We need volunteers to man the water stop. Come when you can between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. We need help setting up, passing out water, and breaking down after the event is over.

Help fill 1,000 backpacks for needy children!

Enjoy Veterans Day!

A native of a small historic courthouse town outside of Cleveland, Ohio, Julie Langan fell in love with Virginia while pursuing an MA degree in Architectural History at UVA. At the time of her graduation, preservation jobs were scarce, so she launched her career in Arkansas. As the only architectural historian in the state historic preservation office (SHPO), she was exposed to the full range of the state and federal preservation programs and was named Acting SHPO by then Governor Bill Clinton. After five years, an opportunity at the Department of Historic Resources (DHR) was too enticing to pass up and she returned to Virginia.

Julie’s 26 years at DHR was interrupted by a 10-year stint in Cleveland where she held leadership positions with a regional nonprofit and founded and directed a local organization. She returned to DHR in 2007 with the intent to finish out her career in Virginia. First appointed Director in 2014,  Julie has served four Governors.  She is passionate about historic architecture and the impact of preservation on the economy and a community’s sense of place.

Our Annual Fundraiser. This year we are raising funds for ChildSavers and Henrico CASA and join our Kiwanis members of the Tuckahoe Club.

Tom Barkin is the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He has held this position since 2018.

Tom serves as a voting member on the Fed’s chief monetary policy body, the Federal Open Market Committee, and is also responsible for the Richmond Fed’s bank supervision and the Federal Reserve’s technology organization. He is “on the ground” continually in the Fed’s Fifth District, which covers South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, D.C., West Virginia and Maryland. His engagement in the region has brought real attention to areas facing economic challenges.

 Prior to joining the Richmond Fed, Tom was a senior partner and CFO at McKinsey & Company, a worldwide management consulting firm, where he also oversaw McKinsey’s offices in the southern United States.

Tom earned his bachelor’s, MBA and law degrees from Harvard University.

Jeff E. Schapiro, politics columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has covered campaigns and government in Virginia for nearly 45 years.

He was the State Capitol reporter for United Press International and Virginia Business magazine before joining the Times-Dispatch in 1987.

His column appears in the Times-Dispatch and many of its sibling newspapers across the state twice a week. Schapiro’s video column is posted Tuesdays on the Times-Dispatch website, timesdispatch.com. He can be followed on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook.

A native of New York City – and the husband of Clare Osdene Schapiro, food columnist for the Times-Dispatch lifestyles magazine, En Forme  – Schapiro has been honored by the Virginia Press Association for his coverage of politics and policy.

 Schapiro, who was graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in history, is also an inductee of the Virginia Commonwealth University Mass Communications Hall of Fame and the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association Hall of Fame.

Jason Kamras currently serves as the Superintendent of Richmond Public Schools (RPS). Mr. Kamras views public education as a means of promoting equity and justice for all children in the United States. In his various roles, he has advocated for policies to eliminate the “opportunity gap” that disadvantages many low-income children and children of color, and he has led efforts to dismantle institutionalized racism in public schools. 

Before coming to RPS in 2018, Mr. Kamras served in numerous senior leadership roles at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). In these roles, he led the design and implementation of a number of key initiatives focused on ensuring excellent instruction in every classroom across the district.

Mr. Kamras began his career in education in 1996 as a mathematics teacher at John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington DC. In 2005, he was named the United States National Teacher of the Year.

Mr. Kamras earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and his master's in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

His wife Miwa also works in the field of public education, and he has two sons, both of whom attend RPS.

Summer Break

Dr. John O’Bannon is a lifelong Virginian who has dedicated himself to caring for others. As a child growing up on a farm in Rappahannock County, John helped his family by selling apples at the family fruit stand near Skyline Drive. John O’Bannon’s leadership abilities became apparent during his schooling.  A graduate of Hargrave Military Academy and the University of Richmond, John attended medical school at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), where he was elected President of the Student Body.  Later, as a resident at MCV, he was elected President of the Housestaff Council, served as Chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, and was named Chief Resident in Neurology.

