Talk to your vet about your pet’s normal weight range and avoid longterm complications that arise from animal obesity. Photo: File Photo
I doubt anybody would describe me as physically imposing, but at the risk of tooting my own horn, I do feel confident in my ability to lift a house cat onto an exam table. So when my back strains and I slip loose an involuntary “ungh” as I haul the grudging feline patient off the floor, it’s a good sign that he might be too heavy.
“He’s always been such a big cat,” I’m informed before I even get his paws off the ground, “and he’s not even overweight—he’s just really big.”
This is a valiant attempt at intercepting the conversation before I say that, sadly, it isn’t remotely true. This cat is definitely overweight.
Nobody likes to talk about this. Veterinarians feel like unwelcome nags, and owners feel like they’re being chided at every annual visit. There’s no way to pipe in with, “So, he’s gained another pound and a half” without sounding like a bit of a jerk. In the moment, it just seems so much easier for everybody to look the other way and pretend the cat is totally fine.
The reality, however, is that this has to be discussed. Obesity has become so common in our pets that many people have forgotten what normal animals look like to begin with. They worry that their healthy pets are too skinny.
It’s not a matter of appearances. This is a legitimate health crisis affecting more than one-third of dogs and cats in this country. When you look at the list of problems associated with obesity, it becomes clear that there is no larger threat to the quality of life of our pets than this one.
Obese cats are at substantially increased risk of insulin resistance and diabetes, a frustrating and often expensive problem to manage once it begins. They are also at risk of serious liver disease if any other stress or medical condition causes them to stop eating for a short time. I’ve seen obese cats slip into liver failure for no reason other than their owners left town for the weekend.
Obese animals have difficulty breathing due to all the heft preventing the rib cage from expanding properly. This is of particular concern in tiny dogs with inherently flimsy windpipes, or dogs like pugs that already have trouble breathing on a good day.
But the most insidious effect of obesity in pets is the way it simply stops them from getting around and enjoying life. Even the healthiest dogs are going to develop arthritis as they age, and a lifetime of being overweight accelerates the process. It’s heartbreaking to see these bright, alert dogs foundering on the ground because they just can’t summon the strength to stand, and all the pain medication in the world can’t erase that kind of damage.
I know that people would rather I just not bring it up at all. I see the furtive eyes wondering if I’m going to say it again this year, and I see the look of relief when the conversation ends and we get back to pleasantries. But I promise, this conversation is better than the one about giving insulin shots twice a day or buying a sling to help your dog go to the bathroom. I have to tell you—and your pet needs me to.
Dr. Mike Fietz is a small animal veterinarian at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital. He received his veterinary degree from Cornell University in 2003 and has lived in Charlottesville since.
John Wayne Jordan is back in custody after a brief Gator getaway.
Photo Albemarle Police
John Wayne Jordan, 50, a trustee at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail, disappeared on a John Deere Gator and was on the lam for about 11 minutes from the time he was reported missing until he was captured November 24.
Jordan was working for the Virginia Department of Forestry on Natural Resources Drive and was asked to get a Gator. About an hour later, when he hadn’t returned, Albemarle County Police were alerted at 3:42pm.
Charlottesville Police found Jordan at Jefferson Park Avenue and Monroe Lane at 3:53pm. He’d ditched his jail attire at Stribling Avenue, and the Gator was found at JPA and Shamrock Road, according to police.
Most of Jordan’s lengthy arrest record is for drunk in public charges, but he was serving 18 months in the regional jail for petit larceny and for assaulting an officer in March.
His break for freedom has resulted in additional felony charges, including grand larceny.
Joe Mallory, far right with beard, listens while attorney Scott Goodman debriefs supporters who came to court. Staff photo
Popular youth coach Joe Mallory, 43, made news earlier this year when the Charlottesville Cavaliers were disqualified from the boys National Travel Basketball Association’s championship tournament for playing a girl on the team.
In September, Mallory was in the news again, this time for brandishing a gun near Greenbrier Elementary School. That incident resulted in a felony charge.
According to a Charlottesville Police press release, Mallory stopped a driver who was speeding on Brook Drive. Mallory threatened the alleged speeder, who motioned toward a machete in his front seat. Police say Mallory retrieved a gun out of his parked car and further berated the machete-carrying motorist, who called police.
In Charlottesville General District Court November 19, Mallory pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and received a 90-day sentence, which was suspended on the condition of two years of good behavior.
At least 17 people showed up in court to support Mallory, and his attorney, Scott Goodman, told them afterward that it was because of their presence and their letters of support that the commonwealth agreed to reduce the charge.
Even the arresting officer said outside the courtroom after the hearing, “I didn’t want him to get charged with a felony.”
According to Goodman, Mallory was coaching football when the driver went speeding by. After the driver pointed to his machete, “Joe said, ‘I’ve got something too,’”said Goodman, and the guy sped off in a “reckless manner.”
