Spring 2023 High Vistas

Spring 2023

FRIENDS of the

HIGH VISTAS The Newsletter for members of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge

Letter from the Executive Director

Dear FRIENDS, Happy spring to you all! While the world may have lain dormant during the cold winter months, here at FRIENDS we have been busy as bees preparing to spread our buzz throughout Virginia’s and North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge. As you can see in these pages, we’ve seen the seeds we planted in 2022 take root and bloom in our communities from Waynesboro, Va., to Asheville, N.C. And we’ve begun priming the soil for new seeds to plant in the weeks ahead. All of this is due to your membership, your volunteer efforts, and your charitable donations. Please continue giving your time, talent and treasure here in 2023 so that we can continue protecting and preserving the natural beauty, culture and quality of life of this region we so cherish. And please let me know of ways we can enrich the work you seek to do in your Blue Ridge community. Spring is here!

Our executive director Julie Whalen displays some of the 49 applications we’ve received from seniors hoping to earn a Lynn Davis college scholarship.

Julie Whalen, Executive Director

More FRIENDS updates inside!

reclaiming otter space The Peaks of Otter Chapter, led by Vicki Deppensmith, has partnered with Claytor Nature Center in Bedford, VA to clean and update its Otter Space playground. The group of volunteers took advantage of the winter months to remove leaves, clear debris from the stream and mend the fence. In the coming months, the chapter will rebuild some of the old structures and install new ones like a mud kitchen, a shade structure, tables, benches and a library. It truly is a special place to visit!

Strategic Planning

Our dedicated volunteer Board met in Roanoke February 24-25 to begin work on a strategic plan to guide our mission and vision for the years to come. We are grateful to their dedication and to the Council of Community Services, which provided the expert guidance in

facilitating this process. We look forward to sharing our plan with our volunteers, members and supporters in the months ahead as we all strive to make an even deeper impact in the communities of North Carolina’s and Virginia’s Blue Ridge!

Blue Ridge Jamboree

After a fabulous debut concert in November in Roanoke, we premiered our inaugural Blue Ridge Jamboree fundraiser in Asheville on March 25. Guitar legends T. Michael Coleman, Jack Lawrence, Wayne Henderson, and Jack

those who performed with Doc, were profoundly influenced by his music, and called him a friend. Mark your calendars for November 11 in Roanoke for our second Blue Ridge Jamboree. Stay tuned for details!

Hinshelwood, joined by author and music scholar Dr. Ted Olson, presented to a North Carolina audience their “Doc Watson at 100” concert at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. It celebrated the life and legacy of Doc Watson by

Want to lend a hand? Give us a call at 800-228-7275 or email us at staff@friendsbrp.org.

Raising Funds for Razor’s Edge Skate Park

Not 70-somethings would care about a dilapidated skatepark. But most people aren’t like Joyce Speas, FRIENDS Northern Highlands chapter chair! Joyce, who turned 80 in March, saw the padlocked park in her hometown of Sparta, North Carolina, and wanted to do something to fix it. She drove by the park almost daily and knew it was well-used by kids in the many

community before it was closed. Joyce, the self-proclaimed “cock eyed optimist” enlisted FRIENDS to help fundraise for a new one. We’re just starting a campaign to renovate the Razor’s Edge Skate Park. Thank you, Joyce, for your leadership in helping fulfill our mission of enhancing the quality of life in communities throughout our Blue Ridge!

Promoting Outdoor Activity and Bike Safety

Our new bike racks are rolling out all over Roanoke, Virginia! Thanks to a Cox Conserves Heroes award received by FRIENDS Roanoke chapter member Barbara Duerk, we were able to fund racks at Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP), Vinton Public Library, Burgland Center, Fallon Park, and Explore Park. We hope this initiative to inspire bike safety and accessibility spreads beyond the Roanoke Valley into the other areas our chapters serve. Have a spot in mind? Let us know! Also at Explore Park, FRIENDS looks forward to the May 6 grand opening of our new playground that we funded in partnership with Roanoke County.

30 Students Receive Lynn Davis Scholarships

We have had a phenomenal response from high school students throughout North Carolina’s and Virginia’s Blue Ridge to our inaugural Lynn Davis Scholarship Program! There were 49 applications received from seniors in the region hoping to earn one of the college scholarships. We invested $30,000 in this year’s scholarship program —

named for co-founder Lynn Davis — seeking to support exceptional students who plan to pursue environmental science or cultural studies in college. Our goal is that they’ll one day help sustain the natural vitality and cultural uniqueness of our beloved Blue Ridge communities. A special thank you to the dozen board and chapter

members on the selection committee. They had a tough assignment based on the caliber of talent displayed by the applicants. After their deliberations, 30 students were chosen to receive a scholarship We look forward to introducing you to them in the next High Vista newsletter this summer.

FRIENDS of the

P.O. Box 20986 Roanoke, VA 24018

Blue Ridge Moments

Photographer: Hal Moran