In September, Lynchburg will be hosting the Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference for the first time. It will be held September 18th and 19th at the Holiday Inn in Downtown Lynchburg. In its 15th year, the conference provides educational and mobile workshops, networking opportunities, and guest speakers. In addition, the Neighborhood Awards Program ceremony will be held during lunch on Friday. These awards recognize those who have gone above and beyond to volunteer and make a difference in their community. A Youth Café will also be featured, which aims to encourage youth to become more involved in their communities.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Neighborhoods Reaching for a Better Tomorrow.” The Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference’s purpose is to offer an opportunity for participants to learn best practices, which can then be used to address issues affecting their hometowns. There will be a diverse group of participants from all across the state including government staff, grassroots neighborhood leaders, youth, non-profits, and others whose goal is to improve the communities in which they live and work. Featured speakers include Dr. Basil I. Gooden, the State Director of USDA Rural Development for the Commonwealth of Virginia and Anwar Saleem, Executive Director of H Street Main Street, Inc.
More information can be found on the conference’s website: http://www.vsnc.org
Volunteers are still needed for the event. If you are interested in assisting, please contact Dana Horne atdana.horne@lynchburgva.gov.