TogetherVA-Tidewater

Make the destination of your weekend drive in the country count for something, Find your place in the WEB of LIFE

Amongst the tall trees of rural Chesapeake VA, deep out on a country road that if I were to venture a guess has seen as many tractors as cars, there is a charming little house that is not too unlike the other charming little homes on that country road. The residents are however not your typical neighbours... Beyond the white picket fence, in the modest cheerful yellow farm house is something of a zoo... chihuahuas, ferrets and chinchillas...  raccoons, gerbils, birds and bunnies along with just about every breed of dog and cat one could image, call Chesapeake Virginia's 1380 West Road home....  turkeys, ducks and a couple of roosters all keep sentry for the stable of 8 horses, 2 fawns, and an emu named Elmo in the barn out back... A sanctuary  for some, a stop on life's journey for others shelters more than 100 animals that make up the WEB of LIFE .

The animal outreach adoption center and educational facility is a worthwhile destination for a weekend ride in the country, a place to take the kids to learn about nature, find a new family friend, give a little something of yourself for a feel good experience volunteering on the 7 acre farm or have some fun learning to ride a horse. The change of venue will change your point of view and state of mind... Come find your place in the Web of Life... 

This afternoon I found my way to this home for forgotten pets, found critters and otherwise displaced wild things...  Arriving a few minutes later than TOGETHERVA.com's resident photographer Cathy Dixson, I found Cathy already in the barn with  The WEB of LIFE ANIMAL OUTREACH's director and founder Jackie Van Horn. Jackie was bottle feeding two fawns and Cathy was capturing some great shots. Jackie was telling the stories of the pair of spotted white tails she was nursing. One had been found floating downstream near the causeway and the other found abandoned or separated from its mother in Williamsburg. Their rescuers got the fawns to Web of Life and to Jackie where they are being lovingly nursed and cared for and will eventually be released onto the 7 acre facility where they will enjoy a full natural life. From all over the region animals come to WoL for care, rehabilitation and if not adoption then reintroduction to the wild. Jackie is a certified wildlife rehabilitation facilitator and former educator for the Virginia Zoo.  

 

The Web of Life is Jackie's passion and life's work. For animals in need Jackie has taken on the unfathomable task of sheltering, feeding, vetting, rehabilitating, for her wild wards, reintroducing to the wild. Strays, abandoned pets, orphaned wildlife and otherwise lost souls find their way to this sanctuary and for salvation and recuperation with hopes that one day they will find a cozy lap, a warm bed and friend that genuinely cares and can share their love. For the animals that have been so fortunate to come to the care of Jackie Van Horn life again holds promise.

 

Walking the facility with Cathy and Jackie, Jackie told us about the organization. The Web of Life, a no kill shelter and haven for displaced critters and creatures, has for the past 4 years lived by the principal belief that all living things are connected and that all of Mother Earth's species form an intricate 'web of life', all are interdependent on one another and whatever fate befalls one shall befall all. 

The Web of Life Animal Outreach is located in rural Chesapeake Virginia at 1380 West Road and houses over 100 displaced animals awaiting adoption. Through the Web of Life's director Jackie' Van Horn's program of keeping the animals integrated, interactive and in a home like environment these animals are ready to join your household today. Fully vetted with all shots, spayed and neutered, healthy and acclimated to both other animals and people the pets available for adoption only need someone like you to fulfill their lives and receive their affection and unconditional love.

 

"One of our main goals is making sure that adopted pets stay part of their new families for as long as they live. Educating the adopting family about their newest member and by offering classes and an adoption kit to help with the adjustment,we hope to find very low to no returns. Every adoption kit includes a new parenting guide filled with helpful tips on integrating a new pet into the household, food coupons, a collar.

No animal will be adopted out until spayed or neutered, references checked and approved by a trained staff member of Web of Life Animal Outreach. All this is done in an attempt to get the animal into the best possible home and ensure that he or she is safe and well cared for through the entire extent of their natural lives."

