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Michael Hemphill

BUZZ Season 2 Premiers with C.A.T.S. 600 375 Michael Hemphill

BUZZ Season 2 Premiers with C.A.T.S.

“I don’t want to say insurance doesn’t care, they just don’t understand. If it doesn’t affect you, you don’t understand.”

More than 1,000 Virginia families each year struggle to afford costly wheelchairs, walkers, standers and strollers for their special needs children.

Thankfully, there’s Children’s Assistive Technology Service, aka C.A.T.S., a nonprofit providing children across the state with refurbished pediatric rehabilitation equipment … all at no cost.

Helping fund C.A.T.S.’ mission is an annual Halloween event, Hallowheels. Our good friends at 5Points Creative – with generous help by EZRampz Mobility Solutions, WDBJ7 and WWBT – are back with a fantastic marketing campaign to get more people to know about, and financially support, this life-changing event.

Kicking off Season 2 of BUZZ, our episode on C.A.T.S. aired Sept. 22 on Blue Ridge PBS.

We thank ABLENow for the generous sponsorship support of this episode. ABLENow helps individuals with disabilities save money to pay for qualified expenses, without being taxed on the earnings — and in most cases, without losing eligibility for certain means-tested benefit programs.

Christiansburg Institute wraps 1st season of BUZZ 900 538 Michael Hemphill

Christiansburg Institute wraps 1st season of BUZZ

BUZZ concluded its first season in August 2021 with a special two-part episode featuring the Christiansburg Institute. Watch both parts now on our YouTube channel!

For 100 years, the Christiansburg Institute stood as one of the finest schools for Black Americans in Virginia. Founded in 1866 just a year after the Civil War put an end to slavery, Christiansburg Institute became a testament to African-American self-preservation, educating thousands of students on its 185-acre campus. Education giants such as Booker T. Washington served as superintendent.

But in 1966 school integration finally took hold in Virginia … and Christiansburg Institute’s legacy was quite literally whitewashed away. Its academic buildings were shuttered. Its students scattered to previously whites-only schools. Its land subdivided and sold off. Today all that’s left is one abandoned building on four acres.

But there’s a group of passionate people dedicated to preserving its history … and creating a catalyst for community conversations, racial justice and change. Helping them is Spectrum Media Solutions, which designed and donated a new website so they can share their story to a national audience.

BUZZ is a program of AAF Roanoke and is sponsored in part by the Virginia Film Office.

buzz4good buzz logo
NEWS RELEASE: BUZZ celebrates 1st Anniversary 749 299 Michael Hemphill

NEWS RELEASE: BUZZ celebrates 1st Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 27, 2021 (Roanoke, Va.) – BUZZ – the inspiring television show featuring Virginia nonprofits and the marketing pros who donate their talents to help these life-giving organizations – is celebrating its debut anniversary with a special event Aug. 3 at the Grandin Theatre.

At the anniversary celebration, BUZZ will preview its 13th episode – a special two-part show featuring the Christiansburg Institute, with Spectrum Media Solutions providing the pro bono marketing “buzz.” The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. 

“In our first season, even in spite of the pandemic, we were able to share the stories of some incredible organizations doing vital work in our communities,” says BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill, “and provide them with marketing resources to attract more donors, volunteers and clients to their cause. We are grateful to these nonprofit leaders, our sponsors, and the marketing professionals who joined our Hive and helped launch the show.”

BUZZ is a program of the American Advertising Federation of Roanoke (AAF Roanoke), whose membership of marketing professionals provides the pro bono resources to the nonprofits featured in the show.

On Aug. 5, 2020, BUZZ first aired on Blue Ridge PBS with an episode on Southwest Virginia Ballet receiving a new logo and website from AAF Roanoke president Carrie Cousins and other marketing resources from Wordsprint and Press Press Merch. In addition, the show provided SVB with an introduction to Blue Ridge PBS that paved the way for SVB’s first-ever television broadcast of The Nutcracker – the company’s biggest fundraiser of the year – in a year when it couldn’t stage a live production due to Covid-19.

