Benefit Concert to Support Student Musicians Amid Funding Cuts
Soundscapes, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through music, will host a benefit concert on Saturday, June 1, from 2–5 p.m. at The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery in Hampton.
The free, family-friendly event is designed to rally support in the face of significant federal, state and local funding cuts to the arts and youth services, it said.
Soundscapes is a nonprofit music education program based in Newport News that provides daily after-school programs, community ensembles, and summer camps. It says the majority of its students are from low- and moderate-income households, and all programming at Soundscapes is provided either at no cost to families or on a sliding scale, which means the organization relies on community support.
The benefit concert will feature performances by special guest artists, including United Souls, Bobby BlackHat and The Virginia Shellphish Coalition. The house band will be led by Kelly Rossum, an international trumpet artist and associate professor at Christopher Newport University, as well as a member of the Soundscapes Board of Directors.
In addition to performances, the event will feature a raffle, a vendor market, food and opportunities to donate with all proceeds benefiting Soundscapes’ free, daily after-school music programs serving youth across the Peninsula.
For more information, visit soundscapes.org/event/benefitconcert
Abram Frink Jr. Community Center Temporarily Closes For Maintenance
The Abram Frink Jr. Community Center, 8901 Pocahontas Trail in Grove, will be closed June 16-27 for annual maintenance.
According to the county, maintenance will include cleaning the tile floors and carpets in the multipurpose rooms, hallways, lobby, restrooms and locker rooms. The Frink Center, closed on weekends, will reopen Monday, June 30. During the closure, all active Frink Center pass holders may use the James City County Recreation Center, 5301 Longhill Road, during normal operating hours.
The James City County Recreation Center and Abram Frink Jr. Community Center will also be closed on Friday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day, the county said. For more information, call 757-887-5810 or 757-259-4200.
Williamsburg Farmers Market Earns Second Consecutive Gold Certification Status
For the second consecutive year, the Williamsburg Farmers Market has earned Gold Certification Status from the Virginia Farmers Market Association, the city announced.
The Virginia Certified Farmers Market System is a certification program implemented in 2024 that recognizes farmers markets that meet and exceed industry best practices in 11 categories. Gold-certified markets exceed best practices in a variety of categories, such as food safety, food access and community outreach.
The Williamsburg Farmers Market features an average of 40 vendors focused on produce, prepared food, and farm-related products grown or made in Virginia. The market runs on Saturday mornings from March through December and has been serving between 1,000 and 1,500 people on any given Market Day since 2002, according to the city.
JCC Stormwater and Resource Protection to Offer Seminar on Upcoming Regulatory Changes
James City County announced it will host a free seminar on June 13 to review the changes to the Qualified Personnel requirements and discuss how they will impact construction permitting beginning July 1 for those who have questions about the upcoming regulatory changes in stormwater management.
The free seminar will be held at the James City County Recreation Center, 5301 Longhill Road from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
Pre-registration is required. RSVP by June 10 by calling 757-253-6643 or by email.
Grants Available For Programs To Prevent Veteran Suicides and Opioid Abuse
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services is seeking to award $4 million in grants to support service members, veterans and their families’ suicide prevention and opioid addiction services for Fiscal Year 2026.
In 2022, DVS developed the Suicide Prevention and Opioid Addiction Services Program to help end the epidemic of SMVF suicide and opioid addiction and was tasked to build Federal, State, and local partnerships with profit and nonprofit organizations. The SOS program will serve as the steward of these funds and is formally accepting applications through a Request for Applications to establish awards for community-based suicide prevention and opioid addiction services in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Grant funds will be used to promote the use of best practices addressing suicide prevention and/or opioid addiction for SMVF in the following categories: women veterans, homeless veterans, justice-involved veterans, caregiver support, and/or financial stability/literacy.
Eligible applicants must be a for-profit or nonprofit organization or community service provider/organization/locality serving service members, veterans and their families in the commonwealth. For all nonprofit organizations, proof of an IRS 501(c)(3) designation is required at the time of application. To be considered for selection, applicants are to submit a complete response to the RFA no later than May 31 at 11:59 p.m.
To be considered for selection, an applicant must register at grants.dvs.virginia.gov/index.do first to access the grant application. The SOS grants portal uses a unique entity identifier number and an Employer Identification Number. To request a UEI number, visit sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Application assistance tutorials can be found on the SOS grants portal under announcements here.
Virginia Chamber of Commerce Welcomes Two New Team Members
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce recently announced the addition of two new members to its team, Carter T. Whitelow and Sarah Muse. Whitelow has joined as the Vice President of Government Relations and Muse has joined as the Director of Marketing and Brand Management.
Whitelow most recently served as Government Relations Director at Commonwealth Strategy Group in Richmond. Before that, he held a range of government relations roles over several years at Williams Mullen, a leading law firm and lobbying organization in the Commonwealth. Carter holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Muse joins the Virginia Chamber from Transurban, where she played a key role in marketing and communications efforts since 2021. As Director of Marketing and Brand Management, she will lead the Virginia Chamber’s efforts to elevate its brand and expand its outreach to businesses and stakeholders across the Commonwealth and beyond. Muse earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently pursuing her Master of Business Administration at the William & Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
Chesapeake Bank Announces Hire of Commercial Loan Officer for the Peninsula Market
Chesapeake Bank recently announced the hiring of Keith E. Gillespie as Commercial Loan Officer for the Peninsula market.
According to Chesapeake Bank, Gillespie will be located in Newport News Lending Office at City Center at Oyster Point, where he will focus on developing and managing commercial lending relationships, providing tailored financial solutions to businesses in the greater Peninsula region.
Gillespie started his banking career in 2005 and has held significant roles at Heritage Bank, Southern Bank and Trust, C&F Bank and Fulton Bank. He graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, the UVA Darden School of Business and he is an alumnus of Christopher Newport University.
Gillespie’s main office is located at 11820 Fountain Way, Suite 404 in Newport News and can be reached at the office at 757-941-3344.