 

The Web of Life is not only an alternative to pet shoppes or animal adoption centers for finding a new family friend but the facility is a learning place that makes for an ideal outing for families and individuals that wish to come into close contact and connect with the animal kingdom. Currently the two young bottle fed fawns, almost a dozen rascally raccoons, proud wild turkeys, darling ducklings, and the emu, Elmo, provide an insight into the magical world of animals. The experience of connecting to these amazing creatures reminds us of the diversity of Mother Nature's family, our place in it, responsibility for protecting and promoting it and the importance of mindfulness when we venture into the natural world. Respecting nature is protecting nature and respect comes from being informed and through experiencing first hand the majesty of life.

The first hand experience of nature is no more thrillingly realized than learning the symbiotic partnership between mankind and the animal kingdom riding horseback. Respecting the power of the horse is not lost on any rider, novice or well saddled, and the appreciation of the horse's genial willing nature as rider and animal bond is a lifelong lesson on the relationship that man can form with the animal kingdom. At the Web of Life lessons for beginners as young as six are available with parental supervision and experienced riders are welcomed to come and connect with these endearing equines. Perks for volunteers include riding time privileges and is reason enough, I think so anyway, to spend a couple hours filling feed troughs, brushing manes or mucking stalls.

The facility has many needs, the animals of course need care, the organization needs resources and funding, the grounds need tending, the buildings upkeep, maintenance and more buildings are needed to meet demand for space, publicity and public outreach are lacking and a full time staff is required. The overwhelming need can be daunting and for director Jackie Van Horn prioritizing is often a question of where is the greatest need, what resources are available and what is obtainable.

 

Volunteering is the life blood of any organization such as the Web of Life. The need is always there for another pair of hands, strong back, nurturing soul and brilliant mind. Without the few volunteers the Web of Life is blessed with the possibility of going on would be nil to none. The Web of Life has a number of true blessings that Jackie attributes the foundations survival thus far to.

 

Jackie and the animals rely entirely on volunteers and contributions from the public. The Web of Life Animal Outreach is not-for-profit 501(c)3 and even after 4 years of dedication to the community receives no government funding or subsidy. The fiscal needs are 100% up to Jackie to raise and its not easy taking care of 100 animals, maintaining the grounds and buildings, encouraging community involvement, finding volunteers, managing the wonderful volunteers that currently dedicate time to Web of Life to then also have to raise funds. So as with all ventures reliant upon community generosity, especially in times such as these when everyone is feeling a financial stress, things can become rather desperate. Today the Web of Life is looking at a mortgage that has fallen behind, trying to make improvements to the buildings, improve and develop the property, manage the operating expenses of water, electric, telephone and the like, not to mention feeding the animals, vetting, g-d forbid any emergencies arise, marketing and promotions, and insurances. Desperate she may be but determined to make the kind of place in this world that these friends of mankind deserve, Jackie perseveres, but at what cost? Upon meeting this All-American sweet heart, cupids bow mouth and bright blue eyes crowned in golden tresses it doesn't take a moment for one to see the tired in her eyes. The stresses are just barely hidden by her jovial smile and convivial personalty and how she manages to keep intact so well is surely due to the reality that she is living her passion, she is out in the barn, in the kennels, in the animal's company knowing she is doing the right thing.

I am urging all of you to get involved however you can. It wont take much if many of us do our own small part, send a donation, volunteer on the weekend to help with clean up, talk about the foundation to everyone you know, adopt an animal, join the patron's or get your business or organization involved, come out and enjoy some time with our animal friends... and Find your place in the Web of Life

 

 

To become involved with the Web of Life visit www.weboflifeanimaloutreach.com, fill out the volunteer application, attend an orientation or visit the Web of Life facility. They are open to the public Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Noon until 6PM. Donations can be mailed directly to 1380 West Road Chesapeake VA 23323 and credit donations can be made by telephone, 757.718.6447

 

TOGETHERVA.com will be concentrating all of our efforts on publicizing the Web of Life and encourage that our readers pass on this story.

