Caption: City staff and our partners came together to distribute extra food in Richmond's public housing communities during the federal interruption to SNAP benefits.

Grace under pressure: Holidays in the world of 911 dispatching 

For the powerhouse team that staffs Richmond’s 911 center, a holiday is a workday, just with some extra good food. As the second busiest Emergency Communications Center in the Commonwealth, they answer thousands of calls for help each week, a pace that rarely slows even when the rest of the city does.

“We’re never closed,” says Wadiya Pearson, a 9-year veteran of Emergency Communications. “Some things just don’t change on the holidays. A crash is a crash, babies are still being delivered. We’re not going to do our jobs any different. We might be stuffing turkey in our cheeks between calls, but when a person calls in, they have my undivided attention.” 

Wadiya found her way to emergency dispatching through a family legacy of service. Her relatives have worked in healthcare, law enforcement, and corrections, and so serving her community through emergency

communications felt like a natural fit to her. At the same time, dispatchers need extensive training to take on the massive task of fielding emergency calls.  

Wadiya and her teammates learn early on how to ask the right series of questions for any given emergency to make sure each caller receives the right kind of help, whether that’s an ambulance, fire department support, or a police dispatch. They also learn important skills for helping the caller stay calm during an emergency or how to take care of themselves as they transition out of a difficult call and into the next.  

“Everyone is calling for help, and that’s what we want to give them,” says Wadiya. “We only want to ask you the questions that are most relevant, and the best thing you can do is to answer the questions as they’re being asked. If I need more, I’ll ask, but following the order makes it much easier for us to get help to you.”  



With 9 years of service, Wadiya also notices some trends in calls around the holidays and encourages Richmonders to take some simple steps to protect themselves and loved ones:  

• Be aware of your surroundings. Wadiya says the holidays bring increased visitors to our city, and you might be traveling yourself. That means emergency callers don’t always know the area or the address where they’re staying. 911 dispatchers can pull GPS information, but that can take valuable minutes. “When you get to a new place, think about how you would call for help,” Wadiya suggests.  
• Remove valuables from your car. With shorter days and more holiday shopping, Wadiya notices an increase in calls about thefts from vehicles. If you’ve purchased gifts, make sure to remove them from your vehicle when you park for the night.  
• Use the roads safely. Increased visitors and shopping traffic can also lead to an increase in crashes. Check out the Vision Zero information below, and make a commitment to safe and healthy Richmond streets today!  
• Get that flu shot. Wadiya observes increases in calls for wellness checks and emergency needs for illnesses that have become severe. Stave off serious illness before it begins with your annual flu shot.  
• Meal prep responsibly. Whether you’re cooking with a gas stove or toying with frying that turkey, cold temps and more cooking can lead to gas leaks or structure fires. If you smell gas in your home, call 911 immediately.

Ultimately, Wadiya wants residents to know that when you call 911, you’re reaching someone who cares about you and knows you’re experiencing something frightening or hard. “We’re part of this city, too, and we’re in it with you.”  

Did you know? In the City of Richmond and some surrounding counties, you can also text 911 in the event of an emergency. Learn more about when and how to text.

RACC wants you to foster fail this Thanksgiving 

Are you looking for a cat to cuddle during your post-Thanksgiving food coma? How about a dog who likes to jog for an early morning turkey trot?

Richmond Animal Care and Control has got you covered! Every Thanksgiving, they host a Thanksgiving foster program for residents who are staying put in the City over the holiday. Bonus points if you’re planning to “foster fail” or ultimately adopt the pet you agree to foster. 

RACC Director Christie Peters says this is one of her favorite programs every year: “We know that every year, some folks are spending Thanksgiving alone or away from family, and we have animals who are spending Thanksgiving alone.” She explains that the program also helps shelter staff rotate off to spend some of the holiday with their loved ones while showering a little extra affection on the animals who stay behind.  

Even if you can’t foster this Thanksgiving, Christie wishes more people knew that RACC is a part of our city’s public services. Part of their work in recovering stray animals, behavior assessment, and fostering and adopting is rooted in their charge to preserve public safety. November and December see an uptick in stray animals arriving at the shelter, either because people call with safety concerns or because folks drop animals off.  

No matter the time of year, here’s how you can help RACC fulfill their mission:  

• Reunify before reporting. Christie says that while RACC should be your first call if you come across a sick, injured, or aggressive animal, if you find a friendly stray pet, your first step should be owner reunification. “If you’re going to be an active rescuer, take steps to connect with the owner first,” she says.  
• Consider a RACC animal when you’re looking to adopt or foster. On the weekend of November 22 through 24, Spencer Trucking is covering all adoption fees at RACC—it's a great time to get out and meet your next furry pal! 
• Keep RACC in mind on Giving Tuesday. The RACC Foundation is the non-profit that supports RACC’s work. Donating to the Foundation can help with emergency medical care, volunteer coordination, and even a new adoption center, so that the shelter can care for even more animals who need it.  

