Williamsburg Business Appreciation Award Nominations Now Open
The Williamsburg Economic Development Authority annually honors a City of Williamsburg business for its work and dedication to making the city a better place to live, work, and visit, and nominations are now open for the 2025 award, the city announced.
The nomination form can be submitted online, according to the city. Any person or business may nominate a city business for the Williamsburg Business Appreciation Award. Self-nominations are also accepted.
Criteria include:
- A physical presence in the City of Williamsburg
- Demonstrated Staying Power (Open for business in the City for at least 5 years)
- Employ fewer than 100 persons in the City of Williamsburg
- Innovativeness of Product or Service Offered (Illustrations of the creativity and imagination of the nominee)
- Responded Positively to Adversity (Examples of problems faced in the business and the strategies used to solve them)
- Contributions to Community-Oriented Projects
- Exemplary Customer Service (Evidence of customer satisfaction)
- Environmental Sensitivity (Attractive grounds and evidence of having implemented environmentally friendly policies)
Nominations are due on Friday, March 28. The award will be presented at the May 8 Williamsburg City Council meeting. Visit YesWilliamsburg.com/BusinessAward for more information, including a list of past winners and a link to the nominating form.
James City County/Williamsburg CERT Training to Begin April 3
James City County/Williamsburg Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is scheduled to begin April 3.
CERT is a national program designed to educate residents about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and train them in basic disaster response skills. Course material includes disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, terrorism, basic emergency skills and more.
CERT is an all-abilities program. It is available at no charge to all residents of James City County and Williamsburg, age 18 and older. The 35-hour course begins Thursday, April 3 from 6-10 p.m. and will conclude on April 26 with a simulated disaster exercise.
Those who are interested, need more information or would like a full class schedule should visit the website, email Michael.powers@jamescitycountyva.gov or call Emergency Management at 757-565-7617. Class size is limited.
Summer Camp Fair is Back
The 12th Annual Summer Camp Fair is slated for Sunday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the James City County Recreation Center, 5301 Longhill Road.
Come find out about local and regional summer camps, activities, educational opportunities and more at this free event. Camps, designed for youth pre-K through high school age, include sports, science, dance, arts and special interest. Full day, half day and overnight camps options available.
Highlights include giveaways and raffles, games, demonstrations throughout the day and food available for purchase. Register for camps onsite or gather information to take home. Swag Bag giveaways are available to the first 200 attendees. Offered in partnership with WilliamsburgFamilies.com.
For more information, email Kristy Maynor at kristy@williamsburgfamilies.com or Olivia Bada at olivia@williamsburgfamilies.com.
The Home Depot’s Decker Joins The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Board of Trustees
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Board of Trustees recently welcomed The Home Depot Chair, President and CEO Ted Decker as its newest board member.
Decker joined The Home Depot in 2000 and has held numerous leadership positions, including chief operating officer and executive vice president of merchandising.
Colonial Williamsburg has a long history of support from The Home Depot Foundation, a nonprofit supported by The Home Depot, it noted. Since 2017, The Home Depot Foundation has donated more than $1 million to Colonial Williamsburg’s Honoring Service program, which provides free admission to active-duty military, reservists, veterans, retirees, National Guard members and their immediate dependents on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and during National Military Appreciation Month in May. The Home Depot Foundation’s generous support also helps provide discounted Colonial Williamsburg admission tickets throughout the rest of the year, it added.
In addition to serving on The Colonial Williamsburg’s Board of Trustees, Decker serves on Carnegie Mellon University’s Board of Trustees and the Business Roundtable board. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from William and Mary and a master’s degree in business administration from Carnegie Mellon University.
2025 Recreational Trails Program Grant Round Open
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation announced it is now accepting applications for up to $1.7 million in Recreational Trails Program grants through May 6.
The Recreational Trails Program, or RTP, is a federal matching reimbursement program established to construct and rehabilitate recreational land and water trails and trail-related facilities, it said.
For the 2025 grant round, only applications for maintenance, repair and amenity projects on existing land and water trails will be considered, according to DCR. It is anticipated that projects for new trail construction will be eligible again in 2026 and future even-numbered years.
The RTP is an 80-20% matching reimbursement program. Requests must be for a minimum of $25,000 with a minimum total project cost of $31,250. Grantees must be able to fund 100% of their project while seeking periodic reimbursements.
