WHAT: To observe the five-year anniversary of the President's Council on UVA-Community Partnerships, members of the public are invited to a Community Day celebration on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Washington Park. The event will feature music, vendors, remarks, and free food and activities to commemorate a unified effort to build bridges and enhance relationships between the University of Virginia and the surrounding community.
Since their establishment by President Jim Ryan in 2019, the Equity Center at UVA and the President's Council on UVA-Community Partnerships have worked in tandem to make the Charlottesville/Albemarle community stronger and more equitable. The Equity Center, which focuses on community-engaged scholarship and action, provides staff support to the Council. This collaboration has facilitated efforts across critical domains such as housing, education, healthcare, and employment. The Council's six working groups-Affordable Housing, Local Economy, Pipelines and Pathways, Early Childhood Education, Public Health, and Community Safety-serve as platforms where university and community stakeholders co-create solutions to address these complex challenges. Together, these initiatives harness the power of academic and local expertise to promote sustainable, equitable outcomes for the region.
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 6 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
WHERE: Booker T. Washington Park, 1001 Preston Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22903. Guests can park in off-street parking spots, which are available for the upper level off 10th Street. Parking for the lower level of 10th Street is located off Preston Avenue at the bottom of the hill near the end of Madison Avenue.
WHO: UVA President Jim Ryan will speak at 11:45 a.m., and other Council leaders including Pipelines and Pathways Program Director Hollie Lee, Dean of Community Self-Sufficiency Programs at Piedmont Virginia Community College and 2023-24 Council member Ridge Schuyler, Legal Aid Justice Center Organizer and Council Co-Chair Harold Folley, and Director of Equity, School, Family, and Community Relations at Albemarle County Public Schools and Council member Eric Irizarry will offer remarks throughout the event.
