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.
Meet this week's guest editor, Lauren Oakey! Lauren is a local children’s book author who published her first book, Waiting for Adeline, in 2021with Brandylane Publishing in Richmond. She's a UVA graduate who has worked mostly in nonprofits as well as lived overseas in both Italy and Switzerland. She moved to Richmond in 2005, and believes that the James River, the growing restaurant scene, and the VMFA are some of her finest assets. Lauren spends time writing personal essays for her blog, running her three children around (we can relate!!), and practicing yoga and photography when she can. Her second book, Adeline by the Sea, is out now!
This week, we're lucky enough to have Lauren make her personal recommendations for upcoming events and other ways to support the community around us, and celebrate this place we love to call home.
Take it away, Lauren...
Richmond Symphony
with No BS Brass
The Richmond Symphony does a beautiful job of combining the pieces we know and love from Beethoven and Mozart to exposing us to new composers and their music. The conductor helps keep the programming current by collaborating with the Richmond Ballet or inviting soloists with jaw-dropping talent, and she is an absolute joy to watch. I love getting dressed up, going out to dinner near the Carpenter Theater, and then going to the symphony by myself or with my husband. For July 4th, they will do the “Red, White and Lights” event with NO BS! Brass and a laser light show finale.
Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of childhood abuse and neglect. Its five main programs work to support children through advocacy, awareness, treatment and strengthening families. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, when SCAN hosts both the Blue & White Ball and the Progressive Dinner to raise funds to maintain and grow their programs. I have loved volunteering for these events and sitting on the Board, and working with the dedicated staff.
I first met Johnzelle in 2021, when he helped a family member work through a long-standing mental health issue. As a therapist, he is kind, authentic and effective. But he also works over-time as a stay-at-home parent to his daughter, and hosting the podcast, “Perfectly Imperfect: a podcast that explores mental health, especially for people of color,” where he highlighted my first book, Waiting for Adeline. Finally, he writes consistently on his blog, sends a weekly newsletter, and is working on a memoir. You can find him at Panoramic Counseling online or for in-person therapy sessions.
Vitals: Contact Johnzelle / For guidance, direction, and mental health support.
About Lauren's newest book - Adeline by the Sea
Adeline by the Sea is a book about what it means to be brave. The narrator, Henry, (or “Bones”) spends the day with his family at the beach, visiting with Grandpa, watching the purple martins from the wrap-around porch, and playing in the ocean with his sisters. But Henry has a protective spirit, and he keeps a close eye on his younger sister, Adeline. So when Adeline decides she wants to jump into the North Carolina sound, Henry must learn the important difference between protecting someone, and loving them enough to let go.
Like her first book, Adeline by the Sea was inspired by Lauren’s experience with her own children. She believes that her books are appropriate for both children and adults, and they make wonderful gifts! It is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.
Meet this week's guest editor, Luke Rabin! In short, Luke is the co-founder of BLDR, helping cofound tech startups and build digital products, as well as the creator of the Idea Factory, an idea-stage accelerator program at Startup Virginia. He also helped create SCEEN, a financial support community for local live musicians and plays drums for Bright Arc and The Jake Sawyer Band. Most importantly, he does princess and unicorn stuff with the most amazing 5 year old little girl. And this week, we're lucky enough to have Luke make his personal recommendations for upcoming events and other ways to explore and celebrate this place we love to call home.
Take it away, Luke...
Palmyra w/ Dogwood Tales
at The Camel
The first time I saw Palmyra was a complete accident. I was on my way to see a metal show at The National, but when I found out we missed Darkest Hour, my friend called an audible. We headed to The Camel to see “Palmyra and Friends” which turned out to be one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time – amazing showcase of so many great local folk, country, and bluegrass artists. Get there early for happy hour and snag a killer standing spot for the first set from Dogwood Tales!
Orbital Music Park is one of the coolest things happening in the city in my opinion, and while their physical space is in transition, they host a series of awesome events at Révéler in Carytown. If you haven't checked it out yet, OMP is an inclusive community and creative space for music-makers. Every Wednesday night, OMP co-founder Tom Illmensee hosts Funk + Soul Party and Date Night. The Funk + Soul party is no traditional open mic – players of all levels play a game called funk roulette. Musicians take their cues from a randomized playlist of funk classics and deep cuts, and the OMP team curates ensembles as the night unfolds. That means the bands are different every song and every week! Come ready to dance, play, and have a great time.
This is the first in our series of launch shows for SCEEN featuring some of the founding artists. You can’t beat an intimate house show with amazing folk music and a summer cookout so this will be one not to miss. All you have to do is become a SCEEN supporter for $10/month and you’ll get to come to this show and all the rest of our upcoming shows supporting local musicians.
Vitals:
Folk SCEEN: The Jake Sawyer Band + Juniper Tree / Address provided upon ticket purchase / Richmond, VA / Saturday, June 24, Doors at 6:00 PM, Music at 7:00 PM
More About Luke and SCEEN
SCEEN is a financial support community for local live music, born out of years of working on different ways to help artists actually make a living rather than have a really expensive hobby.
The big issue is that money has been bleeding out of the music industry for decades. Instead of trying to charge more for things that are already basically free, Luke created a way for local communities to put money in the pockets of artists – because music is an important part of all of our lives.
Impact starts when the local community joins as supporters for $10/month. This fills a pot where 80% is paid out to artists based on how much they play and to how many supporters. Luke and the SCEEN team aim to change the lives of musicians everywhere, so they're starting in our hometown...we hope you join them!
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