Eligible applicants include:
- Counties, cities and towns
- Park and recreation authorities
- Tribal governments
- State agencies
- Federal agencies
- Nonprofit organizations with support from a governmental body
Applications are due via email no later than May 6 at 4 p.m.
A virtual informational session and application workshop will be held March 25 at 2:30 p.m. Visit this page for more information and to register: dcr.virginia.gov/
For more information, email the DCR Recreation Grants Team at recreationgrants@dcr.
VersAbility Resources Welcomes 2025 Board Members
VersAbility Resources recently welcomed five community leaders to its 2025 Board of Directors.
The newly appointed board members are:
- Raymond Haynes — Superintendent, Hampton City Public Schools
- Retired Rear Adm. Brad Williamson — President and CEO, Perrarus Solutions
- Crystal B. Bright — External Affairs Manager, Dominion Energy
- Howard Hoege, III — President and CEO, The Mariners’ Museum and Park
- Lynn Taylor — President, Zel Technologies
VersAbility provides comprehensive support for individuals with disabilities at every stage of life, offering workforce training and employment programs, early childhood services, residential support and day programs throughout Hampton Roads and beyond.
The announcement comes as VersAbility prepares to launch its 2030 Strategic Plan, aimed at expanding services, workforce solutions and increasing economic and social inclusion for people with disabilities, it said.
For more information about VersAbility Resources, visit versability.org.
JCC to Host Virginia Housing’s Free Homeownership Education Course March 29
Those thinking about buying a home, but not sure where to start are invited to attend a free course on March 29 to learn about the buying process and how to prepare for homeownership.
The course, developed by Virginia Housing, teaches the key steps to homebuying, and industry experts, such as housing/credit counselors, real estate agents, lenders, home inspectors and closing agents, volunteer their time and share their knowledge. Personal finances and credit, loan types, the loan process, working with a real estate agent, the home inspection, the closing process and more will be covered.
The course will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Department of Social Services, 5249 Olde Towne Road.
For more information, contact Jonathan Hines, Housing Specialist, at 757-259-5340, or register at virginiahousing.com/freeclass.
Preservation Virginia’s African American Fellowship Program Accepting Applications
Appications are open for Preservation Virginia’s African American Fellowship (AAF) program, supporting individuals with an interest in preserving African American voices and history. Through support from the Mellon Foundation, fellows will learn the process of preservation, make valuable connections in the industry and conduct research.
According to Preservation Virginia, the goal of the AAF is to help raise awareness and preserve Black historic sites in Virginia by:
- Identifying, supporting and providing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, emerging professionals in preservation-related fields, scholars, creatives and experts in historic, social justice and preservation disciplines
- Amplifying and preserving the full Virginia Story through our Voices Remembered Initiative
- Listing more African American sites in historic designation programs
- Providing participants with a pathway to careers in historic preservation-related fields
Deadline to apply is March 21. The program runs from late May to September 2025 and requires in-person event attendance. Those with questions about the application process should contact Lisa Winn Bryan at lwinnbryan@
Norfolk International Airport unveils ‘Here & There For You’ marketing campaign
Norfolk International Airport announced it launched its latest marketing campaign, titled “Here & There For You,” designed to raise awareness of ORF while strengthening locals’ connectivity to Hampton Roads’ primary commercial airport.
Ads are now appearing on various streaming video and audio platforms, radio, highway billboards and social media channels.
In addition to the ads, ORF will also redesign its website in the coming months and is now using a new URL — FlyORF.com — to better align with industry standards in the U.S. aviation community, it said.
Video examples of “Here & There For You” ads are available at youtube.com/@
The Great American Cleanup March 28-29
The Great American Cleanup is an opportunity to transform neighborhoods and communities into beautiful, healthy spaces, anda great opportunity for residents to locate areas in their neighborhood or a local business location to clean up.
Register here to learn more about cleanup events for York County.
For any of these events, supplies and support are available, the county said. Trash bags, gloves, litter pick up tools, and safety vests can be requested for pick up prior to the Great American Cleanup. Safety guidelines should be followed during any cleanup event, it added.
For more information, call 757-890-3780, or email waste@yorkcounty.gov.
