RVDW February 2023 Meeting

@ Montano’s, 3733 Franklin Rd SW, Roanoke, VA 24014.
Program begins at 12:OO noon followed by the business meeting.
Please arrive at 11:30 am if ordering lunch.

Roanoke Valley Democratic Women wishes to give special recognition to February as Heart Month and Black History Month.

It is critical that we take care of ourselves, get those check-ups, eat the right foods and, above all, exercise and spend quality time with friends. We have invited special guests today who will be talking with us about establishing those kinds of goals in support of ourselves. Black History month remains a powerful symbolic celebration and a time for acknowledgement, reflection and inspiration. The national 2023 Black History Month theme, “Black Resistance,” explores how African Americans have addressed historic and ongoing disadvantages and oppression. We encourage all of you to become involved and do all that you can to foster an environment where we all are recognized for our abilities and valued for our contributions.

About our speakers: We are pleased to have women who are actively working in our community to further the education and support of us all as community members.

Dr. Karen Perkins is a Carilion family doc and, since 2017 has been the vice director of the Compress and Shock Foundation, a Roanoke based 501-c-3 non-profit, whose mission is to bring free and equitable access to CPR and AED education to all communities, with a specific dedication to those communities most adversely affected by cardiac arrest due to race, ethnicity, primary language, or access to healthcare education. Since 2017, the foundation has trained about 6,000 learners for free and placed about 75 donated AEDs in the community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Meanwhile, Dr. Perkins reports, “Female victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive less bystander CPR and use of an AED than male victims.”

Robyn Mitchell, Eureka Park Artist in Residence and owner of Lovelight Design Studio, works at the intersection of creativity, entrepreneurship, design, consulting, and social justice. Providing design services for a wide range of civic and nonprofit organizations, Robyn is building a broad portfolio of clients while pushing her creativity into new arenas. As an artist in residence, Robyn will engage neighbors and stakeholders in arts-based participation strategies around the development of a new community center in Roanoke’s Eureka Park.

Marlee Coles, is a Texture Expert who specializes in hair color and the MIZANI Aircut. Marlee is extremely active in the Roanoke area in her community and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She also works with the youth in development of programs and education. We welcome Marlee as a visitor and supporter of our community.

The Board of the Roanoke Valley Democratic Women is pleased to welcome you,

Janice Dinkins-Davidson, President

Download Newsletter and Agenda pdf here.