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Staunton News Leader - 10/12/2022 Page : A01

litary THE BUZZ

dresses Autumnal activities

ental
alth
e chief
wledges current
ms aren’t enough
lil
RESS

NGTON – After finishing a

ghanistan in 2013, Dionne
n felt emotionally numb.
ing signs appeared during
ars of subsequent overseas

I lost me somewhere,” said

n, a Navy lieutenant com-
ho experienced disorienta-
ession, memory loss and
haustion. “I went to my cap-
aid, ‘Sir, I need help. Some-
ng.’ ”
Pentagon seeks to confront
uicide rates in the military
iamson’s experiences shine
he realities for service mem-
ng mental health help.
st, simply acknowledging
ulties can be intimidating.
comes next can be frustrat-
piriting.
son, 46, eventually found
rough a monthlong hospi-
and a therapeutic program
porates horseback riding.
d to fight for years to get the
eeded.
wonder how I made it
he said.
h, Defense Secretary Lloyd
ounced the creation of an
nt committee to review the
mental health and suicide
programs.
ng to Defense Department
des among active-duty ser-
ers increased by more than
een 2015 and 2020. The
umped by 15% in 2020
ime suicide hot spot post-
s Alaska – service members
families contend with ex-
tion and a harsh climate –
s doubled.
tudy by the Cost of War Pro-
uded that since 9/11, four
many service members and
ave died by suicide as have
combat.
dy detailed stress factors
to military life: “high expo-
auma – mental, physical,
sexual – stress and burn-
uence of the military’s heg-
sculine culture, continued
guns, and the difficulty of
ng into civilian life.”
tagon did not respond to re-
quests for comment. But
s publicly acknowledged
ARY, Page 2A
October 12, 2022 9:36 am (GMT -4:00)
A cyclist speeds along Narrow Back Road in northern Augusta County during the Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival on
Oct. 20, 2018, where riders tackled long routes of 65 or 101 miles or shorter routes totaling 33, 24, or 12 miles around
Augusta and Rockingham counties. PROVIDED BY THE SHENANDOAH FALL FOLIAGE BIKE FESTIVAL
Fall biking and a
big block party are
among the area’s
upcoming events
Laura Peters
Staunton News Leader
USA TODAY NETWORK
The Shenandoah Bike Foliage Festi-
val is this weekend, more businesses
have been selected for a cohort pro-
gram and there is a Staunton west end
block party — here’s the buzz.
Fall foliage bike festival
The Shenandoah Bike Foliage Festi-
val will be held Oct. 14 through 16, of-
fering a weekend of cycling through
the Blue Ridge and Allegheny moun-
tains in the Shenandoah Valley. The
festival draws over 750 riders annually
from up and down the mid-Atlantic,
the website said. There will be a block party in Staunton's west end Oct. 15 on the Salvation Army
Saturday’s ride starts at St. Paul’s grounds starting at 1 p.m. MIKE TRIPP/THE NEWS LEADER
United Methodist Church at 2000
Shutterlee Mill Road in Staunton at
7:30 a.m. for registration. The rides by mapmyride.com as one of “10 Epic cohort of Startup Shenandoah Valley, a
will include metric century and centu- Fall Century Rides in the U.S.” and in virtual acceleration program and online
ry riders. U.S. News and World Report’s Travel as incubator program for scalable busi-
Sunday’s ride starts at the Middle- one of America’s Best Fall Bike Rides, its nesses.
brook Community Center at 54 Cherry website said. This cycle the program will be fo-
Grove Road in Middlebrook. Rides in- For more information visit shenan- cused on tech and tech-enabled compa-
clude: doahbike.org. nies.
h Century, 100 miles Companies selected for S2V will have
h Metric Century, 65 miles Shenandoah Valley business cohort access to resources, mentors and inves-
h 26-Miler tors in and beyond the region, the re-
h Gravel route Shenandoah Community Capital lease said.
h Family route Fund, formerly Staunton Creative Com-
The festival was recently featured munity Fund, has announced its fifth See ACTIVITIES, Page 2A
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Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dionne Williamson, right, participates in a riding session at curity in military families, a network of compounded by a shortage of on-the-
Cloverleaf Equine Center in Clifton, Va., as Equine Coordinator Clarice Gutman military-adjacent charitable organiza- ground therapists.
works with another rider. The riding is part of a therapeutic program for tions has tried to fill the gaps with a va-
Staunton
Williamson. News
SUSAN Leader - 10/12/2022
WALSH/AP riety of programs and outreach efforts. See MILITARY, Page Page
3A : A02

