September 30, 2023 – “The Truth About IEPs” – A Panel Discussion
This workshop provided a platform for parents to hear from black educators and education specialists to discuss questions/concerns about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Parents left with the tools needed to determine whether their children could benefit from IEP services.
December 1, 2023 – “Spreading the Magic of Christmas” – Donation to Mary Scott Preschool and Housing Families First
December 10, 2023 – “Brains and Bits” STEM Workshop
Students learned how the brain functions by engaging in hands-on activities. This workshop exposed these young ladies to working with an experienced neuroscientist and afforded them the opportunity to conduct a scientific experiment. This workshop provided the young ladies with tools and information regarding the need for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
December 13, 2023 – “Preparing for Tax Season: Tips and Strategies to Maximize Your Tax Return”
This virtual workshop served to educate attendees about the critical role of tax preparation in financial empowerment. Understanding taxes is crucial for financial literacy, empowering individuals to make informed decisions, and optimizing their
financial well-being.
Key Takeaways:
To reduce taxes:
1) Attendees were taught about using Appreciated Assets: By donating long-term appreciated assets (such as company stock), individuals can potentially offset capital gains taxes while supporting charitable causes.
2) Bunching Strategy: “bunching” charitable contributions. By combining several years’ worth of donations into one year, taxpayers can surpass the standard deduction threshold and maximize tax benefits.
3) Contributions to retirement plans above the line deduction (401K, IRAs).
Understanding taxes is crucial for financial literacy, empowering individuals to make informed decisions and optimize their
financial well-being.
Attendees left the workshop with tips to maximize their tax returns and received complimentary tax planning sessions
from VA First Financial.
Guest Speaker: Eric Stamper, Principal Accountant, VA First Financial Inc.
February 2, 2024 – “Go Red for Women”
Each year, more than 50,000 women of color die from some type of cardiovascular disease. More than 50% of African American women
have some type of cardiovascular disease.
On Friday, February 2, 2024, the ladies of National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter celebrated
“Go Red for Women” by snapping a picture of themselves in RED and posting to social media with the hashtag #ncbwrmagoesred.
February 7, 2024 – Virginia Legislative Day
On February 7, 2024, the Virginia chapters of NCBW (Northern Virginia, Prince William, and the Richmond Metropolitan Area) joined forces to advocate on behalf of SB 233 – the Faith in Housing for the Commonwealth Act, HB 224 – Public Schools: Mental Health Awareness Training and Instruction, and SB 642 – Gun Control: Student Safety in the Educational Setting. The event took place at the Virginia General Assembly Building.
Legislative Day Highlights:
- Recognition on both House and Senate floors.
- Engaged with influential legislators, including House Speaker Don Scott, Delegate Briana Sewell, Delegate Luke Torian, Secretary John Little, and Secretary Aimee Guidera.
Virginia Legislative Day is an excellent opportunity to meet with our representatives to share with them the issues that are important to the constituents in our communities.
February 27, 2024 – “How to Stash Your Cash”
Building wealth and understanding personal finances are concepts that should be targeted to young audiences. Sister Sonji Rollins Tucker focused on teaching these lessons to young students, who she helped learn about calculating compound interest, saving and receiving interest, managing dividends. The students learned about the importance of building wealth. Providing young black women with financial education is essential to helping them secure their financial future.
Instructor: Sonji Rollins Tucker, Senior Registered Investment Advisor, SRT Wealth Design Group LLC
March 4th to March 20th – “Invest in Girls” program
The Invest In Girls (IIG) program empowers young women through financial education. NCBW-RMAC participated in the program mentoring 7 students grades 9-12.
One-hour virtual classes covered budgeting, credit, saving, along with interactive sessions with mentors. After participating in the IIG program, girls’ confidence in personal finance topics more than doubles. This confidence helps them prepare for higher education, pursue careers, and build financially stable lives.
During a celebration, NCBW-RMAC presented gift cards from Stockpile.com to the mentees. Stockpile.com is a company that educates young people about the benefits of investing. This experience will continue their education in real time about how to research and purchase stocks, exchange traded funds and mutual funds and building assets securing their future.
March 7, 2024 – “Birthing Resilience: Amplifying African-American Women’s Maternal Health”
On March 7th, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. – Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter hosted a fireside chat on Black maternal health, “Birthing Resilience: Amplifying African-American Women’s Maternal Health,” as a part of the chapter’s ongoing advocacy efforts around health. Set on the campus of VCU at the Alumni House, the evening included key remarks from policy expert and former Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Shawtera Hardy, as well as an expert panel discussion including Dr. Nicole Rankins (OB-GYN), Kenda Sutton-EL (Founder and Executive Director of Birth in Color), and
March 23, 2024 – Virtual Women’s Health Summit: “Heart to Heart: The Heartbeat of Our Heritage”
This panel discussion was focused on cardiovascular health in African Americans in the areas of mind, body, and spirit. Participants left the program informed about topics including how to stay healthy with mindfulness and exercise, the importance of mental health, and how to recognize signs of cardiovascular distress in ourselves and our families. Participants were able to ask questions about their heart health as well as participate in various breathing and mindfulness exercises.
March 25, 2024 – GFAC Workshop on Insurance Careers
NCBW RMAC members and insurance professionals Lenora White-Carter and Tredessa Travers conducted an insurance workshop for Girls for a Change’s Ambassador program. The topics included:
- Defining the Insurance Industry,
- The Importance of Insurance to a Household, and
- Careers in the Insurance Industry.
