Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT) has won $500,000 through the inaugural Lora M. and E. Claiborne Robins, Sr. Community Innovation Grant. The new annual award will fund one proposal that “celebrates the imaginative, cooperative spirit of Greater Richmond.”
CHAT plans to use the money to support a program designed to increase job training, marketable skills and employment opportunities for youth in North Church Hill. CHAT’s Young Entrepreneurs of Richmond Project includes the purchase of Captain Buzzy’s Beanery as a community and entrepreneurial hub. The project also includes elements intended to enhance the mental and nutritional health of participating youth.
“With this new grant category, we challenged the human services community to think creatively and collaboratively and to dream dreams bigger than they could have imagined,” said Juliet Shield-Taylor, the Robins Foundation board member who chaired the selection committee. “We were impressed with CHAT’s creativity, passion and the potential for making a real difference in the lives of Church Hill’s youth, and we look forward to witnessing the transformation within that community.”
The Young Entrepreneurs of Richmond Project is a multifaceted initiative with a broad scope of elements. A key component involves the purchase of Captain Buzzy’s Beanery, whose space will be utilized for a variety of retail, training and other entrepreneurial activity. The acquisition will allow for the expansion of CHAT’s existing entrepreneur teams, which are currently involved in woodworking, urban farming and screen-printing.
A second piece of the plan involves the development of a work-study program called Project First Job, a program designed to introduce participating youth to marketable job skills through paid positions with partner businesses. A third component focuses on addressing the mental and nutritional health needs of the community’s young people through education, evaluation and counseling.
In addition to funds to pay for the acquisition of the coffee shop, grant monies also will go toward the purchase of pickup trucks and a tractor to support the urban farming elements and two 14-passenger buses to transport students to small businesses as part of their entrepreneurial education.
The grant also will support work stipends for participating youth as well as salaries for new staff positions.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to the Robins Foundation, not just for this grant but for creating this process that invited us to dream big and take risks for our community,” said Caitlin Barnes, communications and development director for CHAT. “It is particularly notable that CHAT students helped develop this dream, presented to the selection committee and were an integral part of helping leverage $500,000 for their community.”
The runner-up proposal was submitted by CodeVA to support a program called Building the Digital Dominion, an initiative that seeks to create greater digital literacy – or computer science literacy – among Virginia’s public school students.
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Jennifer Kidd liked this on Facebook.
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This is huge, y’all / RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/dNxbHzQ19C
RT @jmurden: This is huge, y’all / RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/dNxbHzQ19C
@chpn exciting! I hope the neighbors near captain buzzys don’t pitch a fit
“CHAT wins $500,000 grant, will buy Captain Buzzy’s ‹ CHPN” http://t.co/HjMpQHZG5r
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Whoa! This could be interesting… RT @chpn CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/ISwP8CIwUa
RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
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RT @jmurden: This is huge, y’all / RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/dNxbHzQ19C
Helen Wallace MacDonald liked this on Facebook.
Congratulations CHAT! – A neighbor near Captain Buzzy’s.
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RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
Until I learn more about what retail operation CHAT has in mind, the purchase of Captain Buzzy’s for this organization feels misguided.
RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
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RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
This sounds very interesting! It sounds like they are going to have a retail section. It would be cool if they were going to operate a coffee shop as an entrepreneurial enterprise. I wonder what sort of retail they are considering.
Kelsy Zwanzig liked this on Facebook.
“@chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/ep4po8T7FH” whoa awesome!
Someone please tell me that Buzzy’s will reopen in a new location. The loss of Buzzy’s will torment my soul forever.
Tommy Waterworth I think you’re safe – I think it’s just an “acquisition of the coffee shop”. The way I read it was that it wasn’t going anywhere. I hope Felicia still works there though!
Grace Cowley liked this on Facebook.
Whoa! Huge congratulations Percy & team! RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/Vh4URC1Unu
“@chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/6TLT3Emffk” this is so awesome!! So happy for them!!
Amazing win for CHAT though! Great things are happening here.
That is very exciting! CHAT is an organization that really makes a difference. I hope that Buzzy’s neighbors will be welcoming and supportive.
Eva Colen liked this on Facebook.
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Juliellen Sarver liked this on Facebook.
Incredible news. Congrats!
Great news for the kids, the neighborhood, and especially the immediate area around Buzzy’s.
