Press Release: Registration Opens for 16th Annual 2015 Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference

Posted June 9, 2015 at 2:49 PM, Filed Under: Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 10, 2015

Roanoke, VA – Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, Inc. (VSNC, Inc.) is proud to announce registration is open for the 16th annual 2015 Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference taking place in Norfolk, Virginia on September 24-25, 2015 at the Sheraton Waterside Norfolk Hotel. The 1½ day conference provides an excellent opportunity for neighborhoods and communities from across the Commonwealth to share their knowledge, experience and vision on how to make Virginia’s communities and neighborhoods - the neighborhoods of choice.

This year’s conference theme is Creating Neighborhood Connections: People, Purpose, Passion and will feature Welcome Luncheon keynote speaker Barbara Hamm-Lee, Managing Director for SkillsOnline, Norfolk’s PBS television station WHRO-TV’s workforce development initiative and Executive Producer and Host of Another View, a weekly call in talk show that discusses today’s issues from an African American perspective. In addition, Friday’s Keynote Breakfast will feature Sarah Dewitz, a 14 year old teen from Orlando, Florida who created a charity called Just 1 Book and launched a bookmobile that shares books with low income families throughout Central Florida. The charity has provided more than 200,000 books to children in Florida and is expanding to New Jersey later this year. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to attend information-packed workshops, mobile workshops, participate in networking opportunities and visit exhibitions. A concurrent conference called the Youth Café which is specifically designed to engage young people between the ages of 13-18 in their respective communities will also be offered to those youth attending.

REGISTRATION

Registration is now open for the 2015 Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference on the conference website at www.vsnc.org. To make the conference affordable for everyone, registration is only $75.00 which includes all conference workshops, meals, activities and conference t-shirt. As in year’s past, there are two (2) ways one can register to attend this year’s conference – participants can either register online or download, complete and mail the 2015 Conference Registration Form.

ONLINE REGISTRATION

Online registration allows one to register for the conference and easily pay the registration fee. However, conference payments made online will incur a small convenience fee of $3.00 to offset the fee charged to VSNC, Inc. by the online service company.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM

For those who would prefer to pay their registration fee by check, a Conference Registration Form is also available that can be downloaded, completed and mailed along with a check for the conference registration fee.

The conference registration rate of $75.00 is only available until September 4, 2015 after which time no registrations will be accepted. No onsite registration will be available during the conference dates.

ANNUAL STATEWIDE NEIGHBORHOOD AWARDS PROGRAM

In addition to workshops and networking opportunities, each year award nominations are solicited from neighborhoods and individuals from across the Commonwealth to recognize those who volunteer tirelessly to make their neighborhoods the places they are proud to call home. These awards have been presented through the Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Awards Program since 2000. This year, awards will be provided for:

  • Neighborhood Project of the Year
  • Neighborhood Advocate of the Year
  • Neighborhood Youth Individual Effort of the Year
  • Neighborhood Youth Group Effort of the Year

The 2015 awards will be presented during the Awards Luncheon on Friday September 25, 2015 as a "thank you” to recognize those who provide their commitment, time, and energy toward enhancing their neighborhood's quality of life. The Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference Awards Program is the only statewide program that recognizes those who undertake neighborhood-based activism and initiatives across Virginia.

Award nominations are being accepted until Friday, August 1, 2015. The 2015 VSNC Award Nomination Form is available online at the conference website, www.vsnc.org.

SPONSORSHIP / EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES

This highly publicized signature conference would not be possible without our sponsors and exhibitors as the conference registration fee of $75 is intentionally kept to a bare minimum in order to provide an opportunity for residents of all income levels to fully participate in this dynamic event. By becoming a sponsor of the Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, you will be taking advantage of the exceptional advertising and promotional opportunities this conference provides by showing your customers, associates and neighbors that you care about the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and support those individuals and organizations who work diligently, tirelessly, and sometimes thanklessly creating the neighborhoods we are proud to call home. As your company's name and logo are advertised throughout Virginia by various media and advertising venues, you will be exposing your organization to thousands of recipients as a supporter of strong neighborhoods and healthy communities, garnering the support of neighborhood leaders and advocates from hundreds of neighborhood organizations across Virginia and in turn, the support of their members. Additional information on sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities is available online at the conference website, www.vsnc.org.

ABOUT VSNC, INC.

The Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, Inc (VSNC, Inc.) is a non-profit grassroots organization created to serve as a forum for the sharing of experiences and knowledge that strengthens a cooperative working relationship among citizens, municipality staff members, representatives of the private sector, and elected officials for the strengthening of our towns, cities, and counties through their neighborhoods. VSNC, Inc. achieves this broad objective by partnering with municipalities across the Commonwealth to produce an annual neighborhood conference called the Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference. This conference provides an opportunity for people from all locations and socioeconomic levels to learn best practices for addressing neighborhood issues of the times, attend workshops, network with one another, and share experiences and information toward building stronger communities. VSNC, Inc. is governed by a Board of Directors who voluntarily serves at their own time and expense. The Board directs the ongoing business and policy of the organization, provides oversight for the implementation of each year’s conference, and plays a leadership role in promoting both the organization and the work of neighborhood-based activism and self-help initiatives across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

To request additional conference information or to learn more about the 2015 Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference, write VSNC, Inc., PO Box 6303, Roanoke, Virginia 24017, email info@vsnc.org, or visit our website at www.vsnc.org.

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