Elaine M. Keniston spent three days rehearsing and then singing before an audience of hundreds at the 2011 Choral Festival near Chicago at the Baha’i House of Worship on May 29, 2011. She joined 198 choristers from Canada, the United States, Africa and Europe for the event, now in its fifth year.

The outstanding architecture of this renowned temple on the shores of Lake Michigan and the beautiful gardens surrounding it, intended for all people to worship in, resonated with the stirring sounds of gospel and classical choral music from many faiths. She reports: “I felt privileged to take a small part. It was a joy and worth all the rehearsing we put in!”

Elaine is a member of the Baha’i Faith and has served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Roanoke County for 18 years. Primary principals of Baha’i teachings are the unity of all religions and of humanity. Daily practice includes eliminating prejudice, prayer and the pursuit of peace.

Everyone is warmly welcome to sing in this festival. For next May, 2012, contact vgilmer@usbnc.org. For more information about the Baha’i Faith, visit www.bahai.us.

Submitted by Elaine M. Keniston.

Tina Harris shares these photos from the Back Creek Elementary School’s Field Day on Monday, June 6.

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I have some disappointing news to report. Each day after work I hike the one mile loop at Happy Hollow Gardens located off of Mount Chestnut Drive in Roanoke County.  As I started down the “Big Oak Trail” I began to think I made a wrong turn. I suddenly realized what was wrong. The three hundred year old oak tree had fallen down across the trail.

Submitted by Mike

Mark Banks, Vice President & Branch Manager, Erie Insurance, Robin Haldiman, CEO, CHIP, and Carly Oliver, Associate Director, Foundation for Roanoke Valley

Roanoke, VA  – Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced  that it has awarded a $2,500 grant from its Community Catalyst Funds to the Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP) of Roanoke Valley for the agency’s comprehensive child safety program.  The grant will enable CHIP to purchase and provide to its many families and children such items as infant and child car seats and child bike helmets, as well as safety gates, socket plugs, cabinet locks and other safety items for the home.
The Foundation’s grant was made possible through a partnership with Erie Insurance, a Fortune 500 corporation headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania.  Erie Insurance was established in 1925 and has grown to become a multi-line insurance company offering home, auto, business and life insurance through branches in 11 states and the District of Columbia.  This year, Erie made the corporate decision to leverage its charitable giving by connecting its many locations with the community foundations in its corporate footprint.
Mark Banks, Vice President and Branch Manager of the Erie Insurance Virginia operations, joined the Foundation in presenting the grant check to Robin Haldiman, CHIP’s CEO.  Banks noted “We are excited about this new partnership with the Foundation and look forward to the relationship growing in the years ahead.  Our employees are passionate about helping children in this community, and given Erie’s long commitment to safety, this grant to CHIP represents a perfect match for us.”
Haldiman added:  “Every year, 14 million children are injured enough to require medical treatment, and 90% of those injuries occur in the home.  Unfortunately, home and child safety supplies are some of the most expensive to purchase and are very rarely donated to CHIP, so while we always address home and child safety issues during home visits with our clients, it is not always possible to provide families with the items they need.  This grant from the Foundation through Erie Insurance is a wonderful resource that will help us ensure the safety of CHIP children.”
Foundation for Roanoke Valley is the community foundation serving this region.  The Foundation has worked for more than two decades to administer and make grants from hundreds of funds on behalf of the community. For more information, visit Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org.

$4,500 grant to assist local high school graduates attend Virginia Western Community College

ExxonMobil has awarded the Virginia Western Community College Educational Foundation $4,500 to support the Community College Access Program (CCAP), a program that provides tuition-free education to qualifying high school graduates from Salem, Roanoke City, and Franklin County. The Foundation is committed to expanding CCAP to cover the entire region including the counties of Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke. This gift, made possible through the ExxonMobil Foundation, will help to expand CCAP and provide much needed funds to support additional students.

“Giving back to our community is a high priority for ExxonMobil and our employees,” Gerald French, Area Sales Manager with ExxonMobil said.  “With a presence of 67 Exxon and Mobil service stations in the Roanoke area, we understand the importance of a quality education and keeping our students local.”

Additional information on ExxonMobil’s community partnerships is available at www.exxonmobil.com/community.

Submitted by Virginia Western Community College.

Dr. Lorraine Lange shares this a photo of Connor, Kennedy and Madison Lange with Elizabeth Crot, Miss Virginia 2011.

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John Wimmer shares this photo gallery from Monday’s 14A softball between South County and Salem in the RAYSA tournament.

Do you have photos from the tournament? Or anything else going on that involves people from Southwest Roanoke County? You can share at news@swo-co.com or use the “share” tool at right to upload 10 at a time.

On June 28, the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors recognized the citizens and officers who saved the life of 4-year-old Quamir Cooper who accidentally fell into a swimming pool earlier this month at the Villages at Garst Creek apartment complex.

During this afternoon Board of Supervisors meeting, 9-year-old Julianna Marquez and 30-year-old Timothy Tilley received certificates of appreciation from the Board members who applauded the two for their heroic actions that day.

The Board also extended its sincere appreciation to Sgt. Jay Matze and Officers Darin Hogan, Ricky Moore, and Bobby Zizelman for their life-saving work that day.
During the presentation, a representative from Senator Mark Warner’s office also presented Juliana, Timothy, and each of the four officers with letters of commendation from the Senator who complimented all of them for their role in saving Quamir’s life that afternoon.

Submitted by Roanoke County

Come to the Headquarters/ 419 Library for Indonesian Batiking on Thursday, June 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Submitted by Roanoke County Library

Stop by for an amazing magic show for the whole family, featuring the magic of Jonathan Austin.

Date:June 30
Time:2:00 PM
Location: Headquarters / 419 Library
Cost:Free

Submitted by Roanoke County Library