Goodman said that when Mallory approached the car, he didn’t know the alleged speeder had a machete and he could have had a gun. “If the other man believed he was threatened, he could have shot Joe,” said Goodman. “Joe would be dead and the person who shot him would walk free.”
It’s a felony in Virginia to brandish a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.
“Joe could have called the police and reported [the other driver] for reckless driving,” said Goodman. “Joe approached him in anger. The police want you to let them handle it.”
As a result of the reduced charge, Mallory, who was an alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic boxing team, and 13 years ago opened a boxing club, will still be able to coach and he can still own a gun.
City Councilor-elect Wes Bellamy was one of those who wrote a letter in support of Mallory. “Joe’s a phenomenal person with a lot of heart,” says Bellamy. “I’ve seen him give money out of his pocket to help people. He’s spent thousands of hours coaching. Even in this he was trying to protect some kids.”
For Bellamy, there’s no doubt. “Joe is a good man.”
Overindulged at the table? Bust some moves at DJ Sir RJ’s Thanksgiving Afterparty at The Ante Room on Thursday night. Photo: Publicity photo
When the last slice of pie is in crumbles, and the final quarter winds down on the game, skip the La-Z-Boy kickback and get movin’ with DJ Sir RJ’s Thanksgiving Afterparty. Hip-hop grooves hosted by Blacko & Sunshine are the gravy on a night of boogie from the ’ville with a second helping of music dished out by DJ Flatlinelay.
Thursday 11/26. $15, 10pm. 21-plus. The Ante Room, 219 Water St. 284-8561.
Farah Ibrahim came to Charlottesville in 2008 with her infant daughter as a refugee from Iraq. She is currently a caseworker with the IRC and is a U.S. citizen. Submitted photo
In the week since terrorists waged the largest attack in Paris since World War II, sympathy to the French has been pretty much universal. To Syrians fleeing slaughter in their country, not so much.
On the evening of November 20, two Syrian refugees flew into Charlottesville after Kansas Governor Sam Brownback uninvited them.
“That’s so sad and so unnecessary,” says Charlottesville International Rescue Committee Executive Director Harriet Kuhr. “States technically can’t bar people from their borders because it’s a federal program, but they can delay services. They can make them unwelcome.”
Reaction in Virginia captures the gulf in how this country is handling the idea of Syrian refugees. On November 17, 5th District Congressman Robert Hurt issued a statement of support for the French—and of concerns about admitting refugees.
“Given that our screening process is not nearly as adequate nor effective as it should be, it is imperative that we stop the intake of Syrian refugees at this time,” says Hurt. Two days later, the House voted to add requirements that the heads of U.S. security and intelligence agencies certify that refugees are not a threat.
By the end of the week, 27 Republican governors sent a letter to Obama asking him to suspend resettlement of the 10,000 Syrians he wanted to admit, citing vetting concerns.
Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe did not join the governors who want to slam the door on refugees, and his office issued a statement that says, “Every refugee who is settled in the U.S. undergoes intensive security screening, and the governor has asked Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran to ensure that every proper precaution is taken to keep Virginians safe.”
“Only three states where IRC has offices are still accepting Syrian refugees,” says Kuhr, listing Virginia, California and Washington.
While Roanoke Mayor David Bowers suggested that the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II was a reason to suspend incoming Syrian refugees, Mayor Satyendra Huja issued a statement November 19 reaffirming an October 5 City Council proclamation that Charlottesville is a “welcoming city.”
He said, “In light of disconcerting developments here in Virginia and around the country regarding Syrian refugees, I reaffirm the principles and commitments of the October 5 declaration, which was passed unanimously. I am joined in this statement by our two new City Councilors-elect, Wes Bellamy and Mike Signer.”
His statement has drawn criticism.
“My problem here is one of governance,” says former Jefferson Area Tea Party head Carole Thorpe. “Mayor Huja said it was passed unanimously.” Two days after City Councilor Kristin Szakos read the proclamation in October, Vice Mayor Dede Smith said on the “Schilling Show” on WINA she knew nothing about the proclamation before the council meeting, although she supported it. Councilor Bob Fenwick says he supports it, as well.
It turns out City Council doesn’t really vote on proclamations, according to Huja. “City Council supported it,” he says. And for Thorpe’s calling out his statement that it was passed unanimously, says Huja, “What difference does it make?”
“I think I’ve caught the mayor being disingenuous,” says Thorpe, who adds that proclamations can be used as political tools, and that one delves into international matters. “I don’t agree with proclamations, and that particular one I have issues with,” she says.
Charlottesville has had an International Rescue Committee office since 1998, and during that time it’s resettled around 3,000 people, according to Kuhr. “Refugees are the most carefully vetted immigrants that come here,” she says. They go through a one- to two-year process with security checks, health checks and in-person interviews with Homeland Security, she says, adding that the flood of refugees happening in Europe is not happening here.
And they have to be certified by the United Nations. “They have to have a well-founded claim of persecution to be certified a refugee,” says Kuhr. And people coming from Syria and Iraq have multiple background checks, she says.
