January 2010

Big Brothers Big Sisters Staff Member Receives Master Degree
1/26/10 - Cara Hopson, a Match Support Specialist at Big Brothers Big Sisters in Harrisonburg completed a master’s degree in Career and Technical Education from VPI & SU in December.  Hopson has been employed at Big Brothers Big Sisters since December of 2007 and works with Big-Little “matches” by providing ongoing professional support to the one-to-one mentoring relationships. For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters, please visit www.bbbshr.org.
 

Bridgewater College Selects New President
1/13/10 - The Bridgewater College Board of Trustees announced Monday in a special on-campus meeting that it has unanimously selected George Cornelius as the 8th president of the College.

A seasoned leader in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, Cornelius will assume the presidency on July 1, 2010. He currently serves as Secretary of Community and Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where he oversees a department of approximately 350 employees and 90 state and federal programs and works closely with many of Pennsylvania’s universities, colleges, and communities.
 

RMH and Rosetta Stone Partner for "Biggest Loser" Corporate Challenge
1/13/10 - The RMH Wellness Center has partnered with local company Rosetta Stone, Inc., a leading provider of technology-based language-learning solutions, to create its first corporate “Biggest Loser” challenge, slated to begin Jan. 18.
 
In this 12-week weight-loss challenge inspired by the hit TV program of the same name, participants compete in teams to win cash and other prizes, according to Melissa Stover, RMH Wellness Center wellness coordinator.
 
“We have been offering Biggest Loser challenges for our individual members for three years,” Stover explained. “Because of the program’s great success with our own members, we wanted to create a package that local businesses could offer to their employees in a corporate setting.” The program includes enticements like group workouts and weekly challenges to help participants achieve weight loss goals. Participants receive weekly nutritional tips and earn points for working out, whether at the gym or individually.
 
While Rosetta Stone is the first to take on a corporate ‘Biggest Loser’ challenge through the Wellness Center, we’ve already had brisk interest from a number of other local businesses.”
 
Local businesses interested in offering a corporate “Biggest Loser” challenge to help employees reach their weight loss and fitness goals may call the RMH Wellness Center at 540-564-5694.For more information on the RMH Wellness Center, visit http://www.rmhwellnesscenter.com.
 

National College Accepting Applications for Over $75,000 in Scholarships
1/13/10 - National College is now accepting applications for the Chairman’s and President’s Scholarship awards from graduating high school students of accredited secondary schools. The Chairman’s and President’s Scholarships are funded by the College and awarded to qualified high school seniors who will attend a National College campus. Deadline to apply is April 1, 2010.
 
Up to 20 Chairman’s Scholarships of $2,500 and up to 20 President’s Scholarships of $1,500 will be awarded to students attending any of National’s 26 campuses in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. Awards will be given to seniors whose academic and extra-curricular activities demonstrate promise, a desire to succeed, and a commitment to making a positive contribution to others. Eligible candidates must also show potential for successfully completing a college degree or diploma program with National College.
 
Interested applicants should visit www.national-college.edu and click “Financial Assistance” then “National College-Funded Financial Assistance Programs” for more information or to download a copy of the application form.
 

Immerge Technologies - New Staff Members to Kick Start New Year
1/12/10 - Immerge Technologies, a creative Web design and development agency in downtown Harrisonburg, is starting 2010 with new faces and skills.
 
Immerge is excited to welcome their two newest staff members, Catherine Creasy and Charlie Frank. As Office Manager, Catherine provides administrative support to the project management, design and development teams as well as support for intern recruitment. She received a bachelor’s degree in music from James Madison University in 2005 and a master’s degree in music from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007.
 
Charlie Frank became an intern for Immerge last fall and will now serve as a programmer with the team. Charlie graduated from James Madison University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
 
To find out more about Catherine and Charlie, as well as the rest of the Immerge team, please visit www.immergetech.com/site/team.

Harrisonburg City School Board Seeks Input from the Community
1/12/10 - The Harrisonburg City School Board is asking for community input on the qualifications of a new school superintendent. A survey is available online at http://harrisonburg.k12.va.us/news or a copy may be picked up at the city school offices or at the School Board Office. The deadline for completing the survey is Tuesday, January 26, 2010.  A public hearing will be held for additional public input on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 7:00 PM at Skyline Middle School.
 

Friendly City Food Co-op Nearly Ready to Begin Renovation 
1/08/10 - The Friendly City Food Co-op is a co-operatively owned business about to begin building a natural-food grocery store in downtown Harrisonburg on the corner of Mason and Wolfe.  The store will be unique in several ways: It is entirely owned and funded by the community, it will emphasize locally produced food, and it will carry a wide range of natural, organic and whole-grain foods sourced from sustainable organizations around the world.  It is $200.00 to become an owner of the co-op, an amount that owners can save through owner-only sales and discounts once the store opens.

A membership drive is being held during the month of January in order to complete the capitalization of the project.  The co-op seeks 350 new owner-members as well as $375,000 through loans with a favorable interest rate.

Beginning renovations is dependant on meeting these goals!  Harrisonburg will benefit from the timely building of this store – construction will provide many jobs during this economic downturn, the store itself will support local agriculture and employ 30 people. To become a co-operative owner please visit the web site at www.friendlycityfoodcoop.com or see a co-op representative during their membership drive on Tuesday January 26, 2010.  Benefits of ownership for businesses include listing on The Friendly City Food Co-op web site, up to 4 membership cards entitling 4 individuals to owner sales and discounts, and savings on case-quantity orders.  This is a great opportunity for the Harrisonburg-Rockingham business community to get behind this project that can impact many while enjoying great personal benefits.

The membership drive will take place at the following locations throughout the day on January 26, 2010:
A Bowl of Good Café, 7am-10am
Hardesty Higgins House, 11am-4pm
Artful Dodger, 5pm-7pm.
For more information, contact Deb at 540-746-6032 for more information.