A well-regarded physician, John O’Bannon is a partner in Neurological Associates, a leading Richmond medical practice.  He has served as Chief of Staff of Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and has served on the Board of Trustees. He has also served 2 terms on the VCU Health System Authority Board, where he chaired the Quality Committee.  His peers have named him one of the “Outstanding Physicians of the Year” in Richmond Magazine’s annual poll.

John O’Bannon is a national leader in improving the medical profession.  A leader in the American Medical Association (AMA), John served on the AMA Delegation from the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) and served as a member of the AMA’s Council for Ethical and Judicial Affairs from 1997 through 2004.  Here in Virginia, John is a past Chairman of the Board of the Richmond Academy of Medicine.  He also served as Chairman of the MSV’s Legislative Committee, where he helped pass the Virginia Patients’ Bill of Rights.

John O’Bannon is a leader in our community.  He is a member of the West Richmond Rotary Club and has served on the Boards of several organizations including The Virginia Home, Virginia War Memorial Foundation, VPAP, Tuckahoe YMCA, Hargrave Military Academy, The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and the Advisory board at the Science Museum of Virginia.   A member of the Henrico County Republican Committee, John has been active in numerous federal, state, and local campaigns.

John served in the House of Delegates of the General Assembly of Virginia for 17 years, serving on JLARC and other commissions. He served on the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, Appropriations Committee and Privileges and Elections Committee. He is currently Chairman of the State Board of Elections.

John and Pat O’Bannon have been married for 51 years and reside in Western Henrico.  Pat O’Bannon is a former public school teacher who served as Henrico County Supervisor for the Tuckahoe District for 28 years, retiring in 2023. The O’Bannon family attends River Road Church, Baptist.  John and Pat have three children, John, Virginia, and Andy, all of whom are graduates of Henrico County Public Schools. They have 5 grandchildren.

September 17 is national Constitution Day, marking 237 years since the Constitution was finalized and sent to the states for ratification. It is little known that America’s founding document could have floundered right here in Richmond, Virginia, during its ratification rounds among the 13 states. “Anti- Rats” and “Pro-Rats” descended on the state capital in June of 1788 for a raucous debate, led by chief “Anti-Rat” Patrick Henry.

Our speaker, Kiwanis member Suzanne Munson Jernigan, has written about the Virginia Ratifying Convention in two of her books--the George Wythe biography, “Jefferson’s Godfather,” and her new book, “First in Law, First in Leadership.”

How “up” are you on the Constitution and American history? Check your recall by taking the test required of all new naturalized citizens via the link below. Bring your score to the meeting on September 16.

Let’s see how well you do. Take one or more practice tests here.

Join other members and guests at Feed More to help feed needy children in the community over the weekend.

When students leave school for the weekend, the last thing they should have to worry about is how they are going to get their next meal.

The Weekend BackPack Program provides children who don’t have enough to eat with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food when other resources aren’t available.

The concept is simple: children at risk of hunger receive a bag of food that is child-friendly, nutritious and nonperishable. Partnering with local schools, Weekend BackPacks are distributed every Friday so that children have meals for when school is not in session.

John Reid is the acclaimed host of the morning-drive news talk show on NewsRadio WRVA in Richmond. He is engaged in national politics as a conservative political communications consultant. John has had the privilege of working alongside notable conservative leaders. His roles have included serving as an intern and communications staff assistant in President Reagan's Los Angeles office, communications director for U.S. Senator George Allen, editorial communications chief at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and partner and director of international development at Qorvis Communications.

Enjoy Labor Day!

Claiborne brings over 30 years of experience in business management to Virginia Home for Boys and Girls and has extensive experience as a marketing consultant to for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

She has served on a number of local nonprofit boards including The Children’s Museum of Richmond, The Powell Foundation for Economic Literacy, and Gateway Homes and served as interim CEO of United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg.

Claiborne currently serves on the board of Hanover County’s Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT). She is a member of the Virginia Nonprofit Leadership Council and the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF).

