I had the most incredible time presenting and speaking at the Ocean Lakes High School’s 2nd Annual Girls Empowerment Summit. There was an incredible mix of girls, and I’m so glad I was able to participate in this forum.

 

Meeting with all girls, and hearing their aspirations reminded me of the being an intern here at WAVY. I wanted so badly to be a reporter but at the time it seemed so incredibly out of reach. But, I’m a firm believer that every big dreams takes a lot of little steps.

 

 When I first discovered I wanted to be a reporter, I reached out to every contact I had, volunteered, took mentor ships, and worked part-time jobs. I set small goals in front of myself to reach that big dream of working here at WAVY. I shared those steps with the girls today.  I hope my story shows them that even their high apple pie hope dreams are possible. And, these girls have some incredible dreams. I talked to three girls who want to be the next Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, and Carrie Underwood but better. I talked to another girl who wants to travel the world studying animals, and another who wants to be in politics. We have some amazing youth in our community.

And talk about a small world after I finished speaking one of my high school principals from Tallwood High approached me. She was in the audience the entire time, and it was nice to reminiscence about the my Alma mater. I also felt really proud to be representing the Class of 2002. It was a good day.

These past four months have gone by really fast. From Hurricane Sandy to Election Day and surviving the holidays it’s been quite an adventure working here at WAVY.

 The first few weeks were a whirlwind of meeting new people, getting used to a new way of doing things,and re-learning Hampton Roads. I am finally feel like I’m getting the hang of things here at WAVY. One of best things about my first few months here at WAVY is the opportunities I’ve had to connect with our young viewers.

 Last month I was invited to read at Southwestern Elementary School in Chesapeake.

I talk to you all on television five days a week, but I was a little nervous about reading to a group of rowdy second-graders. I tried to give the most animated reading of a book called ‘Enemny Pie’ as I could. The book was a great read and had an even better message about  treating others the way you want to be treated. I guess I did well, because the kids asked me to come back and we all vowed to be pen pals throughout the school year. I just received my first package  of letters last week. The letters were so great to read. It amazes me the creativity, and insight these kids have. I’m still in process of reading them, and I can’t wait to send back my responses.

 

 I am also slated to host a ‘Girls Empowerment’ summit at Ocean Lakes High School. As a product of Virginia Beach Public Schools I jumped at the chance to meet with the girls.  The theme is “Be Smart, Be Bold, Be Kind, Be the Change….” I’m very much looking forward to the summit this weekend.

 If I could I would do more meet and greets, and speeches like this. It seems small but I can tell in the faces of those kids at Southwestern that it means so much. A lot of anchors and reporters here take time to volunteers and read to students in the community. And, in a huge way I think it shows kids a wider range of possibilities. It shows them they too can be an anchor, sportscaster, a meteorologist, or a reporter if they wanted to. I know because when I was a kid an anchor from a television station visited my class in high school. And I remember being so captivated by his speech.

 I walked away feeling inspired, and hopeful that I could reach my dreams if I worked hard enough. I want to give that feeling to other kids. They may not want to be in television, but I want them to know they can be whatever they dream if they work hard.

 

Some Virginia Beach teens are reaching out to help the less fortunate.   When I visited Ocean Lakes High School on February 5, 2013, I told them about my mission trip to Haiti and some of the community service programs I participate in and I encouraged them to also give back. Well, they told me about the “Teens For Jeans” program that they were working on.

 

They just sent me these pictures of boxes full of new and gently worn jeans collected at the school.  They received 380 pairs!

The project is part of a larger drive sponsored by Aeropostale.  OLHS dropped off the jeans at the Aeropostale at  Lynnhaven Mall  and they will make sure they get to Union Mission Ministries in Norfolk. Other local schools also collected jeans, and the organization has received 2.5 million pairs to date from across the country,  so this should really benefit a lot of folks who need it!  Maybe you have some jeans to donate? Check out the Teens For Jeans  website for more information.

It was one of our first discussions.  We reported a story involving a child–the details of which matter little five years later.  I wrote a line that described his disability in a way which drew a piercing look from my new co-anchor.  During the commercial break which followed, she politely took issue with the term, “autistic” in reference to the boy’s disability.

“Did you write that?”  she asked.

“Yes.”  I answered, slightly annoyed, with a dash of defensiveness in anticipating a bigger discussion that could only last for the next ninety seconds.

“Autistic–that’s not right!”

Now we hear the camera operator/floor director, “ONE MINUTE.”

“What do you mean?  He has autism!”

“That’s right,” nodding with a wide smile, as if a teacher senses her student is starting to finally get it.

Before I could answer, she looked to the bright studio lights carefully searching for the words to make that gentle “correction.”

“30 SECONDS!” 

