed during her confirmation hearing last month to visit the Bay for a first hand look at its condition.

During the hearing, Jackson also said that although the federal-state partnership has failed to reach key cleanup goals she would be happy to raise the bar even further on the federal government’s level of commitment to an extraordinary resource.