Hear Together

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 Muse Writers Center is Hampton Roads’ very own literary center, and since the early 2000s, they have grown into one of the top-10 writers centers nationally, with a vibrant space in central Ghent featuring five classrooms, a semi-private writers room, a recording studio, a library, and an auditorium for readings and special literary events as well as art exhibits.

They encourage using writing as an outlet for trauma and grief, offering tuition assistance for adult classes, with many free classes for youth. They have several monthly programs in senior and assisted living centers as well as for veterans, service members, and their families, both at The Muse and in military libraries and bases.

Listen to our segment with Muse Writers Center’s Michael Khandelwal below and learn more at the-muse.org.

Studio Two Three is a nonprofit community art space with a new location in the Manchester district of Richmond. Their mission is to empower artists to make art and make change. They offer 24/7 studio access to roughly 100 local artists, and provide a new 3000 square foot community event space for nonprofits, vendor markets, and film screenings. Studio Two Three offers classes and workshops for the community and see art as way to engage the broader community to push for change that matters.

Studio Two Three is a proud financial supporter of WNRN. Learn how you can get involved at StudioTwoThree.org  and listen to our interview with co-founder and executive director, Ashley Hawkins, below.

Butterfly Village Inc. is a nonprofit in Hampton Roads that aims to cultivate positive change in the lives of women and girls.

Their signature program, She Can STEM Academy, is a systematic approach to increasing interest in, awareness of, and achievement in the subjects of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Girls in elementary, middle, and high school are exposed to a variety of STEM careers and rich experiences.

Girls develop leadership skills and increase confidence needed to enroll and achieve in higher-level math & science courses. Girls are challenged to think creatively, solve projects independently, and collaborate on collective ideas.  

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,

SOAR365 was founded in 1954 to provide life-fulfilling opportunities for individuals with disabilities and support systems for their families. The Richmond-based nonprofit has expanded to

Tech for Troops is a Richmond-based nonprofit serving veterans in Virginia and beyond. They accept donations of electronics like servers, routers, drones, cameras, desktops, and