Meet Claire O’Keefe, our guest editor this week! A Richmond native and pre-COVID world traveler, Claire creates environments for people to feel grounded and safe to share their perspectives. As a Summit Producer for Envoy and Director of Canvas, a media studio and event space in Richmond, Claire lives the world of obsessing over the role that physical and virtual environments play in determining our perspectives on issues and the decisions we make.
As the world is being reinvented through a pandemic, Claire is more aware than ever how our home office can affect our productivity levels, the importance of getting a walk in around the block, or especially the importance of carving out time to care for yourself and do good for others. Here are Claire’s three tips on creating the environment to do something good for yourself and give back to others at the same time.
Volunteer
Happily Natural
Get outside and get your hands dirty. You might have seen Duron Chavis, the founder of Happily Natural Day, in partnership with folks around Richmond raise money, gather supplies, build and distribute over 300 raised garden beds last year. Well, he's back and needs our help again. If you know anyone in a food dessert, he is calling for applicants to receive beds as well as volunteers to build and distribute raised garden beds starting the week of February 9th.
AlterNatives Boutique has been a favorite of mine for years now, not only because of their eclectic jewelry but also because a majority of the clothes and goods sold support the Indigenous women in Guatemala by receiving a living wage and access to health care, food and clean water. Guadalupe Ramirez opened the shop 25 years ago in the heart of Carytown, and the boutique is also an extension of her nonprofit, Highland Support Project, which she started to advocate for Indigenous communities in Central America resisting state violence. Go check it out, if you haven’t already, and support a hardworking crew who is also raising money to purchase the building to keep the business going.
Food can drastically change your environment in how it makes you feel…trust me, you’ll want to end your weekend tracking down this taco, burrito, and tortas (TBT) pop up stand if you haven’t discovered this gem on your own yet. As they await the opening of their storefront in the old Naked Onion spot, you’ll find Carlos and his crew all over Richmond’s breweries and markets dishing up the most flavorful and authentic Mexican food. I highly recommend the Slam Dunk Contest, the consommé broth is unmatched. Carlos, a second-generation immigrant like myself, has a passion and dedication to share the food of his homeland, which makes it taste that much better, I promise.
Canvas has created a meeting space for safe, meaningful dialogue. It’s goal isn’t to be cool, hip, or luxurious. It’s grounded.It’s a place designed by a team of professional negotiators, mediators, and creatives that serves as a backdrop for humans to share their humanity. For leaders to let down their guard. For groups to gather and truly listen to each other to identify their common interests. Canvas also serves as a destination for broadcasting live virtual meetings and conferences and hosting socially distanced in-person, private events. The complex consists of five distinct spaces, each designed for a unique purpose, all on the same urban compound.