“The part that boggles my mind is people thinking these are terrorists,” says Kuhr. “These people are victims of terrorists. They’re fleeing ISIS.” Syria has 4 million citizens who have fled the country, and another 6 million who are displaced inside Syria, where civil war has raged since 2011, and ISIS declared Raqqa its capital.
“That’s a huge displacement, 10 million people not living in their own homes,” says Kuhr. “People don’t do that for fun.”
She says there are much easier ways for terrorists to enter the country than the refugee program. “Every day there are people coming as tourists with no vetting at all,” says Kuhr.
Last week, before the two latest Syrians arrived, Virginia had 25 Syrians in the state, including a family of six that came to Charlottesville in August, says Kuhr. Nationwide, there are around 2,000 Syrians, a number the Obama administration wanted to up to 10,000 following the disturbing image in September of a dead Syrian baby washed up on a Turkish beach.
The message that Americans have to do something to help has turned into, “We’re endangering Americans,” says Kuhr.
She seeks to reassure terrified Americans. “We resettle more refugees than any other country,” says Kuhr. “We have the experience to do it safely.”
Volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician Laura Hedger hopes more people realize they can train to become a volunteer firefighter. Photo: Amy Jackson
The holiday season is a time when giving and sharing is on everyone’s mind. And that is especially true of volunteers who give their time and share their skills with numerous organizations in the community year-round. So many organizations rely on volunteers for not only day-to-day upkeep tasks such as touching up paint or mending fences but running the programs that make a difference in people’s lives.
So how do you find the right place for you? Resources such as the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, a 300-member organization that assists nonprofits with tools, training and connections or volunteermatch.org provide lists of organizations in the community that are always looking for helping hands. Another great resource is United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, which runs our community’s Volunteer Center. The center manages www.cvillevolunteer.org, where individuals seeking volunteer opportunities are matched with local needs.
The best place to start is to think of what you love doing: reading, gardening, acting, raising a dog, cooking, working with children—and then find an organization that matches that. Any hobby or professional skill can translate into the volunteer arena. Here are few groups that rely on their army of volunteers as well as the people who donate their time and talents to give back to the community.
Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department
In one word, volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician Laura Hedger describes the environment at the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department: “robust.”
After an intense workout in the station’s gym and an impressively quick shower, she sits down at a long, marble table to talk emergency response while the rest of her crew prepares a companydinner in the kitchen behind her. The energy is boundless, and Hedger makes it clear that all the funny business that happens behind those walls has its time and place.
“We joke and play a lot,” she says. “We’ll laugh and there’s pranks that are pulled, but at the same time, when it comes to any sort of call, [you’ll see] an entirely different side of the crews.”
Hedger says dealing with people’s lives on a multiple-times-per-day basis seems to have that effect on people. Describing a recent traffic fatality incident—her first call responding as an EMT rather than a firefighter—she says, “You just immediately go into everything you’ve trained for” when that station siren starts to wail. In this case, that meant treating a patient found lying on the road while her fellow responders ripped the doors off a wrecked car in which two other people were trapped. One of those people died that night, and Hedger says you never get used to that kind of call.
“There’s a difference between someone who’s sick and you know they’re going to pass away and someone who’s immediately been taken from you,” she says.
With five crews of about 15 people each rotating every 12 hours during the week and working 48-hour shifts every fifth weekend, Senior Volunteer Firefighter Sean O’Connor says Seminole Trail is the busiest station in the county—and possibly the city, too—though their station covers the smallest response area. The volunteers have the same certifications as Albemarle’s paid firefighters, and out of about 80 members, around 50 percent are UVA students. This station has also recruited a higher percentage of females and minorities, he says, thanks to “forward-thinking chiefs.”
Hedger says she wishes more people realized that anyone can become a volunteer firefighter and that the intensive training is worth it. Though doctors and physicists have come through their station, you certainly don’t have to be one to join the team. After all, O’Connor says, you just have to “put the wet stuff on the red stuff and stay safe.” —Samantha Baars
BY THE NUMBERS
Volunteers: 80
Calls per year: 2,000
Calls per day: 6
Hours of training for
basic-level volunteer
firefighters: 210
Years the station has been
in existence: 38
Number of fire engines: 3
Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle
Meals on Wheels volunteers pack, seal and organize the meals for the volunteer drivers who serve 32 routes Monday through Friday. Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle serves 265 meals five days a week to homebound and in-need clients in Charlottesville and Albemarle County with the help of approximately 40 volunteers each day. Totally funded through donations, grants and fundraising, the nonprofit currently helps people from the age of 23 to 96—there’s no age or income limit on who can receive the meals, although 80 percent of clients are at or below the poverty level. Food accounts for half of Meals on Wheels’ budget; clients are charged for meals on a sliding scale based on income. About 70 percent of the meals are completely subsidized by the program.
