In honor of Black History Month, this February we are featuring conversations with African-American leaders and changemakers in the Richmond community. Our first feature is Charleita Richardson, President & CEO of Partnership for the Future.

Homeward’s New Lease on Life Fund helps people who fall into the service gap. Local shelters can access flexible funding to help clients who only need a “light touch” to regain housing stability.

One major initiative in development is the creation of a citywide system of afterschool programs, with the goal to provide every elementary and middle school student in Richmond Public Schools (RPS) with access to high-quality, full-service afterschool programming by 2020.

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Royal as our new board chairman, a role she will hold through 2020. Recently, we had the chance to ask her about her inspirations and what fuels her optimism for our future.

We are thrilled to begin a new year with a heightened focus on bringing awareness to key issues our unique and vibrant communities face — and advocating for the many ways we all can get involved and make a difference.