“When you say someone is autistic. you’re letting the disability define the person.  It’s better to say, he ‘has autism’ because that is only a small part of who he is.”

“STAND BY!”

We came back to a ”two shot” as I was nodding slightly.  My brain then shifted to the next story, as my co-anchor smiled as if to say, “now you understand.”

That is Alveta Ewell.

She makes her point in a kind manner, but don’t mistake the softly spoken words for a lack of passion.  Alveta has compassion for the underdog,  and while most of us shake our heads over a man convicted of murder, and speak of the family he wronged,  Alveta will also think of others  burdened by a criminal’s choices.   After one particularly violent case,  she once said to me in a solemn tone, “Just imagine what his (the killer’s) mother must be going through.”

Maybe it’s her ability to see  beneath various racial, political, and religious backgrounds  which define mere segments of who we really are.   On the day Andy Griffith passed away, the newsroom was full of stories about Griffith’s life on the Outer Banks, his immense talent as a storyteller, and his underrated ability as a dramatic actor.  Alveta and I settled into a discussion about the iconic land of Mayberry, and its idealized vision of a small rural American town in the 1960′s.  I asked about her impressions of that show growing up, and its portrayal of a friendly, unarmed sheriff in North Carolina during the often violent struggle for equality faced by blacks in the south during the Civil Rights era.   The answer was classic Alveta Ewell.

“The Andy Griffith Show wasn’t about black or white.  We saw it as just people.  They went through situations and learned lessons all of us could relate to.  It didn’t matter that the show didn’t have black characters.  Nobody did then.  That show was about humanity–not white people or black people”

Leave it to Alveta to find a common thread with which to include everyone.   She doesn’t view the world in black, white and other labels we attach to people as defined by skin color or ethnic background.   Some traits run through all of “humanity,” and Alveta sees the world through that prism.  That quality made her a special member of the WAVY family.  I’ll miss her compassionate storytelling,  and monster smile that always made the WAVY newsroom a brighter place.

When she announced her decision to leave WAVY after nearly 25 years, we shared a few tears, and I told her that I will be forever grateful for her kindness during my first years in a new place.  Alveta’s  acceptance of me helped me connect with many of you.  It’s how kindness works; it spreads through example–one which we see everyday at WAVY through the humanity of  Alveta Ewell.

It’s becoming an annual tradition:  Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach invites me to be a guest speaker during its Founders Week.

The theme changes every year. This year’s  was “Beyond These Walls”.  During my visit on February 5, 2013 I started by reading some quotes. These are just a few:

“Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men.” — W. E. B. Du Bois

“Home is any four walls that enclose the right person.” — Helen Rowland

And I asked my Facebook friends what they would share with the kids and Darnell Jordan posted this,   “As I stood at on your High School door entrance and pondered; that beyond these walls are educated minds. A wall that will forever stand for education. As the school bell rings at the end of the school day, a wall will appear. But this wall shall always remind me that ” I have entered now I will pursue and lead by the example that is now bestowed in me.”

I talked to the students about how their lives are really just beginning and the choices they make now will shape the way their lives turn out.  They’ll make mistakes, but they must know how to recover from them. I warned them about watching what they post on social media sites and also told them how taking care of their minds, bodies and spirit now will benefit them in the future as they begin to age.  They asked me a lot of questions about the TV news business. I told them it’s changing rapidly with so many platforms for people to get their news. We are all doing so much more with less and it can be a difficult career for people who are trying to take care of their families. I told them with anything, they should pursue a career by starting with doing something they love and would do even it paid nothing- or close to nothing.

What a great group of kids! I have a soft spot in my heart for OLHS because my youngest brother, Nick graduated from there and continues to thrive in an engineering career.

Oh, and thanks for the cool Tervis cup with the dolphins on it. I’ve already used it at the gym!

 

The Lenten season is upon us and even if you don’t observe it, it’s always a good time to do a little extra and give back to the community.My job provides many opportunities throughout the year to emcee events and speak to groups.

These pictures are from the United Way Women’s Leadership Council luncheon in the fall when Mrs. Joan Brock was the keynote speaker. She and her husband Macon are major philanthropists in Hampton Roads. He founded the popular Dollar Tree, Inc. She encouraged guests to continue helping out the community and less fortunate with their time and talent and monetary donations.

A young lady named Brittany shared her story of family troubles and how the kindness of philanthropists helped her get out of her situation.

I attended a different United Way luncheon held by the African-American Leadership Society that featured Maurice Jones as the keynote speaker. He’s the former President of Pilot Media who became deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2012. He shared personal stories about how philanthropy helped his ailing grandfather get good medical care and it also helped him attend college.

Hopefully the acts of kindness by other people will inspire others to do the same. There are so many opportunities here in Hampton Roads and everywhere else! Giving back always feels good.