The meals are prepared at UVA Hospital through a contract with the University of Virginia Health System, and a dietitian oversees the menus. Clients can choose diabetic, vegetarian, low-salt and other specialty meals as needed. After the food is prepared, it is brought each morning to the Meals on Wheels facility on Rose Hill Drive, where the food stays warm in a steam oven while volunteers pack the meals, seal them and organize them in cooler bags for the drivers to pick up.
But the organization does more than deliver food. It delivers cards and presents to clients on their birthdays, and it also gives Christmas presents and “blizzard bags” that contain non-perishable food in case of inclement weather. After receiving her birthday card, one client called to say how grateful she was—it was the only birthday wish she received that year.
“At the end of the day you feel like you’ve done something worthwhile,” Executive Director Leigh Trippe says.
Volunteer Kevin Kollar, a retired emergency room doctor, delivers meals four days a week (he averages about five routes a week). On this morning, it’s his first day back after returning a few days earlier from Haiti, where he volunteers at an outpatient clinic with the Haiti Mission Foundation.
At each stop Kollar not only delivers meals but chats with everyone, asking them how they are, if they need anything. When one client doesn’t come to the door, he makes a note to tell Meals on Wheels when he returns to the facility so staff can follow up. At another stop, he takes a woman’s garbage out for her. He knows which people on his route request meals be left in coolers by the door and which ones want him to come in for a moment to chat.
One elderly woman breaks into a big smile when she sees Kollar coming through the door after announcing himself. She knew he was going to Haiti and thought he wouldn’t be back for a few weeks.
“I’m so happy to see you!” she exclaims.
At another stop he listens as one of the clients explains that he’s a vegetarian but also is on a low-sugar diet and can’t eat the pasta that’s often included in his meal. Kollar assures him he’ll let Meals on Wheels know so they can accommodate his request.
“I do it because it needs to get done,” Kollar says about volunteering. “People are important.” —Jessica Luck
BY THE NUMBERS
Lunches delivered each day (Monday through Friday): 265
Delivery routes each day: 32
Current volunteer base: 250
Cost per meal: $5.50 (most clients receive meals for free or at a reduced cost)
PB&J Fund
Courtenay Evans, chef and culinary educator with the PB&J Fund, leads a cooking class for children. Photo: Beyond the Flavor
Kids in the advanced cooking class at the PB&J Fund say kabobs, calzones, omelets, soups and bangers and mash are just a few of their favorite dishes they’ve learned how to prepare over the years.
At their home base—a full-sized professional kitchen on East Market Street—and several locations throughout the city, volunteers teach five different types of creative cooking classes for kids in an effort to help them learn their way around the kitchen.
Executive Director Emily Wampler says volunteers are crucial to the nonprofit, which started its cooking program in 2009, and each one brings a unique perspective or ability to connect with the students.
Volunteer Lisa Sheffield, for example, has served the organization for two years. She has a longtime interest in health and nutrition, along with encouraging kids to try new foods and make smart choices when it comes to their diets.
“I was frustrated at my children’s friends’ eating habits,” she says, calling their nourishment “the usual PB&J/mac-n-cheese/pizza diet.” In an effort to expose the children to new diverse choices, she’d prepare dishes made with foods such as leeks and beets. Now that her kids are grown and she has extra time on her hands, Sheffield says she was thrilled to find a way to get back in the kitchen with kids.
Rebecca Vang, a volunteer and global public health major at UVA, says she loves working at the PB&J Fund because her concentration at the university is childhood nutrition, and she’s passionate about cooking, too. Her favorite part about the gig is getting bossed around in the kitchen by the kids—“playing sous chef,” as she calls it.
“Some of my favorite memories are when he tells me what to do,” she says about one of the students in her class. “So he reads the recipe and is like, ‘Chop this,’ ‘Do this,’ and it’s cool to know that he’s growing and gaining confidence.”
At the most basic level, an Explorer starts to learn about culinary arts, nutrition, cooking math and kitchen safety, and by the time he has tested up to a level three, he’s running the show under close supervision by volunteers.
“I think we’re losing a lot of these basic life skills, like how to cook for yourself, how to plan a menu, how to have intuition in the kitchen,” says Vang, “and that a lot of times intimidates people from even going into it in the first place.” —Samantha Baars
BY THE NUMBERS
Students per week: 113
Volunteers per week: 28
Weekly classes: 9 (five different skill levels)
Recipes learned in 15 weeks of Explorers class: 21
The Paramount Theater
John and Theresa Metz, Anna Tatar and Van Cockcroft are four of the Paramount Theater’s more than 200 volunteers. Photo: Rob Garland
If you’ve ever seen a show at the Paramount, odds are you’ve been greeted by a friendly face who takes your ticket and perhaps helps you to the last coveted seat in the balcony section. What you might not have realized was exactly how paramount these individuals are to the theater’s success in thriving as a cultural hub for Central Virginia.
The historic Paramount Theater was originally constructed in 1931 as a grand movie palace and downtown destination. Roughly 40 years down the road, the Charlottesville landmark began to struggle and closed its doors in 1974. Fast forward to 1992—a group of community members purchased the building (under threat of demolition at the time), and the Paramount’s journey to restoration was underway.
