Charlottesville Community Engagement
Charlottesville Community Engagement
October 7, 2020: Building Goodness Foundation announces first five C'Ville Builds projects
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October 7, 2020: Building Goodness Foundation announces first five C'Ville Builds projects

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Today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out is for me to say… 

"Early voting is underway for all registered voters. Vote in-person or request a ballot by mail. Register to vote by October 13. Visit elections.virginia.gov/registration/voter-forms"


The Virginia Department of Health reports another 509 cases this morning, and the seven-day average for positive tests is at 4.8 percent. In the Blue Ridge Health District (soon to be formerly known by a different name) there are another nine new cases. 

Both counts are down sharply from recent trends. The state count is below the seven-day average of 774 new cases a day. Albemarle’s seven-day average for new cases is 12 a day, and Charlottesville’s number is 20. 

The statewide seven-day average for positive tests is at 4.8 percent. The Blue Ridge Health District is at 5.7 percent today, an increase over 4.3 percent last Wednesday. 

The UVA COVID-19 tracker lists 224 active cases as of Monday, with 200 of them students. Twenty-two percent of quarantine rooms were in use, as were eight percent of isolation rooms. 

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The Building Goodness Foundation has unveiled the first recipients of work that will come from their new C’Ville Builds Initiative. Jack Horn of the firm Martin Horn is the president of the Board of Directors. 

“C’Ville Builds Supports construction repair and restoration areas in the Charlottesville area, specifically for nonprofit organizations that are working towards racial equity, low-income homeowners and small businesses that are struggling as a result.”

In the first phase, five projects are set to begin soon thanks to the funds that have been raised so far. They include work to create a outdoor patio at Pearl Island in the Jefferson School Center, Culinary Concepts AB, St. John’s Family Life and Fitness Center, outdoor meeting space for On Our Own, and work at a private homeowner in Esmont. Horn said this is an extension of the foundation’s original mission.  

“The Building Goodness Foundation was founded in 1999 on the simple idea [that] when individuals join together and each of us brings our unique talents, skills, and passions, we can effectively build equitable communities for all people,” Horn said. 

Horn added that the pandemic as well as systemic racism has made the Foundation’s mission more important than ever and has focused them to look within the community. They have paused most of their international building projects. 

Sober Pierre is the owner of Pearl Island, a Caribbean-inspired food establishment. He said the pandemic hit his business hard. The Cville Builds project will create more shelving inside and a place for people outside. 

“For the shelving, it’s really just a way to create space, more storage space, be more organized and work more efficiently,” Pierre said. “For the outdoor patio, it’s an opportunity to in addition to the delicious food we are creating, to give them a nice space outside both for existing customers and new ones. As a small business in Charlottesville, our mission is to reach the community.” 

In all, the group is seeking to raise $300,000 to raise to complete 25 projects. Learn more on their website

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Albemarle County has opened up a second round of support grants for local nonprofits. The Lift Grant offers an opportunity for qualifying nonprofits to apply for up to $50,000 towards lost revenues. The funding comes from the county’s CARES Act allocation. To apply, would-be recipients must fill out an inquiry form by October 19

“Applications will be considered based on the extent of COVID-19’s impact to the organization and by how the grant funds would be used to serve Albemarle County residents,” reads a news release for the grant. 

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The Community Investment Collaborative has been working with Albemarle County to help sift through applications for various economic development grants. Stephen Davis is CIC’s executive director.

“It’s been an interesting and challenging year for business owners, just like for the broader community with the pandemic and even if the business hasn’t been affected financially, it’s still that stress of running a business during all of this is incredibly challenging so we’ve been doing our best to adapt and to respond to business owner needs and partner with a lot of others in the community to help address some of those needs,” Davis.

Davis made his comments during an interview with Mary Davis Hamlin as part of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Hope and Resilience series. The full audio will be posted later today in the next installment of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report and on the CNE website. 

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Today in meetings, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors has a doozy. They will vote on the Climate Action Plan, hear a report on how to increase the amount of housing in the county, get updates on transportation projects, and will hear a rezoning for the Albemarle Business Campus. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. and is live-streamed. Let me know if you have any questions. (agenda)

If you’re interested in more on climate issues, I wrote up the Supervisor’s last discussion in June. This link goes to a staging area I’ve set up for more content in the future.

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