Several Roanoke Valley elected municipal officials, church and nonprofit organizations leaders have been walking, riding buses, bikes and scooters to get around as part of the 2025 Week Without Driving Challenge.
The Bus Riders of Roanoke Advocacy Group and PedalSafe ROA are sponsoring the challenge to highlight alternative transportation modes and to improve existing ones.
The weeklong event highlights transportation predicaments of known and unknown citizens. Council members in Roanoke, Vinton, Blacksburg and Salem — areas served by Valley Metro — were invited to participate, said Kimberly O. Philpott, one of the organizers. School board members in Roanoke and Salem, a few pastors, and some business and nonprofit leaders also were invited to participate.
“Our goal is to get those who typically drive, to utilize other options such as walking, biking, riding the bus, catching a free trolley ride or using an electric scooter,” Philpott said, adding organizers want officials and others to gain greater understanding of the lives of non-drivers.
During a Debrief Party at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Melrose Library, participants will share their experiences in an effort to improve transportation services.
According to https://linktr.ee/WeekWithoutDriving_BRRAG, which has information on the challenge, Roanoke is a car-dependent city and somewhat bikeable, with the most walkable neighborhoods being downtown, Belmont and Old Southwest.
In 2024, more than 500 organizations across all 50 states co-hosted the Week Without Driving, engaging policymakers and community members from Duluth, Minnesota to Tucson, Arizona. The premise was to spend a week, day, or even just one trip, navigating your community without driving yourself.
For more information, call Philpott at 910-257-7595 or contact Laura Hartman, president of the Bus Riders of Roanoke Advocacy, email: busridersofroanoke@gmail.com; text or call 434-760-0847.
Biracial Bible study
The Bible in Black & White, a successful, collaborative Bible Study, started its fall session Wednesday and will continue at noon each Wednesday through Oct. 29.
The sessions bring together people of diverse backgrounds for Bible study, conversation and community building.
The Rev. Dr. Bill Lee, a Black retired pastor who spent 39 years as pastor of Loudon Avenue Christian Church, and the Rev. Dr. George Anderson, a white preacher who has served as senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church since 1998, began the study in 2022, and it has grown to include seven sponsoring churches — four historically Black congregations and three historically white congregations.
The sponsoring churches are Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, High Street Baptist Church, Hill Street Baptist Church, Loudon Avenue Christian Church, Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church, Second Presbyterian Church, and St. John’s Episcopal Church.
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Those who attend The Bible in Black & White are people of different races and religious traditions. They gather to learn and to form relationships that promote healing within the community.
The study takes place in the Fellowship Hall of Second Presbyterian Church, 214 Mountain Ave. S.W.
For information, call 540-343-3659.
Human rights awards
During its annual Human Rights Day Celebration in September Church Women United honored three women with CWU Human Rights Awards.
The recipients, recognized for their work in their respective organizations, are:
Robin Hubert with On Our Own.
Damira Capri Shields with Inclusive Excellence at Virginia Tech, and Visionaries to the Throne.
Isabel Thornton of Restoration Housing and The Grove on Patterson.
Cox Charities grants
Cox Communications employees, through Cox Charities Community Investment Grants, have awarded $15,000 in grants to three local nonprofits.
The program provides employee funded grants of up to $5,000 to support a special program benefiting residents in the area. Organizations were invited to submit applications for funding. This year’s recipients are:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, Inc.’s 9th Street Club which will use its grant to support its DIY STEM program by providing hands-on science activities for youth ages 6–18. Funds will help deliver engaging experiments—such as building spaghetti towers, growing potatoes, and creating salt art—that teaches engineering, biology, and creative problem solving.
Hope Center of 11th Street N.W., which use its grant to support its Community Economic Empowerment Series, a yearlong program offering weekly workshops and coaching to boost financial literacy, job readiness, and small business development for underserved residents.
Total Action Against Poverty in the Roanoke Valley which will use the funds to support its new youth employment initiative, Project Discover U, which provides paid work experience, professional development, and mentorship for up to 50 youth ages 14–24.
Christina Ballard, chief development officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, said the contribution “directly fuels our mission to provide safe, enriching, and opportunity-filled spaces for youth across our region — especially those who need us most. Thanks to partners like Cox Charities, we’re able to offer hands-on learning experiences, academic support, and character-building programs that prepare our members for bright futures.”
Angela Penn, president and CEO of Total Action Progress added the donation “sustains our mission to uplift the people of the Roanoke Valley. Through this grant, TAP is able to invest in Roanoke’s youth through Project Discover U, engaging them in positive career and skill building activities, and creating a lasting impact for the generations to come.”
Cox Charities is a charitable giving initiative of Cox Communications and fully funded by Cox employees and business partners. A total of $315,000 was awarded to 63 grant recipients throughout Cox’s East Region.
“Supporting our community isn’t just part of our job, it’s who we are at Cox. Whether it’s our employees giving money from their own pockets to fund these local nonprofit grants, or rolling up our sleeves to volunteer, our team shows up with heart and purpose,” said Stacie Vest, Cox Roanoke market leader. “This community means a lot to us, and I’m incredibly proud of how our employees continue to make a real difference every day.”
Contact JoAnne Poindexter at joanne.poindexter@roanoke.com .
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