Thanks to the efforts of these committed individuals, the theater was reopened in December 2004 as a nonprofit performing arts center. “The Paramount was truly brought back by the community, for the community,” says Director of Marketing Katherine Davis. “The vision [for the Paramount] was to again offer the theater as a home to our community, from high-caliber arts to educational programs for youth.”
This vision continues to be realized, with events that attract regional, national and even global attention while continuing to serve the local community. Of course, none of the theater’s triumphs would be possible without the continual support of community members—particularly the volunteer base.
“We could not put on any of the 250-plus public and private events that are held at the Paramount each year without the help of volunteers,” says Front of House Manager Jenny Hoye. “They are the first people to greet you as you walk through the doors of the theater, and they assist you with every aspect of your experience.”
Luckily, there are citizens such as Gene Haney and his wife, Evelyn, who are eager to be a part of the arts community and add another aspect of delight to every show-goer’s experience.
After retirement, the couple moved in 2009 to Charlottesville from Chicago to be closer to their grandchildren, and started volunteering at the Paramount the same year. The Haneys’ list of volunteer duties includes ushering, taking tickets, greeting patrons, serving concessions, assisting with mailings and often hosting donors and guests in The Founder’s Room. “We also several years ago assumed the responsibility for periodic cleaning of the two popcorn machines,” says Gene Haney. “We are known for that gig.”
The Haneys agree that making friends is a huge perk of the volunteering gig (Gene fondly remembers a chat with his idol, Kris Kristofferson). “Meeting new folks, hearing their stories, seeing the reactions of visitors to the grandeur of the theater, contributing to a very worthwhile endeavor—it’s all pretty terrific.” —Sherry Brown
BY THE NUMBERS
Age of the Paramount Theater: 84
Number of children served by Arts Education Program: 16,000 annually
Number of events since 2004: 1,300-plus
Active event volunteers: 200-plus
Number of events at the Paramount per year: 250-plus
Number of popcorn machines: 2
Live Arts
Daryl Bray says the volunteer program at Live Arts is welcoming to people with a variety of skill sets. Photo: Amanda Maglione
Ever wonder how much work goes into creating the elaborate worlds produced onstage? With everything from designing sets to making them, from ushering for shows and bringing them to life, there is a lot of work to be done. Enter: the dedicated and creative hands and minds of Live Arts volunteers.
Live Arts, which recently began its 25th anniversary season, is a volunteer-driven community theater that has given a home to various forms of drama, dance, comedy, music and performance art since its founding in 1990. The theater strives to put on high-quality shows in hopes of not only entertaining, but also forging and sharing a bond with the local community.
In its very nature, Live Arts is the community. Tracie Skipper, director of engagement at Live Arts, emphasizes the necessity of local participation in the company. “Live Arts would not exist without volunteers,” she says. “Directors, designers, builders, actors, visual artists, board technicians, ushers and teachers are all volunteers.”
With Live Arts’ commitment to the community, there’s little wonder that the volunteers return the sentiment with equal fervor and enthusiasm. Take Daryl Bray, for instance. She’s been a Charlottesville resident for about 25 years and a volunteer at Live Arts for just more than two. A long-held desire to paint sets and curiosity about the world of theater prompted Bray to take part in the monthly volunteer orientation at Live Arts one weekend. Bray was immediately comforted by the buzz of artistic chaos and an inviting atmosphere that she felt had been lacking in other theaters.
“Other attempts around the world of joining a theater always hit a dead end when it felt [like] a small clique-like crowd ruled the theater and outsiders felt like intruders,” she says. “Not at Live Arts! Tracie Skipper met us in the lobby and made everyone [feel] so welcome.”
Bray says that like most volunteers at Live Arts, she does a slew of tasks in assisting with shows. “I tend to stick close to the workshop and help with set design, construction and lots of painting,” she says. “Presently I am the property designer for the upcoming production of City of Angels, a 1940s detective comedy. [It’s] been fun and challenging collecting period pieces [like] old typewriters and large black telephones.” —Sherry Brown
BY THE NUMBERS
Productions since founding: 224
Current active volunteers: 250
Annual volunteers: 1,000
Age of youngest actor: 4
Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA: Pet Therapy Program
Duke, an 8-year-old Chihuahua mix, visits local libraries and nursing homes as part of the Pet Therapy Team program. Photo: Courtesy SPCA
There are few things in life that do as good a job in cheering a downtrodden soul as the calm and loving presence of an affectionate furry friend.
The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA’s Pawsitive Pet Therapy Team was founded in 2012 with the mission to provide professional and experienced pet-assisted activity to a number of places in the local community including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, assisted-living facilities, youth development centers and many others in the area.
Volunteer members and their certified therapy animals (dogs, cats and even rabbits) visit these facilities as a team after passing a Canine Good Citizen class and being approved by an accredited organization. “The SPCA PTT strives to provide services that will enhance the physical and psychological well-being of clients, as well as improve patients’ communications with family, fellow patients and staff,” says Chelsea Mitchell, marketing and promotions coordinator. “It’s a great way to bring animals and people together.”
