Climate Leaders in Action

Photos on this page are provided courtesy of Richmond Love Your Block and ServiceWorks Richmond.

In the summer of 2018, Love Your Block applied for and was awarded the Climate Leaders in Action grant from The Energy Coalition. Our goals with this grant were to:

  • Reduce instances of illegal dumping and blight in Parchester Village.
  • Educate Parchester youth and other community members about the effects of littering and illegal dumping, particularly as it relates to the bay. The bay is the backdrop of Parchester, and its beauty can be taken for granted. We wanted others to value, understand, and take action to care for it now and for generations to come.
  • Beautify and enhance the safety of the entrance to the Parchester Village neighborhood alongside youth and other community members.

The grant supported workshops and the beautification of the entrance at the intersection of Griffin, McGlothen, and Giant Hwy. It also later supported a volunteer day at Nicholl Park and the Richmond Recreation Complex.

At-a-Glance: Climate Leaders in Action Mural

Stage 1: Clean-up & Prep
20181026_124910		Stage 2: Outline20181027_082026Stage 3: Paint-by-Numbers20181027_100412Stage 4: Completed Mural20181103_144229
8/2018 - 10/2018 - Climate Leaders in Action Workshops
In the summer of 2018, Love Your Block applied for and was awarded the Climate Leaders in Action grant from The Energy Coalition.

Over the course of 10 weeks, the Parchester Community Center hosted a series of workshops that taught teenagers about the impact of waste and illegal dumping on the environment. In addition, ServiceWorks Richmond assisted in the effort by weaving in leadership courses throughout the workshops.
10/27/2018 - Make a Difference Day Clean-up & Mural Project
The Climate Leaders in Action and ServiceWorks workshops concluded with a hands-on service project that took place on October 26th and October 27th, on National Make a Difference Day.

Volunteers, including local business SeQuential Richmond, helped beautify the main entrance to Parchester Village by removing weeds, pruning overgrown vegetation, spreading mulch, and installing solar lights.

Additionally, we recruited creative artist Richard Muro Salazar to lead a paint-by-numbers activity to extend the existing mural at the Parchester Village entrance which showcases the bay. We love Richard's work and hope that one day we'll complete the entire wall!

Over the two-day period, about 60 volunteers came out to contribute to the project.
11/2/2018 - CLiA and ServiceWorks Celebration
On November 2nd, ServiceWorks and Love Your Block hosted a celebration for volunteers from the clean-up and mural project as well as participants of the CLiA and ServiceWorks workshops. Volunteers and participants received certificates and bags and/or jackets.

The celebration was a culmination of 2 1/2 months of workshops and service projects.
12/8/2018 - Family Volunteer Day
The Climate Leaders in Action grant from The Energy Coalition also sponsored our Family Volunteer Day, in partnership with Richmond Tool Library and ServiceWorks Richmond. 15 volunteers joined us to clean-up around the Recreation Complex as well as Nicholl Park, collecting about 7 bags of litter. Afterwards, Richmond Tool Library led a “Build Your Own Planter Box” workshop for participants, providing soil and seeds as well. We are grateful for all of our volunteers for helping beautify the area, and we hope that our workshop contributed towards a self-sustaining  community.