February is Career and Technical Education Month and I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth invited me to  speak to students about how I use technology in my job and everyday life.

I told the C.T.E.  students how  multimedia interaction is rapidly changing broadcast television. We are constantly using Facebook and Twitter to drive viewers to our newscasts and web pages, share breaking news alerts.  I also talked to them about  staying safe online as they use social media.
They were very attentive, asked interesting questions and gave me some cool Greyhounds gear as a thank you gift.

Can’t believe they are right up the street from the WAVY/Fox 43 studios, but that was my first visit. I’m sure it won’t be my last!

Ever heard of the Stone Soup story where hungry strangers persuade townspeople to contribute ingredients to their pot of soup?

The United Way Women’s Leadership Council turned that concept into a family volunteer project, and I was happy to bring my niece and nephew along.

On Saturday, February 9,  we joined dozens of volunteers at the Salvation Army in Norfolk to assemble casseroles with the ingredients we bought.

In addition to the Salvation Army- volunteers distributed the meals to Samaritan House, Seton Youth Shelters, HER Shelter, the YWCA, Portsmouth Area Resources Coalition, the Judeo Christian Outreach Center, and  Western Tidewater Free Clinic.

The United Way is always looking for volunteers and accepting donations. What a great way to help the less fortunate and meet great people while giving back to the community.

Here’s a note from one of the recipient groups:

“The feed back was positive with smiling faces and appreciation from each household (and PARC Staff) as I entered the Shelter on Saturday. Since there were more available than we had anticipated, 3 of our families in our transitional housing program benefited…much to their delight…”
-Annie White-Guertin, Executive Director, PARC

This is my second year doing the Stone Soup project and I hope to continue to help out in the future.

Future company leaders are learning more about the intersection of media and business. I was honored to serve on a panel at The College of William and Mary’s Mason School of Business  on January 31.
WAVY and Fox 43′s newest anchor/reporter, Anita Blanton, joined me along with two area newspaper journalists and a social media specialist.

We took questions from MBA candidates about how we cover the news and how companies can better communicate with the media. The students had good questions for us and the answers were engaging. The big topic that kept coming up was bias in the media and the contentious relationship between corporations and the media. We stressed the need to hire public relations specialists who have worked in the media or have a true understanding of the deadlines and the need for us to get information quickly.

Social media was a big topic and understandably,  when so many people are using it.  A big question was:  how do news organizations post stories so quickly via Twitter, Facebook and our own websites- and maintain accuracy?  We told them we don’t post anything without verifying it f irst. We would rather be correct than first.  Now viewers will post rumors sometimes on our pages, but sometimes that leads to us finding the complete story.

I know this group will do well in their careers.  I was happy to see such a diverse group of students from different areas of life and education.  Many are serving in our military or have served. They truly inspired me!

After years of talks, over a million dollars spent on consulting reports, and most recently an NBA team looking to relocate, time has run out for now regarding plans to build a new arena in Virginia Beach with the Sacramento Kings as the building’s main tenant.

Today, Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and Peter Lukko, the president of Comcast Spectacor, acknowledged they are no longer hopeful a deal can be made with the next week or so to bring a major league sports team to Virginia, that team being the Kings.

“Both parties remain committed to the concept of an arena in Virginia Beach and to continuing discussions with a potential anchor tenant. That said, we have not reached a level of progress that will allow the city to go before the General Assembly to request the necessary funding.”

So, the Kings will not be signing an agreement to come to Virginia Beach.

I spoke with Mayor Sessoms today and asked him if he was disappointed. He said, “Yes, but at the same time looking ahead to the future, and seeing opportunites like this again we know what to be prepared for. One city can’t do this alone in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I think we will have an opportunity like this again, hopefully in the very near future. Based on our experience I believe we will be able to negotiate better, have our partnerships in place with whoever we do this with ahead of time, and get out to the community ahead of time.”

Without that agreement with the Kings, Virginia Beach will not ask state legislators for the 150-million dollars they need to finance the deal.

Thus the Kings, who have never publicly admitted they were considering the move to Virginia, will most likely explore other options. Whether it be selling the team to folks in Seattle, perhaps working a deal to move the team to Anaheim, or just staying put in Sacramento.

There is no way to tell today just how far apart the various parties were from agreeing to a deal–Beach officials were adamant they would not build the arena unless they could guarantee no risk to the taxpayer. And the Kings obviously weren’t going to make the move unless they were convinced it was a good deal for them.

Time has run out, the city needed a deal to take to the state, saying the $150 million was critical to make the project happen.

If there is a positive to the arena talks–it re-energized the entertainment complex planned for the old Dome site at the Oceanfront. That project, to be built by producer Michael Jenkins, using $120 million of his own money, should be finalized soon.

I’ll have more on the Mayor’s arena statement later today, and on WAVY News 10 at 6pm.