 

 

THE GUARDIAN ANGELS of WEB OF LIFE ANIMAL OUTREACH

(click below to read about the wonderful community of volunteers) 

Old Dominion PRIDE, first steps to a more diverse ODU

Hosting an event for a purpose so very important as expanding a curriculum to include a program of LGBTQ studies is courageous to say the least, to do so in a state where the current political regime is outright biased and has actively campaigned to socially cripple and ostracize the LGBTQ community in institutions of higher education is no less than valiant. - Thank you Tim and Tony for your hospitality and convictions - the Community

Tim Bostic and Tony London of Norfolk Virginia, on Thursday, July 22, 2010 opened their home to a group of about 40 community luminaries making efforts to bring Old Dominion University's curriculum current with the society they are educating. A campaign is underway to raise funding and awareness for an endowment that will provide for a proposed Post-Doctorate position in Gay Cultural Studies, a course not yet offered at ODU.

While five other Virginia Universities currently support, with great success, programs and curricula in sexuality and LGBTQ studies, ODU lags without even a single dedicated faculty member offering courses on LGBTQ issues, sexuality studies or Queer Theory on even a semi-regular basis. ODU needs this position, ODU needs this program, ODU needs to reflect its student body, faculty and the community. As one of Virginia's most acclaimed institutions of higher education and with statistics boasting diversity as a hallmark, ODU cannot forgo the opportunity to join the ranks of competing universities statewide and nationally and truly diversify its curriculum to meet the modern society's needs.

  "ODU offers 66 bachelor's, 69 master's and 24 doctoral degrees through its six colleges: Arts and Letters, Business and Public Administration, Education, Engineering and Technology, Health Sciences and Sciences. Academic programs that rank in the top 25 nationally include oceanography, nuclear physics, and modeling and simulation.

        Our students hail from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Minority enrollment is at 33 percent. Communication and leadership in a diverse environment, along with a guaranteed internship program, are hallmarks of the ODU experience — and offer a true competitive edge to our graduates.

        More than 14,000 undergraduates and nearly 7,000 graduate students study at Old Dominion. Several thousand students take classes at 60 sites throughout the commonwealth and several other states — even on Navy ships at sea — via TELETECHNET, our pioneering program of interactive satellite classroom broadcasts. Recognized as the largest televised, interactive distance learning program of its kind in the nation, TELETECHNET offers more than 25 degree programs." - as reported by respected online source INSIDE HIGHER ED

      

And to meet those needs The ODU PRIDE Post-Doctoarte Advisory Committee has assembled.

The position of Post-Doctorate is a "unique opportunity for emerging scholars to hone their research skills and contribute to a vibrant intellectual community located in an area of the country home to an extensive and diverse LGBT population, which has, until now been largely under-represented and under-served by the University."


The ODU PRIDE Post-Doctorate Advisory Committee, chaired by ODU Former Chief Departmental Adviser  for the Institute of Humanities, and newly inaugurated English department head Dana Heller, Ph.D,  is presently concentrating on an endowment campaign for the proposed Post-Doctoral position in Gay Cultural Studies at Old Dominion.

The board is small but developing a strong foundation with area notables including; Avi Santo, Ph.D. (co-creator of Flow), Michael Hamar (Hamar Law, HRBOR), Lisa Turner, (The Turner Group, Ltd), Charles H. Ford, Ph.D., (Professor of History, NSU), Shannon Bowman (Motley Media Concepts)and co-host Timothy Bostic (Asst. Professor of English Education at ODU).

An early reception gave opportunity for  guests to get acquainted while enjoying the gracious hospitality of Mr. Bostic and Mr. London at their very charming river side home in Norfolk's North Meadow Brook neighbourhood.  An elegant spread of cheeses and tasty morsels prepared by the hosts paired with lovely wines sated after office rumblings and gave everyone opportunity to unwind a bit before the ODU Pride post-doc advisory committee presented their campaign for the post-doctoral endowment.

The evening's program began with some words from Lisa Turner, whose enthusiasm was encouraging and infectious. She spoke of personal perspectives that drew her to this worthwhile endeavor and her introduction of Dr. Dana Heller was most sincerely flattering.

