Reporting for Print and Web Presentation

Web Story: Local Community Center Provides Fresh Produce to Families in Need

The William Byrd Community House maintains an organic farmlet and offers food and health education in order to provide the surrounding community with access to fresh produce and knowledge of good eating habits. Read More >>

Audio Report: Farmer’s Market Promotes Sustainability

Vendors at the William Byrd Community House offer fresh and local produce to promote sustainability for the surrounding community. Listen Here >>

Slideshow: Farmlet Produce goes to Richmond Farmer’s Market

The William Byrd Community House hosts a weekly farmer’s market near the community garden. Local vendors operate stalls to bring fresh produce to the community. Watch Here >>

Diversity Story: Women’s Rugby Club at VCU: Proud to be a “Band of Misfits”

The club team accepts players of all backgrounds and skill levels to form a unique, welcoming community on and off the playing field. Read More >>

Breaking News: VCU Alum Talks about Career Success in Comic Industry

Virginia Commonwealth University graduate Reilly Brown presents his success as a comic artist for Marvel to current students. Read More >>

 

Farmlet Produce goes to Richmond Farmer’s Market

by Lauren N. Colie, Bri Jackson and Michael Pasco

The Byrd House hosts the farmer’s market at the back of its property, near the community garden.

The William Byrd Community House, located at 224 S. Cherry St., hosts a weekly farmer’s market. Watch the slideshow here >>

Local Community Center Provides Fresh Produce to Families in Need

by Lauren N. Colie, Bri Jackson and Michael Pasco

Farmlet manager and volunteer Allen Stambaugh turn soil for a new garden plot. Image by Lauren N. Colie.

Matthew Daniel walks down the mulched path from the William Byrd Community House to the quarter-acre farmlet behind the playgrounds. He gestures excitedly at the daffodils emerging in flowerbeds along the way, explaining he wanted to beautify the Byrd House as well as manage the farmlet. He passes the foundation of a gazebo which will be erected by the farmer’s market.

“We try to teach skills like self-sufficiency and raising your own food,” Daniel said.

Located at 224 S. Cherry St., the Byrd House provides social services to the surrounding communities. One major focus is to offer a Nutrition Education Program, in which the Byrd House endeavors to provide not only emergency food assistance for families in need, but also to teach community members about healthy food choices and self-sufficiency.

Daniel is the first full-time staff member hired by the Byrd House to manage the farmlet. The Byrd House relies on government grants donations from individuals and organizations to run programs and pay staff, recently allocating a budget to keep Daniel on staff.

In the span of his first year, Daniel managed to significantly alter the appearance of the farmlet and gardens. He cleaned up areas choked by weeds and repaired benches. Daniel said he added pea plants in the children’s playground so they can watch the plants grow and learn to harvest their own vegetables.

The farmlet provides fresh produce for both the weekly farmer’s market and for emergency food distribution. Image by Lauren N. Colie.

“This is an opportunity to make a difference – to me, it’s a way to kind of simplify your life around things that really matter,” Daniel said. “Taking care of your body, taking care of the earth, taking care of your family, and doing that with healthy food – it’s a very powerful way to connect with other people.”

Daniel works with student volunteers and uses donated equipment to run the farmlet. The vegetables produced by the farmlet are distributed to community.

University of Richmond sophomore Allen Stambaugh volunteers with Daniel in the farmlet. He said the experience of service is rewarding, and he values what he gains from the people he meets while volunteering. He said he enjoys learning from Daniel.

“He’ll explain to me different species and plants,” Stambaugh said. “It’s more about the conversations and the skills.”

Manager of the Byrd House Market and Library Programs Ana Edwards said it is an asset to be able to offer free classes about food choices and use with organic vegetables grown on-site.

“I want the neighborhood to know this is a resource for information about good, healthy, tasty food,” Edwards said.

The Byrd House is located in a “food desert,” an area without a grocery store within at least one mile and a high poverty rate. It serves local neighborhoods, such as Oregon Hill. The poverty rate in Oregon Hill is 16 percent, compared to a rate of 9.6 percent for the state of Virginia.

Edwards said the Byrd House will provide emergency food to families in need, which consists of a package containing a 24-hour supply of food for a family of four. During the warm seasons of spring and summer, this package will contain fresh produce from the farmlet.

The Byrd House offers other social programs, but Edwards said they prefer to highlight involvement with food and nutrition. “Nutrition is directly related to people’s ability to perform on the job or at school,” Edwards said.

Edwards said the Byrd House hopes to offer more enrichment classes in the future and engage more local college students as volunteers.

Women’s Rugby Club at VCU: Proud to Be a “Band of Misfits”

by Lauren N. Colie

Volunteer coaches discuss how to fall safely when tackled. Image by Lauren N. Colie.

In a flash of bright pink shorts and a Virginia Commonwealth University t-shirt, a rugby player soars into a muddy puddle. Her tackler extends a hand to help the dirt-splattered player to her feet as cheers of support echo across the field at Abner Clay Park.

