FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2019

Contact:
Eric Steigleder
Director of Public Relations & Marketing
esteigleder@thevalentine.org

The Valentine Announces 2019 Richmond History Makers

RICHMOND – Today, the Valentine announced the Richmond History Makers honorees for 2019. The Richmond History Makers & Community Update highlights trailblazers in the community by celebrating their lasting contributions to the Greater Richmond region. The Valentine and the Capital Region Collaborative (CRC) are excited to partner again to highlight the work of the honorees listed below and provide data on the progress we have made as a region.

The Valentine will be honoring these individuals and organizations at the Richmond History Makers & Community Update at Virginia Union University’s Claude G. Perkins Living and Learning Center on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 4 p.m.

The 2019 Richmond History Makers and their categories of distinction include:

Charleita M. Richardson – Creating Quality Educational Opportunities

Charleita M. Richardson is the President and CEO of Partnership for the Future, an organization that helps students with limited resources transition from high school to college and employment. As a native Richmonder and graduate of Richmond Public Schools, she considers it a personal mission to help students in this community reach their dream of going to college.  Charleita has always lived by the concept that “to whom much is given, much is required.”

Jill Hanken – Championing Social Justice

As the Virginia Poverty Law Center’s health attorney for over 30 years, Jill Hanken advocates for improvements and access to public health insurance programs, including the newly enacted Medicaid coverage that will serve up to 400,000 adults. Jill helps lead the Health Care for All Virginians coalition and directs the Enroll Virginia navigator project which offers outreach and application assistance for the federal marketplace and other health insurance coverage.

Dolly Hintz – Promoting Healthy Communities

Dolly Hintz helped found the Hospital Hospitality House (now The Doorways) in 1984 and was instrumental in expanding the organization’s reach as President of the board in 1994 with the purchase of a former hotel to accommodate more guests. Thanks to Dolly’s leadership, over 175,000 patients and their families from every state and 31 countries have received lodging and non-medical services in an emotionally supportive environment at little or no cost.

BikeWalkRVA – Improving Regional Transportation

Bike Walk RVA is Sports Backers’ advocacy initiative committed to making walking and biking safe, convenient, and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. By engaging and empowering residents across the region to become their own advocacy leaders, Bike Walk RVA promotes the construction of multi-use trails, protected bike lanes, sidewalks and safe neighborhood streets so that walking and biking are part of daily transportation in the Richmond Region.

Candice Streett – Demonstrating Innovative Economic Solutions

Candice Streett is the executive director of Virginia Local Initiatives Support Corporation, an organization focused on providing Richmond residents thriving communities of choice and opportunity. For the past nine years, Candice Streett has led LISC’s economic development work, designing three small business programs and launching four financial opportunity centers, which connect residents to resources and coaching for sustainable businesses and financial stability.

Janine Bell & Richmond Triangle Players – Advancing Our Quality of Life (Two Honorees)

Janine Bell is the founder and artistic director of Elegba Folklore Society, an organization which offers immersive engagement in African and African American heritage for more than 60,000 people a year via annual festivals, performances, workshops, cultural history tours and visual arts. Elegba Folklore Society is celebrating its 29th year of programming as a pathway to enrichment, education, affirmation and joy; an experience that has been called “life changing.”

Founded in 1993, Richmond Triangle Players is the longest continuously operating professional theater in the mid-Atlantic devoted to works, artists and themes relevant to the LGBTQ experience. This work has earned the company both local and national acclaim. Executive Director Philip Crosby has guided the company over the last decade, moving it from an itinerant company to the cultural anchor of the Scott’s Addition neighborhood.

The winners were chosen by a Selection Committee made up of Leadership Metro Richmond (LMR) graduates and former honorees.

The Capital Region Collaborative (CRC) will also present regional data, providing attendees with the unique opportunity to honor Richmond’s hometown heroes while learning about the region’s progress. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased HERE. The 2019 Richmond History Makers & Community Update is presented by Dominion Energy.

###

About the Valentine
The Valentine has been collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond stories for more than a century. Through collections, exhibitions and programs, the Valentine provides residents and tourists the opportunity to discover the diverse stories that tell the broader history of this important region. The Valentine offers major changing exhibitions, which focus on American urban and social history, costumes, decorative arts and architecture. https://thevalentine.org/

About the Capital Region Collaborative
The Capital Region Collaborative brings together local government, business, and community stakeholders to achieve a shared vision for the Richmond Region. CRC partners recognize that the most pressing challenges extend across jurisdictional boundaries and that a cross-sector, cross-jurisdictional approach is needed to reach the region’s full potential. https://www.capitalregioncollaborative.com/