Dr Heller's genuinely inspired confidence in the ability of this small group to achieve their goal was shared by everyone. She spoke of the present and potential, her observations practical and motivations persuasive. Dr Heller rallied that it is the time for this addition to the ODU curriculum, never a more opportune moment than now. She elaborated on the position, the merit of the program and the value to the institution.  

The position of the Post-Doctorate to serve as a liaison between Hampton Roads LGBT community and ODU in addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate classes, also encourages the organization of an annual event that will open a dialogue on relevant LGBT topics at the local level. To bring the community into the University and to bring the concerns and contributions of the LGBT community into the light will do much to promote the transition into a progressive open minded society based on equality rather than subjugated by bias.

The unique aspects of the Hampton Roads area will most certainly allow for an interesting study in cultural and social development. In an area that is known for its openly LGBT disputant, Regency University's founder, Pat Robertson and the largest military instillation in the country, at a time when DADT is being realized as a prodigious and felonious social injustice, Hampton Roads and ODU are at the epicenter of progressive diversification movement that will no doubt be reflected in the student body, faculty and community. All very much on the world stage, as America's religious right wing and military collide with the social momentum of acceptance and equality, institutions will require vibrant cutting edge scholars to engage young minds and focus the public with well considered answers.  The idea of intersecting the different departments within the college through rotating the scholar's positions based on expertise offers an array of interdisciplinary approaches to the studies of  LGBT cultural relevance but also within the exchange, a greater foundation of ideas, knowledge and understanding is promoted.

Special guest speaker and the LGBTQ community's friend in Washington, Delegate Adam Ebbin - Democrat representing Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax - had made his way from D.C. braving the famous Tidewater tunnel and traffic to support and encourage the movement. He reinforced Dr Heller's annotations on the proposed program and offered encouragement and his support.

The men and women who have taken on the task of building the coffers are making their best efforts and in this time of economic woe can only benefit from public outreach. The position will be housed in the Humanities department but rotated across departments in the College of Arts & Letters according to the scholar's areas(s) of expertise. The simple fact is like almost every department the College of Arts and Letters is already under funded and the only possible way to ensure the proposed position and the program is to set out and raise the monies through campaigning and fund raising.

The community's support is invaluable, patrons of course make possible funding, but for those who cannot financially contribute, becoming involved as sponsors of events, even the hosting of a house party or social brings public awareness and attention to the effort that is invaluable. Joining the advisory committee as a member or forming an auxiliary to aid at functions is an enormous help... what ever or however one can contribute makes a potential possible.

To learn more, to become involved and to support this monumental opportunity please visit ODUPRIDE or email info@odupridepostdoc.org

to view pictures of the event visit ODUPRIDE's facebook page by clicking HERE

   

City talks to gay businesses about Phoebus - Topix

June 21, 2010|

By David Macaulay, dmacaulay@dailypress.com | 247-7838

HAMPTON VA —

Could gay and lesbian businesses offer hope for Phoebus as it seeks to recover from the loss of the Army at Fort Monroe in 2011?

It's a scenario that the city of Hampton is exploring as it looks to revitalize the community on the doorstep of the historic post.

Hampton planning officials gathered at a Norfolk meeting of the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association in May. The conference looked at the importance of the gay and lesbian community in revitalizing areas and included a presentation by the Hampton Roads Business Outreach, an alliance of lesbian and gay owned businesses in the region.

Hampton Department of Economic Development invited members of the business outreach group to Hampton on June 9 for a meeting that focused on opportunities in the Phoebus area.

"Economic Development invited HRBOR to visit their offices as they would any professional organization," said Hampton Assistant City Manager John Eagle.

"Hampton has a strong tradition for diversity and innovation and is actively seeking partners to complete master plan development of key areas of the city. HRBOR members have expressed interest in investing in Hampton. However, it is still very early in discussions," Eagle said.

Eagle said group's membership is "typical of the creative class" in that they are highly educated professionals who favor urban settings, an eclectic atmosphere and a diverse assortment of things to do.