Mitchell is part of one of the 15 teams in the growing program. “My therapy dog is a sweet 8-year-old Chihuahua mix named Duke who I adopted from Richmond Animal Care and Control five years ago,” she says. “We have been a certified team since the beginning of this year, and we love visiting local libraries and nursing homes.”
The certified SPCA Pet Therapy Teams brighten days at a number of approved care facilities and also provide fun and reading support at local libraries and schools. In doing so, the teams establish personal connections with clients and leave lasting impressions.
Mitchell recounts one visit to the local library where she and Duke met a little girl named Annie, who was terrified of dogs. “Her mom sat her down next to Duke and started petting him as Annie read with her mom. As the story progressed, Annie became more and more confident. Very cautiously Annie began to pet Duke and quickly realized that it was okay,” she says. “After finishing the story, Duke was sitting in Annie’s lap, and she told her mom that she was no longer afraid of dogs.” —Sherry Brown
BY THE NUMBERS
Therapy teams: 15
Years in operation: 3
Facilities in the current rounds: 12
Madison House
Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy (CART), based in Crozet, provides therapeutic riding to members of the community with mental or physical disabilities. Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
When UVA students hear “volunteer” they think of Madison House, a brick building on Rugby Road complete with white columns. A small sign with a bright yellow sun differentiates it from the fraternities and sororities that line the street, and serves as a calling card for all students looking to volunteer in the community.
Madison House was founded in the wake of Hurricane Camille in 1969 and since then has been the go-to place for student volunteers, who can choose activities at 168 different organizations, including walking dogs for the local SPCA, spending time with a younger “sibling” in the community, helping Latino immigrants learn English or helping out at a nearby hospital.
Rachel Winters, the director of community engagement at Madison House, has plans to add even more community partners in the coming year and says the organization’s most meaningful work is to connect UVA students to the community they live in.
“It gets them out of their academic bubble and gets them working with organizations that are tackling societal issues in a real way that are just down the way from us,” Winters says.
Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy (CART) and Let Me Run are two lesser-known opportunities through Madison House that nevertheless make a big impact on those involved.
CART provides therapeutic riding to members of the community with mental or physical disabilities, teaching them fine motor skills and developing trust with animals and volunteers. Both Kate Ferner and Catherine Green, the UVA student program directors for CART, began volunteering their first year at UVA and share a deep commitment to the program.
“It made me feel good to be doing something that I love and working with horses and knowing I was helping people a lot,” says Green. “It’s also really beautiful out there [in Crozet]. It just felt like an escape from UVA and just a good way to give back to the community.”
An average session lasts about an hour, and activities range from steering around cones, playing games such as Red Light, Green Light, completing memorization and concentration tasks, giving the horses a treat (a class favorite) and even singing songs from the Disney animated film Frozen.
Ferner says her favorite part of the program is seeing the students grow. “It’s very cool to watch how confident they become,” she says. “I think one of the most important things you can give somebody is confidence.”
Let Me Run, which just partnered with Madison House this year, is also closely tied to confidence and hopes to empower young boys through a seven-week training program.
Brian Lee, the student program director, says he chose to volunteer with the new program because he saw how valuable it was to local kids in the area.
“It’s just super beneficial to kids in need,” Lee says. “It not only gets them outside and encourages them to exercise daily, it also provides them with valuable life skills.”
With Let Me Run volunteers, the boys stretch, play active games and go for a run together. At the start of the year, the boys were running only a half-mile a practice, but they finished out the program November 7 at 3.1 miles by running in the 5K Run/Walk for Shelter for Help in Emergency. The seven-week cycle is set to restart in the spring.
“It was a great experience,” Lee says, “just seeing that all of these students really care about giving back. It’s encouraging to me that people are still that kind and generous to participate in volunteer service.”—Cara Salpini
BY THE NUMBERS
Different programs offered by Madison House: 168
Madison House volunteers per year: 3,179
Hours served by Madison House volunteers per year: 111,135
Horses in the CART program: 11
Boys participating in Let Me Run: 11
This article was changed on November 25 to correct Daryl Bray’s name.
Gearharts improves upon its chocolate experience with a move to a new shop where you can snack on candy, drink wine and enjoy a slice of seven-layer cake. Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
Gearharts moves into new space, introduces baked goods and coffee bar
For those of you who have passed the now-dark Gearharts Fine Chocolates shop in the Main Street Market, don’t panic—you can still get your hands on all your favorite chocolates, plus a whole new menu of baked goods and other treats. The production side of Gearharts moved to its new Ridge-McIntire location (next to Staples, across from the Omni hotel) several weeks ago, and last week the new larger shop officially opened for business.
Tim Gearhart quietly announced plans for the move back in September, and while he admitted at the time that he’s never been a big fan of change, he’s like a kid in a candy store in the new space. Months of design and construction went into the two-room kitchen (a hot area to make things like the ganache and caramel, and a chocolate room to dip, decorate and package), and he says the extra space will allow them to double or even triple their sales in the coming years.