She is Vice President of the Virginia Coalition of Private Provider Associations (VCOPPA) whose mission is to serve as the unified voice for private providers to advocate for a quality system of services for children and families with special needs and challenges. She holds a BA in Economics from Davidson College.

Josie started as READ’s Education Program Manager in March 2023.  She is an experienced educator and program coordinator with a passion for adult education.  She has spent almost 10 years coordinating and teaching ABE, GED®, ESOL, and workforce development courses for students in the metro Richmond area.  She is motivated by connecting with adults and by creating engaging and diverse programs within the community. 

Leadership Training will be conducted in lieu of our regular meeting. Lunch served.

The Little Free Library committee is planning a Little Free Library Pop-Up at Abner Clay Park on Friday, August 9th at 4 pm to mark the celebration of National Book Lovers Day. Club Satellite volunteers will be there for one hour to distribute books.

Shelly Barrick Parsons is the Executive Director for Capital Trees.  Shelly is a graduate of Meredith College (Raleigh, NC) and Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond, VA).  She was drawn to Capital Trees because of her own love of getting outside to walk,  to reflect, and to connect with neighbors and nature. For Shelly, green spaces build and sustain communities, teach us about our responsibility to be careful stewards of the natural world, and provide space for renewal and wellbeing. 

Inter-club Opportunity with Colonial Heights Kiwanis
Colonial Italian Restaurant (CIR Grill), 2510 Boulevard, Colonial Heights

Before taking over the leadership of Metropolitan Business League, a nonprofit association that supports small, women- and minority-owned businesses in Richmond, Miller worked in human services, education and criminal justice and spent 17 years as director of urban programs for Special Olympics Virginia.

Those seemingly diverse jobs shared one commonality: They all gave him the chance to give back.  “I’ve always wanted to be in a role with the opportunity to serve,” says Miller, a New Kent County native who earned degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University. 

Since 2017, Miller has overseen major growth at the MBL, with membership swelling from 150 businesses to more than 900. The league’s operating budget also has grown by 50%, which maximizes its ability to help small businesses, he says. During the pandemic, MBL distributed more than $1 million in critical grants and microloans that helped many local businesses remain afloat.

Kim is a nationally known promoter of social justice who leads Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s advocacy, outreach, and development work. She literally wrote the book on faith-based organizing. Kim joined Virginia Interfaith Center in 2016, where she mobilized a historic faith advocacy campaign and played a leadership role in the statewide Healthcare for All Virginians coalition advocating Medicaid expansion, which passed in 2018. Kim moved to Virginia from Chicago, where she founded and served as executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, the nation’s largest network of people of faith engaging in local and national actions to improve wages, benefits, and conditions for workers. Prior to that, Kim was national organizing director for Bread for the World and an instructor at the Midwest Academy. Born in Cincinnati, Kim has a B.A. in religion from Barnard College and an M.A. in economics from the New School for Social Research.  She was married for 31 years to Stephen Coats, who died unexpectedly in 2013. Their twin sons, Benjamin and Eric, are organizing for economic justice. Kim married David Duvall Orr, a long-time Chicago reform politician in 2017. She is a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, where she sings in the choir. Kim served as the choir director at her previous church for 25 years.

Douglas “Doug” Pick joined Feed More as President and Chief Executive Officer in November 2012. Prior to this role, he spent 12 years as an executive with Capital One in Richmond, where he was highly regarded for his ability to drive complex, corporate-wide change.

Prior to joining Capital One, Pick was a Senior Vice President and Chief Business Information Officer at Central Fidelity. Doug began his career at IBM holding numerous sales, marketing and consulting managerial positions for more than 19 years.

Doug currently serves as the Co-Chair for the VCU Health Equity Steering Committee. Dedicated to the community, Pick has served on numerous local boards, state committees and national task forces including the Chesterfield Public Education Foundation, EduLead (a joint venture between U of R and VCU), Richmond’s Center Stage, Governor McAuliffe’s Council for Bridging the Nutritional Divide and two national task forces for Feeding America – Collaborating for Clients and Innovative Development Practices. Doug received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing/Management at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.