Consortium partners gathered on May 13th in Petersburg, VA to experience and share about the benefits of urban buffers and community engagement. Learn more about our Consortium Meeting in this blog and the Meeting Summary at this link!

Petersburg Is Growing is “a dynamic community-based organization dedicated to revitalizing and transforming Petersburg, Virginia, through sustainable agriculture, youth leadership development, food access initiatives, and community engagement.” 

We were fortunate to have Tyrone Cherry, Executive Director and Founder of Petersburg is Growing, kickoff our May 13th Consortium Meeting by speaking with us about community engagement rooted in intention and authentic relationship-building. Tyrone encouraged us to find the intersection of where our own passion meets community needs, and explore how we can make an impact. 

We welcomed Kit Friedman with the Crater Planning District Commission, Naomi Siodmok with the City of Petersburg, and Matt Whalen with Virginia State University to participate in a panel discussion on partnerships fostering collaboration and urban forestry and environmental programs across the greater Petersburg area.

In addition to the name of an organization and movement, “Petersburg is Growing” is an inspiring reminder that the time we spend investing in our local resources and relationships has a great impact on the strength of our communities.  

We closed out our day with field visits to the Appomattox River Trail and Patton Park led by Elise Neuscheler and Heather Barrar with Friends of the Lower Appomattox River. We are grateful to all of our amazing partners who were involved in planning and who joined to help make our May 13th Consortium Meeting a success!

We hope to see you on September 18th for our next Consortium Meeting at Camp Mont Shenandoah – register here!