Activities According to the flyer, if you want to

Continued from Page 1A
Selected companies will now go
through eight weeks of one-on-one
coaching to work through the riskiest
challenges of their business model and
learn processes to experiment with dif-
ferent solutions quickly and effectively.
Each company selected is also paired
with a mentor and supported in all as-
pects of running a successful scalable
business, including raising capital,
recruiting and retaining top talent, mar-
keting, and navigating legal issues,
among others, the release said.
“It’s thrilling to bring together this
group of entrepreneurs into a cohort —
all of whom are working at different
stages of their business and in different
industries. And yet, they’re able to find
support and encouragement from each
other to keep going and keep building a
successful business, even on the hard
days,” said Katie Overfield-Zook, SCCF
ecosystem builder and S2V program fa-
cilitator, in a release. “That’s the real
power of a program like S2V — guidance
from their coaches and mentors, and
the power of their peers.”
The following have been selected:
h Helix Hydrogen — an electrolyzer
manufacturer quickly maneuvering to
meet the rising demand for green hydro-
gen, which is a critical tool in the real-
ization of a decarbonized economy.
Founder: Daniel Warren — Harrison-
burg
h Isle Candle Co.— soy lotion candle
manufacturer, with over 15 years of ex-
perience. Customers enjoy clean burn-
ing candles (no soot or smoke), wonder-
ful fragrances, and calming ambiance.
After the candle begins to melt, the
warm (not hot) melted soybean oil from
the candle can be used as a luxurious
moisturizer. Founder: Becca Slye — Har-
A cyclist climbs a hill on Eidson Creek Road on one of the routes of the
Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival on Oct. 21, 2018. Despite the chilly weather
many cyclists took to the roads in southern Augusta County to enjoy the
scenery. PROVIDED BY THE SHENANDOAH FALL FOLIAGE BIKE FESTIVAL
risonburg
h Nonprofit MBA— provides non-
profits with access to an online applica-
tion that assesses the capacity of their
organization, identifies strengths and
weaknesses, prioritizes the order in
which capacity-building work needs to
be done, provides mini-projects, and al-
lows them to track the implementation
of these projects. The app assesses ca-
pacity on a maturity scale designed to
guide a nonprofit through increased
productivity until they are capable of
continued innovation. Founder: Juan
Pablo Berrizbeitia — Staunton
h Low Carb Kitchen — provides pre-
confectioned foods with a concentrated
focus on creating and distributing a
tasty keto French fry for consumers.
Founder: Donald Goff — Elkton
h Zion Sprouts Gathering House —
functions as a multi-facet center for the
conservation and promotion of the
Christian arts. The home will be a mu-
seum with hymnology and gospel col-
lections, art exhibitions, and Christian
literary & prose collections. The home
will also feature an outdoor botanical,
sculpture exhibition, and landscape de-
sign. Founder: Katherine Archibold —
Harrisonburg
To learn more about Startup Shenan-
doah Valley visit sccfva.org/business-
support.
West end block party in Staunton
There will be a block party in Staun-
ton’s west end Oct. 15 on the Salvation
Army grounds starting at 1 p.m.
attend, bring a lawn chair. There will be
a live band — Rewind — and other activ-
ities including face painting, balloon an-
imals, a bouncy house, treats and food.
The west end of Staunton primarily
stretches from the Central Business
District westward along Churchville Av-
enue, West Beverley Street and Middle-
brook Avenue hitting the bypass.
“Our mission is to improve the suc-
cess of members and the overall busi-
ness and merchant environment while
highlighting unique character and ap-
peal of the west end,” Staunton West
End Business Alliance President Vickie
Parkinson said. “We believe member
businesses are more likely to grow more
successful addressing shared interests,
issues, concerns together. Support for
our business association creates aware-
ness of west end choices, history, lon-
gevity, friendliness and customer satis-
faction while promoting events benefit-
ting its residential community.
According to Parkinson, the purpose
of our West End Block Party, which is
cohosted by The Salvation Army, is to
provide a community spirit day of fun,
family, friends, good food and exciting
live music.
“Getting away from it all close to
home,” she said. “If you wonder if we
really believe, ‘West End — Best End’,
then you ‘Beverley’ believe it! Come see!
Come join us!”
The event is sponsored by Fenco, Sal-
vation Army, City of Staunton, Tweedle
Tees, the West End Business Association,
Braden & Van Fossen Rentals, State Farm
and Central Shenandoah EMS Council.
Laura Peters is the trending topics re-
porter at The News Leader. Have a news
tip on local trends or businesses? Or a
good feature? You can reach reporter
Laura Peters (she/her) at lpeters@new-
sleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura.
Subscribe to The News Leader at new-
sleader.com.

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