Volume 4, Issue 6; June, 2010
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Economic report shows encouraging signs for Lynchburg region
 The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Fifth District June report showed some early encouraging signs for Region 2000.
While the state's employment growth came in at minus .05 percent for
the most recently tracked month of April, the Lynchburg region showed a
positive growth of 0.7 percent. The only other region in the district to show a positive number was Northern Virginia.
Statewide, the unemployment rate went from 6.9 percent in January to
7.2 percent in April, while the state labor force decreased over that
same period. In contrast, Lynchburg's unemployment rate decreased from
8.7 percent in January to 7.5 percent in April, while the labor force
expanded. According to Bryan David, Economic Development Director with
Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership, "This shows me that our region's
businesses are seeing some relief and some have even begun to hire
again. We all know that one month doesn't make a trend, but it's a good
sign that things here are moving in the right direction," he said. See full story and region comparison here.
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Verizon presents grant for youth programsSteve Cronemeyer (left) of Verizon Communications presents a $8,700 grant to Jonathan Whitt.  |
The Future Focus Foundation received a $8,700 grant this month from the
Verizon Foundation for S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and
math) programs targeted toward elementary and middle school students in
Virginia's Region 2000. In connection with the Region 2000 Technology
Council, the Future Focus Foundation will use the funds to provide Lego
education materials and curriculum for use in area schools and
extracurricular Lego programs.
Read full story here.
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James River Implementation meeting to be held June 30
 Portions of eight local streams that
drain from areas of Campbell, Bedford, and Amherst counties and the City of
Lynchburg are listed on Virginia's dirty water list for bacteria.
An Implementation Plan - or watershed
management plan - that outlines activities to reduce bacteria load and meet
water quality standards is being developed and will be discussed with those interested on Wed., June 30 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the Agricultural Building, 163 Kabler Lane, Rustburg.For more information, please contact Kelly Hitchcock, Local Government Council. |
Future Focus EXPO 2010 set for October 12
Reserve your booth space today!
 Virginia's Region 2000 Technology Council will host its annual Future Focus EXPO on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 3-9 p.m. at the Tolsma Indoor Track, Liberty University. The EXPO is a career exploration event for middle and high school students and their parents. The 2009 event brought out more than 1,200 students to participate in technology challenges and learn about promising careers from more than 50 local companies. Don't miss an opportunity to promote your company and reach your future employees.Please contact Janet Walton, S.T.E.M. Workforce Program Manager at jwalton@region2000.org or 434-847-1447 to reserve your space. |
Coalition renovates homes and helps families through a $1 million grant
 A coalition of
non-profits has acquired 10 vacant foreclosed houses in the heart of
Lynchburg for renovation and sale to low to moderate income families. Lyn-Cag,
Rush Homes, Habitat for Humanity and the Lynchburg Neighborhood Development
Foundation are renovating the houses and working with potential buyers to prepare them for home ownership.
The program was made possible through a $1
million grant through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program,
administered locally by Virginia's Region 2000 Local Government
Council.
Contact Grant Massie at 434 845-5678 x 212, or gmassie@region2000.org for more
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WIB sponsors R2 Initiative for area youth
Area teens enjoy a team building exercise.  | The Region 2000 Workforce Investment Board (WIB) sponsored an "R2
Initiative" wrap-up event on Monday, June 21. The R2 Initiative partners with
the YWCA and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lynchburg to provide career
centered education for area youth.
The event featured a
series of team building games at Riverfront
Park in downtown Lynchburg. Afterwards, the 25 teens discussed how
teamwork and trust play into goals and careers, and what they learned. They then enjoyed a pizza party provided by the Region 2000
Workforce Investment Board.
The WIB focuses on creating a quality
workforce committed to life-long learning, which meets the evolving needs of
the business community.
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New web-based tool helps match non-profits to volunteers
 The United Way of Central Virginia announced the creation of One for Another, a new volunteer resource, at a press conference held on Tuesday, June 22.
One for Another is a web-based tool aimed at helping folks match their skills and availability with volunteer opportunities throughout the region. The initiative came from a community-wide needs assessment that involved area leaders and non-profits. Pictured here, L to R: Del. Scott Garrett, City Councilman Turner Perrow, Mayor Joan Foster, Ash Gorman of Big Brothers Big Sisters, B.J. McGraw, change management professional and volunteer who led the project, Marie Martin of United Way and Bryan David, of Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership.
To learn more, visit www.one-for-another.org/
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$16 million given to expand broadband to K-12 schoolsPictured, L to R: Del. Kathy Byron, Bryan David (Region 2000), Rep. Tom Perriello, and Rustburg Principal and Asst. Principal, Lee Shearer and Deidre Washington.  | Children and teachers at 121 K-12 schools in Southern Virginia will soon
have broadband Internet speeds 10 to 1,000 times faster thanks to a $16 million federal grant presented by
Congressman Tom Perriello to Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) to
expand service through 465 miles of new fiber optic cable.The check was presented on June 2 at Rustburg Elementary School with Virginia Del. Kathy Byron, representing the Tobacco Commission, adding an
additional $4 million to the grant. For full story, click here.
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| YPCV announces summer events
 The Young Professionals of Central Virginia (YPCV) will host its next "535" program at Perky's Restaurant, 802 Wards Rd., Altavista, on Thursday, June 24 at 5:35 p.m.
The YPCV will also be the featured organization at the Cocktails for a Pointe event on July 17. The event will take place at Benjamin's at The Pointe Restaurant, located at Mariner's Landing Resort and Conference Center on Smith Mountain Lake. Ten percent of food sales from participants and all bar tips collected from the evening will be donated to the YPCV.
View more information on these and other upcoming events at YPCV here.
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CAER announces professional development seminars  The Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER) will hold two seminars on July 8, 2010. The seminars topics include an Introduction to LabVIEW and Computer-Based Measurements and Industrial Measurements and Control Hands-On Seminar Featuring LabVIEW and CompactRIO. Each seminar is free, and will last three hours. For more information, please click here. |
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 Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership serves 10 localities and is made up of the Economic Development Council, Technology Council, Center for Advanced Engineering and Research, Local Government Council, Workforce Investment Board, and Young Professionals of Central Virginia. Please send comments to tblido@region2000.org.
Traci Blido
Program Mgr./Communication Officer
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www.region2000.org
Follow us on Twitter @VARegion2000 or join Virginia's Region 2000 on LinkedIn or Facebook!
Contact us by phone at (434) 845-2000. |
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