The chocolate room looks (and smells) like a scene straight out of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and now you can see it for yourself. Gearhart says customers have repeatedly asked if they could look at the kitchen since the shop opened in 2001, and giant windows into the chocolate room let you do exactly that.
The Gearharts menu has expanded to include items like a seven-layer chocolate cake, a chocolate tart featuring candied fruits and edible flowers, double-chocolate cookies and a flourless chocolate torte, with more additions coming soon. There’s also an extensive drink menu that contains “the most decadent hot chocolate in town,” Greenberry’s coffee and il bicerin, a layered chocolate-and-espresso drink that Gearhart promises is unlike anything you’ve had anywhere else in Charlottesville.
And if you’re not sold already, consider the beer and wine list. Wine-and-chocolate pairings are classic, but Gearhart recommends giving a creamy, heavy porter a try with a piece (or several pieces) of dark chocolate, or even a hefeweizen with some toffee. He says the shop will soon offer pairing events in a private space, but in the meantime you can order and enjoy a beverage in the dining room so you can see for yourself whether you prefer a glass of pinot or a pint of porter with your ganache-filled treats.
“The effervescence of beer, it really cleanses the palate,” Gearhart says. “I almost think beer and chocolate are more of a natural fit.”
West Main makeover
It’s been about a month since West Main, A Virginian Restaurant closed. Owner Andy McClure, who also owns Citizen Burger Bar, The Virginian and The Biltmore, said at the time that his plan was to breathe new life into the space and give it a different feel. It’s time for something else, he said, but he wasn’t entirely sure what that something was.
Now, McClure says he’s aiming for a mid-December opening. The building itself has been around since the 1800s, and his plan is to design and decorate in a way that honors its history. He hasn’t yet chosen a name for the space, but says he’s ordered some “cool custom chandeliers, which should help me narrow down the perfect name.” The downstairs area, which used to be stocked with ping-pong and pool tables, will be a speakeasy-style bar, and the upstairs will be “classic and cozy dining.”
Local musician Katie Wood launched the booking company Valence Shows to take on the duty of filling the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar’s live music calendar. Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
“A valence bond is when atoms are held together by the electrons they share. It seemed really fitting for how music events can bring community members together through the things they share,” says Katie Wood, describing her new endeavor, Valence Shows. Under this moniker, Wood is one of the newest live music bookers in town.
Wood’s venue of choice is the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, where she stages bands and solo acts to share their musical stylings. “To me, the Tea Bazaar holds a critical niche in the Charlottesville music community by showing what couldn’t or wouldn’t be put on anywhere else,” says Wood. “This includes fringe genres, smaller acts, more intimate shows and acts by misrepresented performers.”
Though Valence Shows is new to the local music scene, Wood has booked shows in Williamsburg, Virginia, and is a musician herself. She had some help from the previous Tea Bazaar contact in getting the project off the ground. “Annie [Dunckel] from Lap The Miles offered me the Tea Bazaar,” says Wood. “I was one of a list of interested and qualified people. I jumped at the offer, and she saved the spot for me while I was traveling out of the country the past few months.” She launched Valence in October, taking the reins from Lap The Miles. But the story of how bands get to play the Tea Bazaar goes back much further than that.
When Jacob Wolf started Holy Smokes Booking, he was a student at Bennington College. After graduation, he moved back home to Charlottesville and eventually began booking shows at the Tea Bazaar under the same moniker. In 2013, Wolf passed the task of filling the venue’s event calendar to Amanda Laskey, who started her own company named Lap The Miles. In due time, Laskey migrated to New York, but not before showing Dunckel the ropes. Now, Dunckel is stepping away and Wood is taking over, beginning another chapter at the Tea Bazaar.
Born and raised in Nelson County, Wood is connected to the local arts and culture community in more ways than one. In addition to forming Valence, she is a visual artist who draws inspiration from the region. Her prints and collage-like paintings invoke the subtle curves of the Blue Ridge Mountains; her drawings have a folk art quality to them, with an emphasis on lines and texture.
Music, however, is clearly where Wood’s passion resides. Performing under her own name, she plays dreamy, lo-fi tunes with a haunting, fuzzy underbelly that keeps them from being pure pop. She performs locally, and it’s this very detail that makes her such a great fit for the Tea Bazaar. “Having been on the other side of the booking process as a musician, I try to be as good as I can to the artists by responding to e-mails in time, paying them well and just being nice,” says Wood. “What musicians like about the Tea Bazaar is that it’s so personal. It’s just me setting stuff up—there’s no bureaucracy, no overhead.”
This welcoming environment and creative freedom is something the local music scene has come to depend on over the years, at venues ranging from the Satellite Ballroom and The Bridge PAI to the Pudhouse and Dust Warehouse. Musicians and those interested in supporting their work have consistently led the efforts in fostering independent venues and putting on the shows that appeal to a variety of tastes. It keeps Charlottesville’s music scene diverse and vital.
