Author: Graham Schiltz
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Graham Schiltz, Contributor
Heritage Oaks getting into full swing despite budget cuts
After shutting down earlier this spring, Heritage Oaks Golf Course reopened golf operations on June 12. And while the course stayed available during the pandemic for cyclists and walkers, who populated the course like never before, Heritage Oaks was in the minority of Virginia courses that closed for COVID-19. WVVA reported in April that 89% of the other courses in the Virginia State Golf Association were still open for business.
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School therapy provider accustomed to adaptation
In a public school setting where students vastly outnumber teachers, some children need more support than what the school’s personnel can provide. For more than a decade in Harrisonburg, this gap has been filled by government-supported in-school therapy, known as Therapeutic Day Treatment. Now that schools are closed for the remainder of the academic year, though, providers are scrambling to find ways to reach the students who need them.
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The Citizen’s local COVID-19 ‘Giving Guide’
Community resources in Harrisonburg are under more pressure than ever to adapt to new conditions in wake of COVID-19 and provide services to those who may not have needed them before — or now need them in more intensive ways.From food banks to homeless shelters to direct fundraising efforts, The Citizen has compiled a list of various organizations and businesses in Harrisonburg in need of extra support.
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Social distancing forces Census advocates to get creative in order to encourage accurate counts
Among its many disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated plans for wide-reaching efforts to encourage Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents to fill out their Census forms, especially considering the amount of federal funding at stake.
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Local food service workers turn to other sources of income
Food service employees have been hit hard by the effects of COVID-19. Now that dining rooms in Harrisonburg are shut down, restaurants have been closing or transitioning to curbside pickup and delivery. Even employees of establishments that are still open have suffered via reduced hours or tips. In a system where most servers are paid less than minimum wage, the lack of customers — and, subsequently, tips — has led to uncertainty about the future among service workers who spoke with The Citizen.
Local universities adjust counseling center services to meet increased demand
College students at Harrisonburg’s universities are increasingly seeking out help from counseling centers — part of a nationwide trend of colleges trying to keep up with mental health issues among this generation of students. That has forced JMU and EMU’s counseling centers to get creative in order to serve every student that comes through their doors.
Criminal justice forum showcases experiences of the formerly incarcerated
Phillip Newborn hasn’t had an easy life. He grew up in a home that grew marijuana and made whiskey — both things his parents, and eventually he, abused. He fractured his spine in three places in a tractor-trailer accident and recently suffered a heart attack.