He said Phoebus could be an ideal type of community for investment by the Hampton Roads Business Outreach because it has an urban feel and facilities such as a library and the American Theatre.

James Eason, Hampton's director of economic development, said the meeting with about five or six members of the business outreach group had been positive.

"We will talk with anybody who is interested in investing in the communities of our city," he said.

Michael Hamar, a member of HRBOR, said Friday that he welcomed Hampton's attitude.

"I frequently describe Virginia as a particularly non-gay friendly place to live and work," he said.

"Now, for the first time to my knowledge a Hampton Roads city has specifically and enthusiastically sought the engagement of the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community and LGBT investors/entrepreneurs in a revitalization effort."


The Creative Class

Writer and academic Richard Florida in his best-selling book "The Rise of the Creative Class," argues that a vibrant and visible lesbian and gay community marks one of the best predictors of a region's ability to attract a group of workers that he dubbed "the creative class." Areas to benefit from this kind of investment include Ghent in Norfolk and Old Town Key West in Florida.

City talks to gay businesses about Phoebus - Topix.

Tidewater Arts Outreach; The Instruments to Heal Are in Their Hands.

Like most everyone these days, I am on a number of mailing lists and like most everyone, I am selective about which emails I actually open.  One of those mailing lists is that of my friend and national recording artist, Julie Clark.  Julie's email informed friends and fans that she was in the running to be a performer at Lillith Fair in DC, and asked that people go to her website for instructions on how to vote for her.

When I went to her website, I noticed she was performing at The Waterside Listening Room.  This evening as part of the Tidewater Arts Outreach Program, a collaborative effort between artists, venues and volunteers to bring arts programs to those who might otherwise have the opportunity to  experience them.

From their website:

The mission of Tidewater Arts Outreach is to uplift the human spirit by bringing live, quality music and arts experiences to people in Hampton Roads who are in homes, hospitals, shelters, facilities and dependent care programs or otherwise are isolated from society.

Music and arts programs can be beneficial in many ways:

    * They enrich the soul, stimulate the mind and promote wellness through the healing power of music and the arts

    * They provide opportunities for self-expression and self-realization through participation in music and arts activities

    * They create a sense of community and a source of inspiration for our artists by providing them with opportunities to share their talents

    * They provide opportunities for other volunteers to contribute a variety of skills and resources that support our humanitarian services and increase the impact of donor contributions.

In carrying out this mission, we seek to create a social awareness in the Hampton Roads communities of people who are isolated from society.

I arrived at the Listening Room to see nearly a standing-room-only crowd. When the host introduced Julie, he said that it was the largest crowd the Listening Room has ever had. 

Julie was met with rousing applause and opened her set with the familiar Think Too Much, after which I'd Rather, Dangerous and many other crowd favorites.

In the clip below, you can hear her perform Jacket, the song for which she was awarded the Grand Prize at the 26th Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, sponsored by the Songwriters' Association of Washington.

Julie sings music from the heart.  Each song tells a story; a memory, a hope, a glimpse into her life.  Her support of the Tidewater Arts Outreach comes as no surprise.  Although she has a very busy national performing schedule, she always finds time to lend her time and talent to the Hampton Roads Community. To learn more about Julie and see her performance schedule, visit her website at www.julieclark.net.  Julie's next public performance will be on Saturday, June 16th for Music at Monarch Way from 5-7 pm.  It is a free concert on the lawn behind the Ted Constant Convocation Center.  Bring a blanket and your friends and family.

To learn more about Tidewater Arts Outreach, check out their website at http://www.twartsoutreach.org.  Upcoming shows include:

 June 13th Waterside Listening Room – Mercy Creek w/special guest, Skye Zentz
 June 20th Waterside Listening Room – Father's Day Special w/Lewis McGehee
 June 26, 2010 House Concert hosted by Rick Mapp III
      Joe Mapp, lead guitar; Mick  Vaughn, bass; Carson Huggins,
       guitar and drums; Joe McGlohjan, sax; Robert "Muskrat" Earnes, peddle steel
 June 27th Waterside Listening Room – Boogaloo Party w/Bobbie Blackhat Walters