Hear Together

Susie Farmer is the Education Director at Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic Riverview Farm in Charlottesville—a nature preserve with over 7 miles of trails and original buildings. Through year-round programming, the Ivy Creek Foundation preserves the legacy of the Carr-Greer family and educates the community about their contributions. Hugh Carr never learned to read or write, but made sure that his seven children received an education. They all went on to become educators or community leaders, including his oldest daughter, Mary.

George Rivera is the founder of Wartime Fitness Warriors—a nonprofit boxing gym in Charlottesville that promotes peer support and mental and physical health—while acting as a safe haven and outlet in the community. In the past four years, he’s helped more than 200 students learn the discipline and art of boxing as a means to structure their future physical wellness and simultaneously provide natural peer support to increase their mental health and wellbeing.

The Roanoke Outside Foundation was formed to build community and create a desirable place to live, work, and play in the Roanoke region. Through their comprehensive schedule of outdoor events, they connect the dots and raise the profile of Roanoke through outdoor events such as the Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon—America’s toughest road race—a huge point of pride for the community.

Nestled in the back of Peggy and Buddy Parker’s piano store in Williamsburg, the Virginia Musical Museum & Music Hall of Fame traces the lineage of recorded music through collected artifacts. From nickelodeons and organs, to the first voice recording by Thomas Edison, the couple has collected rarities for more than 50 years, and displayed them for the public since 2013.

A section of the museum is dedicated to the impact Virginia musicians, highlighting the impact they have had on all genres of music. Hear from museum owners Peggy and Buddy Parker in our interview below, and learn more about the museum at virginiamusicalmuseum.com.

The Friends of East End is an all-volunteer nonprofit established in 2017. They grew out of a cleanup effort that began in 2013 at East End Cemetery, a historic African American burial ground in Henrico County, Virginia. The sixteen-acre cemetery, founded in 1897, had been overwhelmed by dense overgrowth and illegal dumping.

With the help of thousands of volunteers, they have worked steadily for years to clear the vegetation, remove the trash, and recover more than 3,300 hidden grave markers of the estimated 70,000 people buried in East End and neighboring Evergreen. In partnership with descendants and the broader community, Friends of East End seek to transform these burial grounds into public sites of memory, contemplation, and beauty that honor Richmond’s African American past and present. 

The Wildlife Center of Virginia uses the backgrounds of animal education ambassadors like Hudson, the Gyrfalcon—who are deemed non-releasable by veterinary staff—for educational programs at libraries, schools, festivals, and online communications. 

They provide emergency veterinary and rehabilitative care for about 4,000 animals per year. During their 42 years of operation, they’ve cared for nearly 100,000 animals, connected with more than 1 million adults and children through educational programs, and trained countless professionals in veterinary medicine and rehabilitation for wildlife. Learn more at their website, https://wildlifecenter.org

The Virginia Prison Birth Project serves pregnant and postpartum people in a max security prison facility. Founded in 2018 by Sara Zia, their goal is to be a continuous source of care throughout the pregnancy.

The majority of the birthing people they serve are victims of violence prior to their incarceration, including domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, and child abuse. Their support also attempts to create compassionate alternatives to incarceration through awareness.

The Rhapsody Project brings roots music back to underserved communities without being expensive for the youth participating. 

The programs and community-building strategies developed by The Rhapsody Project inspired lifelong Virginian and professional musician Justin Golden to found the first new chapter outside of its original home in Seattle. 

By founding a monthly, all ages blues jam, and working to expand to add an after-school music program for youth in fall of 2022, Justin has worked for over two years to develop the Richmond chapter of the organization.

In 1976, the James River was considered one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. As a result, a group of concerned citizens

Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) is a Harrisonburg-based nonprofit that partners with high schools in Harrisonburg, Richmond, and Winchester to provide academic support systems, leadership development,