Stay up to date on all things RACC by following the shelter on Instagram (@racc_shelter) or Facebook, or by subscribing to their monthly newsletter—they’re all filled with all the cute animal photos you could want!  

“A legacy you leave behind”: Richmond champions small business  

Saturday, November 29 is Small Business Saturday, but don't mark your calendar for just that day. 

“Small Business Saturday should be every Saturday, if you ask me,” says Richmond’s Minority Business Development Director Pat Foster. “Small businesses are important parts of creating a community. When you support a small business, you help your community—they are going to hire and work with the people in your community. And their success does increase the taxes, and that goes back to the community, too, in things like parks, public safety.” 

Pat and her team in the Office of Minority Business Development work diligently behind the scenes to make sure that our business landscapes are strong, especially for folks who might be taking a big new step into entrepreneurship.  

“It’s a scary space to start a business,” explains Lisette Johnson, OMBD’s Programs and Operations Supervisor. “We want people to know there’s someone who’s going to walk them through the steps, who will start a relationship so that we’re with them no matter the hurdle or milestone.” 

OMBD provides a wealth of resources, whether you are considering a new business or you have been in business for a while and are adapting to new technologies:  

• Free classes and workshops. Pat is particularly excited about OMBD’s recent AI class, a new undertaking. And Lisette is proud of classes that teach entrepreneurs what they need to know to do business with the city, other localities, and other government agencies as a vendor or contractor.  
• Personalized, one-on-one support through coaching and business counseling. Entrepreneurs and small business owners meet directly with OMBD staff—professionals who are certified and experienced in areas like contract compliance, human resources, procurement, and small business development. These individualized sessions help business owners identify challenges, explore opportunities, and determine the best next steps for their specific goals and circumstances.  
• Networking, loan, and grant support: OMBD connects their business directory with funding opportunities and businesses looking for partners.  

OMBD’s mission contributes to the Mayoral Action Plan’s “Thriving Economy” goals. Most importantly, the staff sees their work reflecting Richmond at its best: “Every locality has something special, but I feel like the City of Richmond, we wrap our arms around the business owner,” Lisette says, “We are rooting for them, and their success is our success. This isn’t just a paycheck for me and our team, it is a passion.” 

Pat encourages residents to think about their shopping lists ahead of Small Business Saturday and to be intentional about exploring a new small business to pick up things you already need. Together, we’re supporting our local economy and even generational wealth-building. Ultimately, says Pat, “a business is a legacy you can leave behind.”  

Learn more about the Office of Minority Business Development on their website or on their Facebook or Instagram accounts. 

Ahead of holiday travel, take the Safe and Healthy Streets Challenge 

The City of Richmond encourages everyone to take the Safe and Health Streets Challenge, a reminder that we can work as a collective to help keep ourselves and our neighbors safe. As the City continues building out important safety infrastructure—from new ways of using our traffic signals to bump-outs to expanded bike lanes—we each can have a role to play, too.  

Caption: Just like we’re participating in the Safe and Health Streets Challenge, Mayor Avula, Councilmembers, and City workers from all across our agencies came together at the end of October to sign the Vision Zero pledge. By signing, City leadership commits to using all the tools it has to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries.  

A City that Serves: Supporting food access 

While the federal shutdown has ended, families in our communities continue to recover from the experience of being without SNAP benefits. The Community Foundation shares an ongoing list of volunteer opportunities for folks who want to make sure every neighbor has a warm, full meal this holiday season. Find your way to serve there!  

Poet's Corner

This month, Richmond Poet Laureate Joanna Lee shares one of the poems we received during our call for community poetry submissions:  

Pawpaws 

Susan Miller 

Along the Pony Pasture path 

with early eastern sun squinting up the river through the trees 

catching the white bottomed geese  

grazing the James, tails to the sky, 

I heard the sharp knocking of a woodpecker,  

droning cicadas,  

and some sweet unrecognized trilling. 

 Even more sweet, there was a tropical smell. 

 This park by the river is a remnant of old growth Virginia hardwoods, left,  

by some lucky negligence, along the James,  

filled with sycamore and tulip poplars.  

There are trees I do not recognize, having grown up elsewhere.  

My father, born in the South,  

told me about Pawpaws;  

how he and his brothers used to seek them out in season. 

Once, I thought I saw them,  

but found instead small native persimmons. 

As I walked the pony path, I saw  

deep green avocado-shaped fruits upon the ground  

and knew they were the source of the tropical smell. 

I looked up and even larger fruits had not yet fallen.  

Too high to reach,  

I took the soft ones from the path, 

 and carried them home  

to see what my father had known. 

I love the way this poem is deeply rooted in place, engaging the senses: the sunlight through the trees, the sounds of cicadas and birdsong, the smell of the fruit. Through these details, the poet ties “place” to history, to memory, and to family. What could be more Richmond than that? Thank you, Susan! 

Look for more poems from our community in newsletters to come. Keep writing out there! 

--JL 

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