“I’m trying to continue to make this space available,” says Wood. “In particular, I’m working towards creating more chill, queer space, which is something that I feel like Charlottesville needs.”
As Wood gets underway with Valence Shows, another up-and-coming group is working to “showcase touring and local artists that might not necessarily get commercial backing,” according to Andy Dunlap, who, along with Jack Lilienthal, Alexander Tanson and Mike Waite, has recently started arranging shows under the name Dead City.
The Dead City approach is simple and “open-sourced,” according to the four. “We just want people to have fun and get excited about music. We think it will really bring the community and music scene closer together,” says Dunlap on behalf of the team. This means that Dead City shows could more readily be described as underground or punk. Dead City venues can be anything from a parking lot to an under-utilized stage, with wide variation in between.
The group has already booked a handful of shows that represent the local music scene, from rock bands like New Boss to more experimental acts such as analog synthesizer project The Voice of Saturn, and there’s more planned for the coming months. In fact, if all goes well, Dead City will demonstrate that Charlottesville is anything but.
What type of live music is missing in Charlottesville?
Look for the Cavaliers' spell out during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo Bill Ross
This week, families and friends will come together to celebrate Thanksgiving by eating turkey and watching football. For many families, the Macy’s 89th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade will also be on the agenda, and for.Virginia fans, it will be even more exciting. The Cavalier Marching Band will appear for the first time in UVA history as one of 13 marching bands in the parade.
To get to New York, the Cavaliers need to raise $250,000.. All in all, the fundraising process has been fairly successful, with only $13,000 more to go, according to. Ann Lawrence Grasty, the director of university annual giving, who says there have been over 1,000 individual donors, half of whom have never donated to the band before.
The donations ranged from $50,000 matching gifts, $4,000 individual donor gifts, and even 25 cents from a little boy. “Every donation was made with just as much love for the band,” says Grasty.
Associate Director of Bands Andrew Koch says the band has been preparing all year for its performance, which will include an hour-long march routine in front of the more than 3.5 million live viewers at the parade itself, as well as a special performance for the estimated 50 million TV viewers.
“When we’re on TV, we’re actually going to do a spell out,” a marching band tradition at UVA football games, Koch explains. “Our first spell out is going to be NYC, just to say thank you to the city for letting us be there, and then we’re going to transform that to UVA.”
Koch says that all 320 members of the Cavalier Marching Band are looking forward to the event, despite a 2:30am practice the day of the parade. However, the marching band also has UVA’s last two home football games to prepare for on November 21 and 28. While the focus is on the Macy’s performance, “we’re still trying to do everything we can to entertain the folks at home,” Koch says.
He feels confident about the band’s rehearsals so far, saying they’ve been “chipping away at it” for the whole semester.
“They feel a tremendous responsibility to do a great job,” Koch says of the students, “and they’re doing everything they can on top of their exams and classes being busy.”
Cavalier fans watching the parade, in addition to the Virginia spell out, can expect a performance of UVA’s “Good Old Song,” which will be played in the band’s TV performance. Koch hopes that along with the students having a great time, the camaraderie will extend to the viewers.
“Hopefully people will be saying, you know, ‘Hey, that’s our state! That’s our school! That’s our band!’ We just want to give everyone a good reason to be happy to be a Virginian,” Koch says.
Martese Johnson 's lawsuit claims he was "permanently disfigured" during his encounter with ABC agents. Photo: Jackson Smith
Three ABC agents and its director filed a motion in U.S. District Court November 16 to dismiss all seven claims in UVA student Martese Johnson’s $3 million lawsuit stemming from his encounter with agents last March that left him bloody and needing 10 stitches.
Johnson alleges false arrest, excessive force, negligence and battery against special agents John Cielakie, Thomas Custer and Jared Miller in his suit. Against Miller, Johnson makes a further claim of assault.
He accuses the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and its director, Shawn Walker, of negligent supervision and training, and a failure to train or supervise.
In response, the defense claims that as an agency under the control of the commonwealth and not as a single person, the ABC is protected by Eleventh Amendment immunity, meaning a lawsuit cannot be heard against them.
The defense also sought to exempt Walker from the claims made against him by insisting that he “…was not present at the event and there is insufficient evidence to show that he was negligent.”
The physical contact between Johnson and the three ABC officers was reasonable, according to the defense, because they had “probable cause” to believe Johnson was using a fake ID, which is a Class 1 Misdemeanor.
Johnson’s repeated attempts to free himself from the officers restraining him were cited as justification for the amount of force used by the ABC officials, according to the motion.
“The plaintiff performed such acts [pulling away wordlessly from the officers] no less than three times during the stop,” the motion reads. “In a tense and uncertain situation, these acts could have caused a reasonable officer to make the split-second decision that force was necessary to prevent the plaintiff from leaving the scene or to protect his safety.”
The defense further claims that because Johnson received medical treatment after his arrest, it is not “plausible” to claim that the officers had used excessive force in arresting him.
