Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Penn named as new TAP president and CEO
Angela Penn has been named the new president and CEO of TAP, the Roanoke nonprofit’s board of directors has announced.
Penn, the organization’s fourth leader, succeeds Annette Lewis, who last year announced she would retire March 1 after 35 years.
Penn is currently the senior vice president and director of real estate development and energy conservation and housing rehab at TAP, according to a news release announcing her new position. She has spent 20 years leading TAP’s community and housing development initiatives and has overseen major renovations of property owned by TAP, including the agency’s Head Start centers and its Terrace Apartments.
Penn is also TAP’s administrator for the city of Roanoke’s Land Bank and serves as the chair of the city’s Equity and Empowerment Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Roanoke City Planning Commission and was its chair for two years.
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Smith Mountain Lake cleanup set for May 4
The annual Take Pride in Smith Mountain Lake cleanup event is scheduled for May 4 at locations around the lake.
Neighborhood groups, businesses, families and civic organizations are invited to participate in the organized event or plan their own cleanup anytime in May. Volunteers who pre-register will receive a free T-shirt, work gloves, heavy-duty trash bags and an invitation to a post-event celebration dinner.
For more details, visit TakePrideSML.com.
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New Russell County lodging business receives VCEDA grant
Breath of Dawn, a new lodging company in Lebanon, has received a $10,000 grant that will help pay for construction of a pavilion.
The seed capital matching grant comes from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority.
Breath of Dawn will offer primitive camping, dry cabins and renovated RVs when it opens for business this year, according to a news release announcing the grant. It also will offer classes focused on backyard gardens, food preservation and sustainable living on its 35 acres.
The pavilion is scheduled to open in late spring.
The business anticipates having four full-time and four part-time employees within five years, according to Jonathan Belcher, VCEDA’s executive director/general counsel.
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Head of Roanoke cemetery honored with preservation award
Donald Wilson, the president of Evergreen Memorial Trust, received the 2023 Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation’s Kegley Preservation Award for Evergreen Burial Park.
Wilson has worked at the Roanoke cemetery for more than 40 years, according to a news release announcing the award. Under his leadership, Evergreen has hosted a variety of public events each year, including a fall history walking tour and an Arbor Day walk.
Evergreen Burial Park began in 1916. Among the notable Virginians buried there are a governor, 15 Roanoke mayors, several Norfolk and Western Railway presidents and more than 3,000 war veterans.