To kick off Black History Month, we are buzzing about Melrose Plaza in the historically African-American community of Northwest Roanoke. It's located in a once thriving Black neighborhood that was decimated in the 1950s and 1960s by discriminatory redlining and eminent domain.

Last time on our show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill talked with E.B. Smith, the new executive director of the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, which is considering a move from downtown Roanoke, Virginia, to Melrose Plaza.

Today Michael chats with Zenith Barrett, vice-president of advancement at Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, which is coordinating the $30 million Melrose Plaza project. Melrose Plaza will feature anchor facilities to create positive change and address the community’s most vital needs – affordable food, healthcare, education for adults, and financial independence.

BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill chats with E.B. Smith, the new executive director of the Harrison Museum of African-American Culture in Roanoke, Virginia. E.B. Smith just started the job at a moment of exciting transformation for the museum, which Is committed to promoting, showcasing, and celebrating the art and history of African Americans for Roanoke Valley citizens and visitors.

Today we're buzzing about Masterpiece Alliance, a Roanoke, Virginia nonprofit with a mission of building community for adults with intellectual disabilities. BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill speaks with Scott Habeeb, who founded Masterpiece AlliancA in part to help people like his daughter who struggle to make friends and find social connections once they graduate from high school. One place where assume they can find community is the church. But as Scott shares, that’s often not the case for a variety of reasons, and his organization has created an upcoming conference designed to fix that.

Are you a nonprofit with an event that we could help promote? Or a marketing problem we could help fix? Contact us and we’ll share on an upcoming episode.

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The United States has more than 1.5 million nonprofits — from homeless shelters, food banks and rescue squads to children’s choirs, science museums and animal refuges — that employ one out of every 10 Americans. Like any company, nonprofits have salaries and bills to pay, a budget to balance. They require money. And if enough people don’t know about them, don’t believe in them, don’t support them — in short, if they lack BUZZ — they suffer and die.

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas! In this episode of Buzz4Good! creator Michael Hemphill shares the recent Christmas concert by the Smith River Singers of Martinsville, Virginia – an incredible nonprofit community choir that we featured this fall on an episode of BUZZ.

On December 9, 2024, the Smith River Singers celebrated its 10th annual Christmas concert by performing "The Messiah" by George Frideric Handel. In celebration of the holiday season we present highlights of the concert, which began with three contemporary Christmas anthems performed by the Smith River Singers' small group, Still Water.

BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill buzzes about coffee in today's Buzz4Good! Specifically, coffee from a Roanoke, Virginia, establishment that is brewed and served by adults with intellectual disabilities. A few years ago, Beth Woodrum founded Chris’ Coffee and Custard to help individuals like her son, Chris, who has Down Syndrome, find meaningful employment and community. Beth recently announced an exciting new venture for Chris’ Coffee and Custard – and her nonprofit that operates it, LovABLE Services – and so on today’s show we share our inspiring conversation with Beth!

Are you a nonprofit with an event that we could help promote? Or a marketing problem we could help fix? Contact us and we’ll share on an upcoming episode.

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FOLLOW US:

F A C E B O O K ➜ http://facebook.com/buzz4good​​
I N S T A G R A M ➜ http://instagram.com/buzz4good​​
L I N K E D I N ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/company/buzz4good
Y O U T U B E ➜ http://youtube.com/c/buzz4good
W E B S I T E ➜ http://buzz4good.com​​
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The United States has more than 1.5 million nonprofits — from homeless shelters, food banks and rescue squads to children’s choirs, science museums and animal refuges — that employ one out of every 10 Americans. Like any company, nonprofits have salaries and bills to pay, a budget to balance. They require money. And if enough people don’t know about them, don’t believe in them, don’t support them — in short, if they lack BUZZ — they suffer and die.

Why would we spend an entire show talking about diapers? Because diapers represent a whole lot more than just keeping a baby dry. So much so that there’s a Roanoke, Virginia nonprofit called Huddle Up Moms that just received among the largest grants ever awarded by the Roanoke Women’s Foundation: $100,000 to create a diaper bank for low-income moms and child caregivers in Southwest Virginia.

This cause is near and dear to the heart of BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill’s because one of the first BUZZ episodes produced in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, starred the nonprofit Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank. So today he talks with Kim Butterfield, Director of Education for Huddle Up Moms, about how the nonprofit landed the grant … and what comes next.

Today we're buzzing about the Blue Ridge Holler hurricane relief concert, held Nov. 24, 2024, in Roanoke, Virginia. Coordinated by the nonprofit Friends of the Blue Ridge, the concert featured 18 different artists who donated their time and talent to raise money for Blue Ridge communities devastated by Hurricane Helene. On today's show we share some of the music from the Blue Ridge Holler – bluegrass, classical, hiphop, Celtic and more!

On today's show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill buzzes about the Blue Ridge Holler, a concert series coordinated by the nonprofit FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge to raise funds for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. We share details about the 10-day series and preview the music of some of the 18 different artists and bands who have generously agreed to donate their time and talent for the benefit concert on Nov. 24, 2024, at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke, Virginia.