President of the Women’s Rugby Club at VCU Liz Dodson beams at her “Ram Fam” through a film of dirt and sweat. In her third year as a student and club rugby player, Dodson attributes her happiness at VCU to the unique bonds made in the club.

Dodson said the team culture creates a close community, complete with team “mothers” and “daughters” to form a multi-generational family tree.

“Rugby became the reason I stayed at VCU,” Dodson said. “My favorite part is just that, if you needed anything, the team would be right there for you.”

Former club president Katheryne Lewis echoes Dodson’s appreciation of the rugby family. She said this “band of misfits” will accept anyone no matter her skill level.

Lewis graduated last December, but returns for practices to offer support and experience. Laughing, she describes a tournament with the University of Richmond in which the club had to select a name to compete: the Unicorns.

“Unicorns are unique and special,” Lewis said. “You don’t see them that often, and, if you believe in them, they’re real.” Lewis applies this metaphor to the club, reflecting on the varied backgrounds of the players.

Club treasurer Kyra Kilfeather played soccer up through high school, and said rugby culture surprised her when she switched sports.

“Soccer can be really clique-y,” she said. “Rugby was refreshing because it was so welcoming.”

Club treasurer Kyra Kilfeather holds up one of the team’s old jerseys. Image by Lauren N. Colie.

Kilfeather holds up a well-worn jersey and points to the number on the back. A black number nine has been shaded with permanent marker to look like an eight.

She said the jersey is one example of how funding a club team through VCU can be a struggle. However, Kilfeather said the current leadership board is improving the situation and new jerseys will be ordered in the near future.

Player Kyra Watson said the stereotypes about female rugby players do not apply. While it is a high-contact sport, Watson said players are taught how to play safely and avoid injuries.

“You don’t have to be a tomboy,” Watson said. “Anyone can play rugby.”

Coach Alison Spillane played rugby for VCU from 2003 to 2007, and said she always felt something was missing in the experience under the male coaches. Spillane said they did a great job, but that she envisioned the organization reaching beyond rugby to encompass academia, sisterhood and empowerment.

She said the team offers a place for people from both sides of the political aisle, different religions, ethnicities and living situations to “add value.” Spillane said she hopes to instill responsibility in the players not only to themselves and VCU, but to women everywhere.

“Rugby is something you can be proud of,” Spillane said. “And, you get to get dirty while doing it.”

VCU Alum Talks about Career Success in Comic Industry

by Lauren Colie

Kerry Talbott introduces guest speaker Reilly Brown at VCU Communication Arts comic forum. Image by Lauren N. Colie

Virginia Commonwealth University alum Reilly Brown spoke today in a forum hosted by the Communication Arts Department about his success as an artist for Marvel Comics. In the VCU Commons Theater, Brown presented a slideshow and lecture on his professional career to more than 100 students and faculty. Brown engaged the audience with images of superheroes and amusing anecdotes.

Brown graduated in 2003 from VCU. An editor from Marvel invited him only two years later to contribute to the holiday special edition. Brown attributes this quick success to a strong portfolio developed in the VCU Communication Arts program and networking at comic conventions. Drawing laughs from the audience, he said one of the best ways to network is buying drinks at the bar after the conventions for editors and other professionals. Brown said he has worked on illustrations of Thor, Cable and Deadpool, Hulk, Spiderman and Hercules. He said it is an honor to be part of the Marvel legacy through drawing characters with more than 50 years of history.

Brown speaks about personal illustration projects. Image by Lauren N. Colie

Kerry P. Talbott, adjunct faculty and freelance illustrator, said he has known Brown since the early 2000s. He taught Brown in a Graphic Essay course. “He was always an excellent student and you could see he was going to find success somewhere, but to break into Marvel Comics and stay there is quite an accomplishment,” Talbott said. “I hope he can show the students not what it takes just to become a comic artist, but more importantly, a professional artist.”

Communication Arts students in the audience rallied for the question-and-answer portion of Brown’s presentation. Some asked about Brown’s preferred artistic materials; others asked about his creator-owned projects like Power Play Comics, designed to be read on an iPhone. Brown encouraged students to strive for success because he was able to create a sustainable career through drawing comics. He said students should focus on networking and develop a web presence in order to break into the field. Brown’s top portfolio suggestion for an aspiring comic artist is to include examples of his or her dream project to represent skills as well as desires.

Brown’s presentation and storytelling engage the audience. Image by Lauren N. Colie

Dan Nacu, sophomore scientific illustration student, said comic illustration is not what he wants to do as a career, but he is interested in how a comic creator might think. “The ability to draw is integral to all arts,” he said.

Brown’s presentation left many laughing and intrigued by the future of comic artists and Marvel. He said the field is opening to those able to utilize the technology available.

Brown answers questions at the end of his presentation. Image by Lauren N. Colie

Sally Vitsky, adjunct faculty in the Communication Arts Department, said comics are not her genre, but she admires the industry. “I think you have to know a whole lot about design, composition, color and anatomy…and it’s a really great storytelling mode,” she said. Vitsky said she loves to hear success stories come out of VCU’s School of the Arts. “I think we’re really lucky to have these forums where people who have a passion for something show how they’ve succeeded,” she said.