June 2022: It is a hot June day here at VICCC. The flowers are blooming, the kiddos are laughing, and the babies are napping. We want to thank Jeanne Roper and Elizabeth Foster for working with our children to tend to the Cathy's Heart Garden. They came over on her birthday and planted new flowers with the summer schoolers. Our summer school program is in full swing. They start soccer this week and they are excited. We provide soccer two days a week for the summer schoolers at no cost to them. At the end of the summer, they receive team photos, a jersey, and a ball. In the fall, we will start a new program of arts and music for the entire center. All our children will be participating every week. We believe that expanding the children's minds through art and music is important to their future success. Elizabeth Foster has agreed to oversee this program of specials for our children. The funds received from the Bob Schulman grant help to fund this new endeavor. We are asking for you to partner with us to support these initiatives. You may choose from these defined programs or make a gift towards diapers or classroom supplies. Because of your help, we can offer these children programs that will enrich their lives, now and later.
VICCC Board Member Highlight: Andrew Stanaland
Matching his 6’6” height is board member Andrew Stanaland’s devotion to community and children. On the VICCC board, as Treasurer and as Chair of the finance committee, Andrew has given of his talents and training in finance and business to keep VICCC’s finances accurate and transparent. “What does Andrew think?” is what board members ask before committing funds for any project. A Texan, Andrew lived in Pasadena, outside of Houston, graduated from University of Texas with a degree in Chemical Engineering, worked as an engineer with KBR for about 8 years, and then spent time in international development with the oil and gas industry in the Middle East and Latin America. He and wife Andrea, a professor of business at Radford University, moved with their family to the New River Valley during the early 2000's. They were attracted by the natural beauty, good school system, and reputation as a good place to raise a family. Andrew became a stay at home Dad with their three children for several years, coaching soccer, basketball, and other sports and volunteering at Parks and Recreation, Blacksburg United Methodist Church advisory board, VICCC board, Hearts and Hammer, and Habitat for Humanity, where he was hired as a construction manager for over a year. For the last six years, Andrew has been a science teacher at Eastern Montgomery High School, where one of his former students said he even made chemistry interesting. Andrew’s oldest son, Ryan, graduated college this year and his second son, Blake, and daughter, Clare, are college students.
Among Andrew’s many contributions to VICCC have been coaching soccer in the summer program, reading with the kids, constructing business plans, spread sheets, patiently teaching board members about finances, and pointing out the consequences of policy decisions. He thinks if the founders had asked him about starting a child care center, he would have said “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” He recalls how tough it was to get both children and funding in VICCC’s beginning. He is so proud that the reality and the dream came together, noting that the motivation and vision of the board and others were so necessary to VICCC’s success. One of Andrew’s observations is how in smaller communities, the same people give their talent, time, and funding to help others and, thus, a good network helps all the organizations grow and prosper. Andrew’s vision for VICCC is that it takes the lessons learned from evolving through difficult times to stability and share them with other communities. He believes that VICCC can be a model that could be adapted with its focus on developing all of the children and keeping the community and parents involved in that goal. He believes having a committed director, teachers, parents, and board of dedicated volunteers willing to step in where needed has been essential to VICCC’s growth. VICCC could now “pay it forward” by helping other communities form child care centers with the mission of making sure all families are served.
Notes From The Director
Among Andrew’s many contributions to VICCC have been coaching soccer in the summer program, reading with the kids, constructing business plans, spread sheets, patiently teaching board members about finances, and pointing out the consequences of policy decisions. He thinks if the founders had asked him about starting a child care center, he would have said “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” He recalls how tough it was to get both children and funding in VICCC’s beginning. He is so proud that the reality and the dream came together, noting that the motivation and vision of the board and others were so necessary to VICCC’s success. One of Andrew’s observations is how in smaller communities, the same people give their talent, time, and funding to help others and, thus, a good network helps all the organizations grow and prosper. Andrew’s vision for VICCC is that it takes the lessons learned from evolving through difficult times to stability and share them with other communities. He believes that VICCC can be a model that could be adapted with its focus on developing all of the children and keeping the community and parents involved in that goal. He believes having a committed director, teachers, parents, and board of dedicated volunteers willing to step in where needed has been essential to VICCC’s growth. VICCC could now “pay it forward” by helping other communities form child care centers with the mission of making sure all families are served.
Judy Shelor