News
Afton Express Logo Unveiled
The logo for the planned Afton Express transit service connecting Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro with Charlottesville and Albemarle County has been unveiled. The HIVE Creative Group of Crozet presented the Afton Express stakeholder group with three potential logos and two taglines for their consideration. Following the presentation, the stakeholders voted to move forward with the logo and tagline shown above which will be used to brand the buses, the website and printed materials.
Grace Blanchard Joins CSPDC Team
Grace Blanchard has been hired as a new planner at the CSPDC. Grace is a recent graduate of UVA’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. She has interned at The Highland Center and was a 2019 Governor’s Fellow for the Secretary of Commerce and Trade. Grace grew up in Highland County and has a deep appreciation and understanding of our region. Grace will be primarily working on community and economic development projects throughout the region. Welcome Grace!
Shenandoah Valley Guide to Reopening Business
To help ensure the safety of our community and to help businesses navigate the new normal, the Shenandoah Valley Partnership along with the region’s Chambers of Commerce, and the Small Business Development Center have created the Work Hard. Work Smart. Work Safe. guide. Included in the guide are many of the recommendations and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal, state, and local resources along with tips and best practices for businesses as they open their doors again to the public.
CERT Volunteers Deliver Masks
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members have made five trips to Rockbridge County to pick up and deliver over 200 masks to Staunton. The homemade masks are being made by the Rockbridge Quilters Guild and will be used by the Staunton-based Virginia COVID task force in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health.
CERT volunteers are members of the community who have gone through a 9-week CERT course provided by the CSPDC and who have volunteered to stay active with the program to help out during natural disasters and emergencies. There are more than 100 active CERT volunteers in the region. Thank you, CERT volunteers, for helping to keep our communities safe during this time!
Rebecca Joyce Receives Outstanding Public Service Award
Rebecca Joyce, CSPDC’s Community Program Manager for over 20 years, received the James Madison University (JMU) John B. Noftsinger Alumni Award for Public Service Excellence. The John B. Noftsinger award recognizes those who actively engage with the community, strengthen social equality, demonstrate personal integrity, promote ethical standards of performance and stewardship, and advance professional excellence in the Shenandoah Valley. JMU held a virtual awards ceremony on May 7, where honorees were celebrated for their public service at JMU, in the JMU alumni community, and throughout the Shenandoah Valley region.
Ms. Joyce was raised in Staunton and is a graduate of JMU, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Public Administration degree. With compassion and a light-hearted and witty personality, Ms. Joyce goes above and beyond in her efforts to achieve positive results within the community. Whether it is a project to assist the entire region, one locality, or even one individual- Ms. Joyce is dedicated to her work and assists every citizen with a smile on her face.