Adventure is a mindset, not a destination. There's no better time than now to practice gratitude while we find new ways to adventure-in-place. Here are just a handful of the many ways to be thankful for the place we call home.
VCU Outdoor
Adventure Program
Over the past thirty-eight years, VCU's Outdoor Adventure Program (OAP) has expanded from a club operation in an alley to a nationally recognized launching pad for urban adventure. In fact, OAP now offers gear rentals, team building programs, trips, a climbing wall, and over 300 programs that serve 11,000 people each year. This year, however, OAP has shifted its offerings to online programming and inspiration for those hunkered down. OAP is currently working to let our thriving outdoor community know that social distancing doesn't mean locking yourself inside and watching Netflix all day. As an example of their efforts, OAP has launched #outdoorsocialdistancingchallenge on Instagram as a way to encourage people to enjoy low-risk outdoor time and shelter-in-place adventure challenges to win prizes like camp chairs, mini stoves, and packs. And since most of us don't adventure with measuring tape, they are providing examples of what safe distancing looks like by converting six feet into outdoor gear length (pictured) so that everyone is on the same page. In addition, Karl Schmidt, Outdoor Adventure Coordinator at OAP, has a full list of recommended adventure options at home—from podcasts to videos to a virtual escape room.
Duron Chavis, an urban farmer and food justice advocate, says that now is the best time to get your hands dirty. As the creator of the Resiliency Garden Initiative, Chavis is on a mission to donate and build 24-square-foot raised beds for food-insecure area residents throughout Richmond. To make this possible, he'll deliver the garden and seedlings for you to grow your own. That's right, he's building raised beds to directly address food security issues in your backyard at zero cost. If you don't have a backyard, he'll even connect you with a community garden near you. If you'd like to support the Resiliency Garden Initiative, you can make a donation to build more raised beds (the average cost of each is $75-100 including soil, wood, and hand tools).
Known for their tenacity and resilience, our local artists and musicians continue to do what they do best from their homes: make art. While the traditional way to display and sell art has been disrupted, Richmond's creative force is forging new paths to connect with their audience. Starting next week, thirteen Virginia-based artists are joining together to launch a digital exhibit inspired by a newly released album by Erin Lunsford as part of The Damsel: A Virtual Album Collaboration. Each artist—including painters, photographers, illustrators, and sculptors—will release new works inspired by their favorite track on Lunsford's album, The Damsel, on Instagram every Wednesday and Friday. Richmonders can purchase prints from the participating artists while supporting the COVID-19 Arts and Culture Relief Fund's efforts to provide financial assistance to professional artists of all disciplines who have lost income from cancelled paid creative opportunities during the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Virtual Happy Hour House Show continues through April on Facebook Live at Here Weekly and Richmond Grid with the likes of DJ Ant Boogie (pictured), a drum circle by Ram Bhagat, a 90's show by Prabir Mehta, and more.