March 30, 2024 – Roses and Wings Girls Mentoring Etiquette Workshop
The realm of dining and etiquette refers to having proper manners and behavior. In formal dining situations, having proper etiquette or “table manners” are important lessons for young people to learn.
Purpose: The purpose of this workshop was to teach and instill confidence in young girls and teach them proper dining etiquette. The mentees were able to demonstrate the new skills learned during the Phenomenal Women Jazz Brunch which is held annually in April.
Format: NCBW Education Committee member facilitated and lectured on “Table Etiquette
Basics” and followed with a question-and-answer session. Activities were used to visually show
participants how to properly engage in the exercise.
Presenter: Sister Janice Pankey
April 6, 2024 – Phenomenal Women Jazz Brunch
On April 6, 2024, RMAC hosted its annual Phenomenal Women Jazz Brunch to acknowledge Phenomenal Women who are community leaders and advocates demonstrating a positive impact in the Richmond Metropolitan Area community regarding the initiatives of mental health, education, anti-poverty, and anti- domestic violence. Five (5) women from the community were given NCBW RMAC Phenomenal Women Awards. In addition, NCBW-RMAC awarded four (4) College Scholarships to students attending Virginia Union University (VUU) and Virginia State University (VSU), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in the Richmond, Virginia area to help them achieve their educational goals. Each student was awarded $2,500.00
April 6, 2024 – Student Guests from VSU and Franklin Military High School
Students from VSU and Franklin Military High School attend the NCBW RMAC Phenomenal Women Jazz Brunch on April 6, 2024.
April 13, 2024 – “Demystifying Menopause”
The purpose of this event was to address questions and concerns about menopause and discuss how to advocate for our health. Participants were educated about the signs and symptoms of menopause, how it affects us, how to manage the symptoms, and what we can do to ease our journey through this time. Our guest speaker was Dr. Daphne Bazile-Harrison, Medical Director at Bon Secours. Dr. Bazile-Harrison (member) specializes in obstetrics and gynecology.
Participants walked away from the event more educated about women’s health, supplements, and treatment options; some also commented that they were going to commit to taking better care of themselves and share the information learned at the event.
April 23, 2024 – National Virtual Legislative Day: “Empowering Black Voices”
Targeted Initiatives: Legislative advocacy for the following issues:
– Equitable Opportunities
– Voting Rights
– Economic Justice
Key Takeaways:
Clinical Trials
– Advocate for inclusion in clinical trials.
– Seek providers who can recommend patients for trial participation.
– Ask legislators about local investments in diversity for clinical trial.
Voters’ Rights:
– Get voters to the polls.
– Engage with young people to emphasize the importance of voting.
– Stress the importance of voting.
– Address voter apathy as a significant threat to voting.
– Advocate for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
– Advocate for the Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act.
April 27, 2024 – Voter Registration Drive and Economic Development Information Table
On April 27, 2024, the Economic Empowerment Committee participated in the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union Block Party, providing information on economic development services and programs. The Public Policy and Political Action Committee also participated by hosting a voter registration drive for members of the Credit Union and the local community. This event was free and open to the public. Attendees enjoyed music, food, and raffle prizes.
During this event, the Public Policy committee registered voters, educated members of the community on the voting process, engaged young people in conversations about the importance of voting, and engaged with candidates who were running for local office.
May 14, 2024 – “Navigating Your Cash Flow”
Presented in conjunction with Chase, one of our collaborating partners.
Are you tired of financial uncertainty?
Struggling to keep you business afloat?
Look no further!
Our exclusive
“Navigating Your Cash Flow”
livestream event is your compass to financial success.
Unlock the Secrets:
Learn expert strategies to manage cash flow effectively. From negotiating payment terms with suppliers to forecasting
your finances, we’ve got you covered.
Topics covered:
· Cash flow basics · Maximizing cash in · Minimizing cash out · Make cash work for you
Guest Speaker: Chandra Hurst – Vice President – Senior Business Consultant – Chase Business Banking
June 1, 2024 – “Fit and Flourish”
Participants were educated about healthy eating, exercise, and mindfulness. Participants were led in a segment on high intensity training by Sister Markie Jones. Ms. Jones demonstrated how exercises could be modified for different fitness levels. Participants were led in mindfulness exercises by Jalisa Bland and encouraged to make time to exercise daily. Keila Jones showed attendees how to do chair exercises/yoga, while also learning important breathing techniques. Attendees experienced healthy eating which included juicing natural, raw, and high nutrient foods. Participants sampled fresh juices and created their own healthy yogurt bowls. Attendees enjoyed this event so much that they requested that NCBW-RMAC offer more exercise and dance classes in the future.
October 30, 2024 – “Strength in Pink”
On October 30, 2024, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter participated in the fight against breast cancer by hosting an informative panel discussion entitled “Strength in Pink”. Dr. Arnetha Sutton and Angela V. Harris, a breast cancer survivor, shared their knowledge and experiences about statistics, prevention, and disparities among the African-American community surrounding breast cancer.
During this virtual event, guests asked questions about issues such as maintaining breast health, finding breast specialists, preparing for a doctor’s appointment, and current treatment options. Participants noted that the information shared was very informative and helped them to feel more educated about breast cancer awareness.