Other organizations featured in the first season of BUZZ include Healing Strides of Virginia, RAM House, Mill Mountain Zoo, Eastmont Community Foundation, Feeding Southwest Virginia, Blue Ridge Women’s Center, Virginia811, and Giles County Department of Social Services. BUZZ airs Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Blue Ridge PBS and also now on VPM public television in Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.

The newest BUZZ is a two-part episode featuring the Christiansburg Institute, which airs Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. on Blue Ridge PBS. 

For 100 years, the Christiansburg Institute stood as one of the finest schools for Black Americans in Virginia. Founded in 1866 just a year after the Civil War put an end to slavery, Christiansburg Institute became a testament to African-American self-preservation, educating thousands of students on its 185-acre campus. Education giants such as Booker T. Washington served as superintendent. 

But in 1966 school integration finally took hold in Virginia and Christiansburg Institute’s legacy was quite literally whitewashed away. Its academic buildings were shuttered. Its students scattered to previously whites-only schools. Its land was subdivided and sold off. Today all that’s left is one abandoned building on four acres.

But there’s a group of passionate people dedicated to preserving its history, and creating a catalyst for community conversations, racial justice and change. Spectrum Media Solutions in Roanoke is helping Christiansburg Institute better tell its story through a new website.

Woods Rogers Attorneys at Law, the Community Foundation of the New River Valley, and Partners in Financial Planning are sponsors of this episode. BUZZ is also sponsored in part by the Virginia Film Office.

# # #

Contact:
Michael Hemphill | Creator of Buzz
www.buzz4good.com | michael@buzz4good.com | 540.556.2879

Celebrate BUZZ Anniversary on Aug. 3 630 485 Michael Hemphill

Celebrate BUZZ Anniversary on Aug. 3

It’s hard to believe that BUZZ made its Blue Ridge PBS debut on Aug. 5, 2020, with episode 1 featuring Southwest Virginia Ballet and marketing specialist Carrie Cousins.

We invite you to CELEBRATE our anniversary and PREVIEW our 13th episode on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at 6:30 pm at the Grandin Theatre. The event is free. Beer, wine, soft drinks, popcorn and candy will be available for purchase from the Grandin. (Pre-party for AAF Roanoke members and previous stars and supporters of BUZZ starts at 6:00 pm).

The event is free. Beer, wine, soft drinks, popcorn and candy will be available for purchase from the Grandin.

Register for BUZZ Anniversary

Our newest BUZZ is a special two-part show featuring the Christiansburg Institute, with Spectrum Media Solutions, that airs Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 on Blue Ridge PBS. 

For 100 years, the Christiansburg Institute stood as one of the finest schools for Black Americans in Virginia. Founded in 1866 just a year after the Civil War put an end to slavery, Christiansburg Institute became a testament to African-American self-preservation, educating thousands of students on its 185-acre campus. Education giants such as Booker T. Washington served as superintendent. 

But in 1966 school integration finally took hold in Virginia … and Christiansburg Institute’s legacy was quite literally whitewashed away. Its academic buildings were shuttered. Its students scattered to previously whites-only schools. Its land subdivided and sold off. Today all that’s left is one abandoned building on four acres.

But there’s a group of passionate people dedicated to preserving its history … and creating a catalyst for community conversations, racial justice and change. 

We thank Woods Rogers Attorneys at Law, Community Foundation of the New River Valley, and Partners in Financial Planning for their sponsorship support of this episode … and all of you who have been part of BUZZ during our inaugural year. 

C.A.T.S. to be featured on upcoming BUZZ 720 518 Michael Hemphill

C.A.T.S. to be featured on upcoming BUZZ

We are BUZZing 🐝 to announce that we start production later this month on a new episode featuring Children’s Assistive Technology Service — a no-cost resource for children with disabilities in Virginia who need adaptive equipment and whose families have limited resources.

The episode will air in September on Blue Ridge PBS and VPM. Sponsorship support for this show is being provided by ABLEnow, which helps individuals with disabilities save money to pay for qualified expenses, without being taxed on the earnings — and in most cases, without losing eligibility for certain means-tested benefit programs.

Thank you, ABLEnow, for being a buzz4good for Virginia families in need!