Michael Hemphill

Mark your calendars!

We’ve been buzzy producing new episodes – and more importantly helping new nonprofits – for Season 3 of BUZZ!

Tune in to Blue Ridge PBS every Wednesday at 7:00 pm (or our YouTube channel) to watch previous episodes and these new ones:

September 21- Saint Francis Service Dogs

For more than 150 Virginians with disabilities, dogs are not only best friends, they literally make life meaningful and possible. Since 1996, Saint Francis Service Dogs has provided incredibly trained four-legged caregivers that assist in daily living for families confronting autism, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, rheumatoid arthritis, brain injuries, amputations and paralysis.

Lesser known is the fact that these dogs also provide service to inmates at Bland Correctional Center who help raise and care for them through a prison puppy program. And they provide comfort and calming in facilities throughout Virginia, namely Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center and Virginia Tech School of Medicine.

Dog-lover and marketing maven Carrie Cousins, director of marketing at LeadPoint Digital, returns to BUZZ to help Saint Francis Service Dogs enhance its popular “Barks & Rec” fundraiser. 

October 19 – West End Center

In the 1970s during summers and after school, children often wandered the streets without supervision of Roanoke’s West End, a neighborhood defined by poverty and crime, vacant lots and vandalized buildings. But then a group of churches and civic groups came together to establish West End Center as a safe haven — and more importantly, hope — for the neighborhood children.​

Today, West End Center serves about 150 children each year, providing them and their families with low-cost academic enrichment, wellness programs and leadership training to become productive, responsible adults. 

BUZZ partner 5Points Creative returns to provide a comprehensive marketing package to promote West End Center to a wider audience.

November 30 – FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge

For much of its history, FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge helped the National Park Service maintain vistas and hiking trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But in 2021 the National Park Service ended the partnership, inspiring FRIENDS to pivot and expand its mission beyond the parkway to the communities of the Blue Ridge.

That pivot includes celebrating the region’s musical heritage by hosting the first-ever Blue Ridge Jamboree, an annual event with multiple shows in the communities where FRIENDS chapters are located. The inaugural Jamboree features “Doc Watson at 100” with performances by Wayne Henderson, Jack Lawrence, T. Michael Coleman and Jack Hinshelwood. 

New to BUZZ, Big Lick Entertainment is donating its time and expertise to help plan and promote the Jamboree.

January 4 – Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia offers a safe place to learn and grow, plus life-enhancing programs and character development experiences for hundreds of schoolchildren. 

Within its 11 sites in Roanoke, Salem, Montgomery and Franklin counties, BGCSWVA promotes the development of boys and girls by instilling “a sense of competence, a sense of usefulness, a sense of belonging, and a sense of influence.”

In need of a digital overhaul, BGCSWVA receives a website upgrade from a member of the American Advertising Federation of Roanoke.

January 11 – Roanoke City Schools’ Art Program

From marching bands and string ensembles to musical theater, visual arts and all-star choruses, Roanoke City Public Schools’ arts programs are second to none in Virginia. 

But coming out of the Covid pandemic, many students and their families too often aren’t aware of all the free artistic offerings — and life-long opportunities — that the school system provides. 

In partnership with the Roanoke Cultural Endowment and City of Roanoke, BUZZ highlights the programs and people that comprise the Roanoke City Public Schools’ arts education … in hopes that more children will be inspired to participate.