Words can’t express how amazing this opportunity is for the youth of CHAT. All around Life Changing and Community Engaging! Huge Congrats to the CHAT team and participants.
RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
Is Captain Buzzy’s opening a new store in Church Hill within walking distance of where it is now?
Why can’t CHAT buy another retail space in church hill? They have a place now.
Brett Feinstein liked this on Facebook.
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Alicia Hogue Conrad liked this on Facebook.
Thrilling news! Hope they do not drag their feet about using the money. 😉
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RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
Wow!
this is great news. Well Done CHAT!
Just spoke to Percy (from CHAT).
They will continue to run Captain Buzzy’s as a nonprofit space housing a coffee shop, with a retail component for the products of their urban agriculture, woodworking from Nehemiah’s Workshop, and their silkscreening.
The idea is to have a space where local kids can learn soft skills and specific skills as job training. They anticipate working with area business in a number of areas.
There isn’t a timeline for the changeover as of yet. It seems like right now they are really just wrapping their heads around the fact that this is real 🙂
Robert McEntee liked this on Facebook.
Karen Jo Eckhardt liked this on Facebook.
WOW! this is so awesome. So happy for everyone at CHAT. This type of youth-employment project is perfect for our community. The time is now! So looking forward to getting a cup of joe with the kids, y’all.
Is CHAT buying the building (which isn’t owned by Captain Buzzy’s) or buying the business & leasing the space? The implication is that they’re buying the building but $500k to do this in addition to the mentioned vehicle purchases seems inadequate.
Kudos to whoever organized this. Well done!!!
Shelly Wilkie liked this on Facebook.
That’s so cool! Can’t wait to check it out.
MHB – just the business
Diane L. Harris liked this on Facebook.
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Katarina S H Pace liked this on Facebook.
“@chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/V2ymfjEFps” That’s amazing.
Jennifer Groppuso liked this on Facebook.
Awesome news for CHAT! It’s going to be a great way to provide job training and leverage their other business.
I think this will be a test of how far the neighborhood has come to see if we can accept a minority-operated business with mixed clientele south of broad. Hopefully it will be well received!
Kevin Svensen liked this on Facebook.
FANTASTIC!! Congrats!!!
RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
Julie Ogle liked this on Facebook.
@23 thanks John for the explanation. I agree with everyone who thinks this is AWESOME!
Robins Foundation Awards Inaugural $500,000 Community Innovation Grant to Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT)
http://www.robinsfdn.org/robins-foundation-awards-inaugural-500000-community-innovation-grant-church-hill-activities-tutoring-chat/
This news made my day!
RT @agarciasays: “@chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/V2ymfjEFps” That’s amazing.
This is genius!! Very exciting for the CH area!
Thea Duskin liked this on Facebook.
a WIN WIN for everyone! 🙂
Proud of Y’all for continuing to reach out to our young people in positive life changing ways! I look forward to supporting the venture.
RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
Bianca Leonard liked this on Facebook.
Looks like they might be hiring a farm manager …
A very thoughtful piece John. Congratulations CHAT!
Fantastic news!
I’m so excited to hear this – and to see what they do with the business! This is fantastic news for the kids and the neighborhood.
RT @chpn: CHAT wins $500,000, will buy Captain Buzzy’s http://t.co/yGQB375n5t
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If you haven’t already heard. . . Kudos to #RVA nonprofit CHAT for BIG win on a $500,000 grant!! http://t.co/zG79HegAsk
This is great!!
Honestly, I am sad to lose secular space to another ever-expanding Christian group. As a gay man, it worries me that they might be teaching gay kids that God is disgusted by them. Here’s to hoping their particular form is Christianity is the loving kind.
43, maybe a Muslim group will move in instead. Anyway, I didn’t realize this was a Christian group.
Can someone clarify the religious status of this CHAT group? I, too, share concerns about a religious group taking over (or not, depending on unfolding legalities and landlord-lease issues) a local business, barring further knowledge of whether or not the group discriminates against LGBT Virginians or any other group.
http://www.chatrichmond.org/core-purpose/
I do not see anything limiting in their purpose statement: OUR CORE PURPOSE:
We equip and serve the youth of Church Hill to make transformative decisions.
Thank you Ann for posting that.
Great for CHAT ! They do great things for the young kids!
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