Did you know that Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors voted last year to make Juneteenth an official county observed holiday, hence our offices will be closed on June 20th in observance of Juneteenth?

What is Juneteenth?

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. General Granger informed the enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. This momentous occasion has been celebrated as Juneteenth which is a combination of June and 19 for over 150 years.

Chesterfield County and partners have many special activities planned to celebrate Juneteenth. Visit our website to learn more about our Juneteenth events.

The 2021-22 Youth Citizens Board partnered with Parks and Recreation to develop an exciting new event to bring youth together; Youth Unity Day! The event was held on May 14 at Bensley Recreation Center and included a park clean up, spreading fresh mulch on the playground, and painting murals which will be hung in county buildings. The ideas for this event were generated by our YCB which is made up of one junior and one senior from each CCPS high school as well as up to eight at-large members who live in Chesterfield but do not attend a CCPS school.

Applications are currently open for the 2022-23 YCB. Learn more about the board and apply here by July 15.

May is Older Americans Month and each year Chesterfield's Aging and Disability Services invites fourth and fifth graders to write an essay about an older American who has had an impact on their lives. At the May Board of Supervisors meeting the second and third place winners, Lexi Hintos and Toryn Marribel received certificates and the first place winner, Benjamin Warriner read his essay. Benjamin was not able to attend in person but was able to submit a video. Please enjoy watching Benjamin share his essay about his grandfather's support during COVID here.

The Chesterfield Office of Aging & Disability Services recognizes the incredible contribution of older volunteers in our community through the annual Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame event. This year, 3 individuals were chosen from a group of 17 nominees for the 2022 Hall of Fame Class. Their names are Sarah Gregory, Mary Katterfield and David Peat. All 17 nominees have donated more than 89,000 hours of service to their community. 

Beatriz Reyes Receives the Lane B. Ramsey Scholarship

The Department of Juvenile Justice Services would like to congratulate Beatriz Reyes, a Youth Counselor at the Juvenile Detention Home, on being this year’s recipient of Chesterfield County’s Lane B. Ramsey Scholarship. Ms. Reyes is currently pursuing an associate degree in Human Services at Brightpoint Community College and plans to attend VCU for a master’s degree, with the ultimate goal of joining a crisis intervention team. Ms. Reyes embodies and models dependability, consistency, and professionalism through every interaction with colleagues and juveniles at the detention home. The Department of Juvenile Justice is proud of the work Ms. Reyes has done and we know this scholarship will assist her to do even bigger and better things in the future. Congratulations Ms. Reyes!

Chesterfield’s Juvenile Detention Home had a robust greenhouse program where our residents would grow plants and various vegetables and herbs to sell at our annual plant sale. With the challenges that COVID has brought, the greenhouse program had to take a backseat to just sustaining everyday operations. That’s when our fabulous friends and partners from the Court Services Unit stepped in to help us get re-started. Michele Banalett, senior intake officer, and Kim Michniak, family resources coordinator, brought Gail Coltes, a Master Gardener and all-around amazing, giving person, to visit with us and help us get the program back on its feet. 

Michele suggested that we plant a row of vegetables to donate to the SevaTruck Richmond Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing hunger in the Richmond area by serving free nutritious meals to those in need, with a focus on children of Title 1 schools and the homeless.

Gail advised us on building some additional raised beds and getting them prepped and ready for planting. Our fabulous maintenance staff, led by Louis Lippa, built brand new beds for our program in a matter of days. Gail and Michele sent out a plea for plant donations to all of their many fellow gardening friends, and the response was overwhelming! Tech Center teachers from all over the Richmond area responded. Thank you to Trista Grigsby (Chesterfield), Jennifer Mazza (Henrico), Marc Moran (Hanover), and Heather Veneziano (Virginia Randolph). The Facebook group, RVA Gardening Club, answered the call for help, and Brenda Gentry generously made up and donated buckets with gardening supplies (tools, gloves, knee pads) for our kids to use when working in the garden.

We are just getting started and we hope to bring you more news and pictures along the way!

On Tuesday, May 25 , 2022, Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church members provided a wonderful lunch for MHSS staff in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. It was very much appreciated by all!  Thank you!!!!!  

Summer heat has officially arrived, which means severe weather could be on its way at any time. Follow Chesterfield County's Emergency Management team on Facebook for important updates and clarification on terminology, like watch vs. warning. For timely notification of weather emergencies and other community news, sign up for Chesterfield Alert.