by Charles Hendricks | Feb 12, 2018 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Empathy, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary, team
If you want to make a difference, Rotary is the perfect place to start!
I do a lot of volunteer work. I am not saying that to boast, there is a lot of need, I spend a lot of time serving, and it is barely enough to create a ripple in my community. There is so much need. There is so little time. I do a lot of volunteer work and yet there is so much that remains to be done. We live in an imperfect world and we need more good to happen.
A few years ago a lawyer, Travis Vance, in town asked me to lunch to talk about Rotary. He had heard that I was doing volunteer work and wanted to tell me about his organization. I knew of it, but really did not know the full story. As he spoke about Rotary I could see there was something special about this organization. It turns out that Rotary is magical for those that want to transform their community. It allows a small group of passionate people in Rockingham County to help people across the world. His club, Rockingham County Rotary Club helped people in Limpopo Province of South Africa with a ceramic technology that cleans their water. His club also provides SoapBox Derby cars to kids in town through the Boys and Girls Club. It turns out his club also supports First Step, kids at Christmas through DSS, local parks system, On the Road Collaborative, Ronald McDonald House, Valley Business Keynote, Summer Peace Building Institute, and purchases books for elementary schools to build financial literacy just to name a few things. This small clubs makes a big ripple in the community and around the world. Travis welcomed me to the Rotary experience and asked me to give it a try.
What he did not tell me was that Rotary becomes your family. You build friendships each week. You learn about your community. You partner to make your community better for people you may never meet. You do all this with a diverse group of people: men, women, young, old, and you do it as equals, shoulder to shoulder.
Rotary is built on the 4-way test. It is not an exclusive club that only some can belong to in your community. It is a welcoming group of friends that want to help you make our community a better place. Rotary unites people from all continents and cultures. It allows for the exchange of ideas. It builds friendships and professional connections.
I want to invite you to experience the magic of Rotary. I want to invite you to breakfast with a group of my closest friends. We meet each Tuesday morning at 7am at the Golden Pony restaurant in Harrisonburg. Please come as my guest. If that is too early or the wrong day, don’t be discouraged. There are lunch clubs that meet on Monday and Thursday and a dinner club that meets on Tuesday all in our immediate area. If you don’t live close enough to Harrisonburg, there are clubs around the world. Let me know where you are and I will get you an invitation to your local club.
I really do believe if we all read the 4-way test and acted on it daily this would be a better world. I know if we all built friendships based on a common interest of making our community better we would all benefit. I know Rotary is magic and you deserve to experience it. I know that having you as part of Rotary will make Rotary better. Please let me know where you are and I will help you find the right club of friends that will welcome you with open arms.
by Charles Hendricks | Feb 5, 2018 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, community, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary
It was a true honor to assist the Eastern Mennonite School We Serve club charter at an Interact Club sponsored by the Rotary Club or Rockingham County. This club of exceptional young leaders is 40+ strong and perform at least one service project a month. The club President, Abby Stapleton, leads by example with a smile on her face.
Interact Club and Rotary Club of Rockingham County joined together for lunch. They had a chance to talk and get to know each other before the Charter was presented to Abby by Rotary Club President, Charles Hendricks.
At the Charter Celebration, the club advisor, Wendy Stapleton, organized a service project. The students and Rotarians joined forces to stuff bags for one of our area homeless shelters. The bags included some snacks, activity books, and hygiene products.
This club is built for service. They are focused and motivated!
Interact Clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self.
What are the benefits?
Connect with leaders in your community and around the wold to:
- Take action to make a difference in your school and community
- Discover new cultures and promote international understanding
- Become a leader in your school and community
- have fun and make new friends from around the world
Can I start an Interact Club?
If your school or community doesn’t already have an Interact Club, you can start one. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- A sponsor Rotary Club to provide support and guidance – contact me and I will get things moving
- An adviser from your school’s faculty
- People ages 12-18 from your school or community who are interested in joining the club
- Leaders to organize your club, fine other members, and plan successful projects
by Charles Hendricks | Nov 27, 2017 | artwork, community, First Friday, Local Leaders, Office Culture
Join us for a very special First Friday night before heading downtown to the Harrisonburg Holiday Parade. On December 1st, Santa will join us at the Depot in the R.S. Monger & Sons window and door Showroom. Take pictures with the kids and start your Christmas celebration early. Then join us upstairs for hot chocolate, cookies, and libations. Red Wing Academy will be performing in The Gaines Group Architects office. Brad Striebig will have his photography on display in our gallery. Everyone is welcome!
Take your picture with Santa!
Listen to the Red Wing Academy
First Friday Exhibit: Scenic Shenandoah Mountain
I grew up in a farming community in Pennsylvania and loved the outdoors. I spent as much time as possible in the mountains and waters along the Appalachian mountain chain, ofter with camera in hand. I love the vibrant colors of the seasons throughout this region.
