Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations

How VPM served its communities over the holidays and in early 2025

Throughout the holidays and into January 2025, VPM was in the community working with children and their parents to host events, share educational resources, as well as providing Central Virginians with crucial, up-to-date information on breaking news that affected large portions of the listening area. The last several weeks have been a crucial time to engage with our communities as VPM seeks to be a resource to all Virginians.

Below are some highlights of how VPM has served our communities over the last couple months.

Events

In December, VPM employees organized and participated in a donation drive for The Doorways, a “home away from home” for those receiving medical care in Richmond and their caregivers. One of many nonprofits operating near the site of VPM’s new downtown headquarters, The Doorways has offered lodging and vital support services to families during difficult times for more than 40 years.

On Jan. 29, Vanessa Hale, executive director of the Central Virginia Farm Workers Initiative, hosted a screening of Life in the Heart Lands season two episode ‘Migrant Workers’ in Spanish for her farm workers. Hale was featured in the episode and worked with Lysandra Petersson of Deep Structure (the show’s co-producer) to translate the episode. Hale was also on the panel at VPM’s community engagement experience at The Wayne Theatre last October.

Early Childhood Education

Also in December, VPM continued its Ready to Learn – Learning Neighborhoods initiative with events on Dec. 4 at Martin Luther King Jr. Preschool and Dec. 18 at Summer Hill Preschool. Over 130 families and caregivers attended the events while about 120 children were also in attendance.

On Dec. 5, VPM’s Central VA Literacy Collaborative held a holiday potluck lunch and put together literacy kits for local organizations. Volunteers created 105 kits for three organizations, including Henrico County Public Libraries, ReEstablish Richmond and St. James Children's Center. Each individual kit contained books in six different languages, toys and literature from many organizations.

A day later, VPM community engagement manager Terri Allard participated in an outreach event in Charlottesville with Stepping Stone, an organization that provides children and under-resourced families with essentials that ensure their healthy development and safety. VPM distributed bags that included The Basics postcards and shape sorters for young parents at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Parents at the event received kits, including wipes, diaper cream, baby lotion and baby shampoo/body wash.

On Jan. 25, VPM joined the Excellence in Children’s Early Language and Literacy (ExCELL) program to host a PBS KIDS Camp (Leap into the Loop) for children aged five to eight at Broad Rock Library in Richmond. A second camp will take place on Feb. 1.

Local News

Richmonders and other Central Virginia community members faced a significant obstacle early in Jan. 2025 when a snowstorm hit the area causing Richmond’s water treatment facility to lose power, which lead to several issues and the eventual shut down of the plant. Thousands of residents in the area were left with no water or a boil water advisory for nearly a week.

VPM’s coverage of the crisis included a page dedicated to sharing the latest VPM News reports, Spanish-language content, a YouTube video explaining what people could do with water at home, a Style Weekly review on business impact and updates via the daily e-newsletter, social media and broadcast.

On Jan. 30, VPM reporter Keyris Manzanares joined “TODO LATINO” on 94.1 FM Radio Ultra Richmond to talk about the work she’s done covering immigration issues and their impact on communities. She discussed her recent reporting on where Richmond stands as it relates to immigration policy. The report is available in both English and Spanish.