Meet this week's guest editor, Elizabeth Redford! Founder of Tablespoons Bakery and co-founder + executive director of the Next Move Program, Elizabeth has worked in the field of special education for the last 14 years. Elizabeth launched Tablespoons to serve as a job training and supported employment site for young adults with developmental disabilities. After its inception as a popular farmer's market stand in 2017, the bakery opened to the public in 2021 in a converted 1930s house in the Westover Hills neighborhood, just blocks away from the original market stand.
A speaker, consultant, advocate and curriculum developer, Elizabeth was named the 2017 Change Agent of the Year by Chamber RVA and was recognized on the 2018 Top 40 Under 40 list by Style Weekly. More recently, she was named the 2019 Distinguished Young Alumna by St. Catherine’s School, featured on the 2020 and 2022 Bold Women of Richmond Lists by Richmond Magazine, and awarded the RVA Power Women Award in the category of Higher Education for 2023.
When she’s not busy with all things Tablespoons, Elizabeth enjoys kayaking, antiquing, and walking her adorable pit bull, Violet. She lives with her family in Forest Hill, very close to the bakery.
This week, Elizabeth serves up her recommendations for upcoming events and ways to celebrate inclusivity in this place we love to call home.
Take it away, Elizabeth...
Sportable:
River City Rumble
The River City Rumble Wheelchair Rugby Tournament is the first of its kind in this region! It will be led by our friends at Sportable and will take place this weekend, July 14-16 at Highland Springs High School. Sign up to volunteer, or attend and cheer on the athletes! Teams from coast to coast will participate.
Vitals:
River City Rumble / Highland Springs High School / 200 S Airport Dr, Highland Springs / July 14-16, 2023
Humble Haven Yoga
Studio
I highly recommend dropping by and experiencing any of the class or program offerings at Humble Haven Yoga. Our friends and partners at the studio are launching a brand new yoga class for children with disabilities. We can't wait! They also regularly offer inclusive programming for our graduates.
Consider dropping by the Robinson Theatre Community Arts Center for a HIIT the Weights class (2 full body rounds + core + cool down stretch and breathe) with Brandy W. Stoney on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:15 am – 7:00 am. You can also reach out to Brandy on Instagram @_beeesquad_ to schedule a private session. As the chief movement officer at Beee Squad, she's always ready to help get women, and especially women of color, into lifting and wellness.
Tablespoons is a nonprofit bakery that works each day to combat the 70% unemployment rate for young adults with developmental disabilities. We serve up job training and supported employment, in addition to a variety of cookies, sammies, muffins, cookie dough pies, and Ironclad Coffees. You can root our students on, see what's in the case that day or learn more about our mission on social media at @Tablespoonsbakery.
And, we have Cookie Club next week! Brand new flavors for July, including our take on Good Humor Popsicle flavors, will hit the case on July 18th.
Our larger non-profit, Next Move, also has the annual Capable Exhibition currently open at The Virginia Museum of History & Culture. The exhibition is open to the public and features portraits of adults with disabilities who live in Virginia and are making the Commonwealth better! It invites all of us to see a more inclusive future and celebrate the disability community. The annual campaign is live at @nextmoveprogram.