The photographs in this exhibit represent the beauty of this region’s Shenandoah Mountain. Located west of the Shenandoah Valley in the George Washington National Forest, Shenandoah Mountain is one of the largest tracts of wild land in the Eastern United States. Shenandoah Mountain provides diverse wildlife habitat, outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities, and clean water for drinking and aquatic life. It also helps support our local tourism-based economy. Friends of Shenandoah Mountain is a coalition of local citizens, businesses, faith groups, wilderness advocates, mountain bikers, hikers, hunters, and other forest users working to protect the wild heritage of Shenandoah Mountain for future generations. To help provide good stewardship for this unique are visit the Friends of Shenandoah Mountain website to endorse a proposal to make this area a National Scenic Area at:
www.friendsofshenandoahmountain.org
Reddish Knob
First Friday Artist: Bradley A. Striebig, Ph.D.
Photography is something I’ve enjoyed since I was about 6 years old, when my father introduced me to to film cameras. I haven’t put the camera down, although the camera has changed quite a bit, since that first brown plastic Kodak I had as a kid.Over the years, my work has been published in newspapers, calendars, magazines, book covers and numerous websites. I have been fortunate to be able to incorporate photography into service work with Engineers Without Borders and other NGOs. Currently I am working with Friends of Shenandoah Mountain to help conserve this rare wilderness in the Eastern US. Photography has played an important role in documenting various projects in Benin, India, Malta, Rwanda and the Nez Pierce Reservation in Montana. I have also worked with local non-profit organizations, donating services to the Lehman Center, a home for children, and the Interfaith Peace Camp at Eastern Mennonite University.
In addition to photography, I am a founding member and professor in the Department of Engineering at James Madison University. Prior to joining the JMU Department of Engineering I was a faculty member at Gonzaga University where I helped developed the WATER program in Benin. I am also the lead author of Engineering Application in Sustainable Design and Development, published by Cengage Publishing in 2015.
I’ve been blessed with two children who bring home the importance of pursuing sustainability. They also serve as a constant reminder that the pursuit of one’s curiosity can be a fun, exciting and sometimes downright silly pursuit – and also a meaningful journey.
by Charles Hendricks | Nov 8, 2017 | artwork, community, First Friday, Local Leaders, Office Culture
Go ahead and mark your calendar for Santa at the Depot on December 1st. Just like last year, we will host the jolly elf in the Marvin Window and Doors showroom in the downstairs of the Depot on First Friday. Come up to our First Friday Art Opening upstairs for some cookies and hot chocolate (maybe something with a little more kick for the parents) before heading downtown for the parade. We will also have a special performance by Red Wing Academy – you will not want to miss this event.
This now annual event is free and open to all. We have some great parking around our building so it is the perfect place to start your evening of fun downtown. We will open our doors at 4pm and close at 6:30pm so we can all be on the parade route in time to see the JMU marching Dukes. Go Dukes!
Thanks to Monger Lumber for letting us use their space and decorating with a huge 12′ tall tree to make the photos of your kids even more amazing. Our artist for the month is Brad Striebig who will show his amazing photography. I will post more details in the coming days.
by Charles Hendricks | Nov 2, 2017 | artwork, community, First Friday, Local Leaders, Office Culture
Each month for Harrisonburg’s First Friday, we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show and get a tour the Depot! We will have food and drink available!
Artist Statement- Jude Dayton
For many years I have experienced great enjoyment from the creation of art. I started with pen and ink drawings, then progressed to the media of watercolor and oil and finally moved to acrylic. That led me to incorporate collage and encaustic into my creations. Later I developed a business in which I transferred prints of my work onto wearable art. My art has been influenced by my study of art history and by learning from other artists.
I had art shows while living in Annapolis and displayed my art in my studios in both Annapolis and Baltimore. In 2002, I had a month-long one-person exhibit at the French Embassy in the District of Columbia. This show emphasized paintings that had been inspired by Cro-Magnon cave art that I had visited in southern France. Some of my work on canvas is currently displayed in a gallery in Tucson where we lived for several years.
I recently moved from Arizona to the Shenandoah Valley and was inspired to return to painting with watercolors. This month’s exhibit includes some of my latest paintings. Also, I have available stationery cards showing some of my watercolors and prints of earlier works that were influenced by ancient cave art.
by Charles Hendricks | Oct 12, 2017 | Charles Hendricks, citizen architect, Commercial Architect, community, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership, Local Leaders, Office Culture, Rotary
Polio still cripples children around the world. With your help, we can wipe this disease off the face of the earth forever. Join us for a sweet Pints for Polio event at the Harmony Square Dairy Queen on October 24, 2017 from 5pm – 9pm.
Polio is a crippling and potentially infectious disease. It is caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis.
Harmony Square Dairy Queen is located at 1755 Virginia Ave, Harrisonburg, VA 22802.
History of Rotary
Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business professionals in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. It is non-political and non-sectarian organization open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, or political preference.
It was a true honor to assist the 
