2021 - Read. Think. Act.

GrandInvolve – Dorothy Keenan

ByCatherine Read December 8, 2021August 21, 2022

(Dec 8, 2021) Catherine Read sits down with Dorothy Keenan, Founder & Executive Director of GrandInvolve, a program that places active older adults in the classrooms of Title I elementary schools in Fairfax County. This program grew out of an initiative by the Fairfax County Council on Aging to address social isolation among seniors. The…

Education | Good Books | Racism | Women

A Question of Freedom – Wm G Thomas III

ByCatherine Read October 15, 2021November 11, 2021

(Oct 2021) This book landed on my radar because it’s written by historian William G. Thomas III, brother of my husband’s law partner Sandy Thomas, who is the global managing partner for Reed Smith LLP. It’s a tremendous work of scholarship. It is also a story well told with plenty of plot twists. The meticulous…

Blogging | Entrepreneurship | TV Shows | Virginia | Your Need to Know

Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce

ByCatherine Read October 13, 2021August 15, 2022

(Oct 13, 2021) Catherine Read talks with Jennifer Rose, Executive Director of the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce (CFCC), which is based in Fairfax City, VA. The Chamber provides support through programming, events, education, professional networks, and community involvement. The CFCC was founded in 1958 and Jennifer has been the Executive Director since 2018….

Affordable Housing | Blogging | Fair Housing | TV Shows | Your Need to Know

Glebe View in Fairfax City VA – Affordable Housing

ByCatherine Read October 4, 2021August 14, 2022

(Oct 4, 2021) Catherine Read talks with Andy Blomme, a member of the Fairfax Presbyterian Church, about the housing project known as Glebe View. Their church decided to provide a 99-year land lease for constructing ten townhouses on their parking lot to meet the needs of low-income families. Their initial Request for Proposals (RFP)…

Western Fairfax Christian Ministries

ByCatherine Read September 29, 2021August 14, 2022

(Sep 29, 2021) Catherine Read talks with Harmonie Taddeo, Executive Director of Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM). This non-profit was founded in 1987 with volunteers from 12 churches that saw the community’s need for coordinated aid. Their first pantry was located at the Centreville-based Keener Insurance Agency. Charles Keener, a member of the Rotary…

Good Books | Virginia

Violins of Hope – Richmond Exhibit 2021

ByCatherine Read July 15, 2021July 19, 2021

(July 2021) Dr. James A. Grymes, a professor of Music History at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, has brought forth such a well researched and well told story of violins that survived the Holocaust, even when many of their owners did not. It is fascinating and horrifying, an emotional retelling of what happened…

Good Books | Women

The Three Mothers – Anna Malaika Tubbs

ByCatherine Read February 24, 2021January 16, 2024

(Feb. 2021) What a wonderful book! Anna Malaika Tubbs has chosen to profile three incredibly important women and she has done it well. Researching women who did not leave behind nearly the body of work, personal history and accomplishments of their three famous sons was a challenge. It was a challenge well met, and stories…

League of Women Voters Virginia

ByCatherine Read January 30, 2021August 21, 2022

(Jan 30, 2021) Catherine Read interviews Debora “Deb” Wake, President of the League of Women Voters – Virginia. The League was founded in Virginia Nov. 10, 1920 and currently has 14 chapters across the Commonwealth. LWV-VA is involved in voter education and forums under their 501(c)3 and advocacy under their 501(c)4. Issue advocacy is an…