Robbins Staffing Solutions held a very successful Career Clothing Drive in February and early March, thanks to the generosity of Charlottesville women. Joyce Robbins, president of Robbins Staffing Solutions, said as of today the drive has netted about five van loads of clothes, shoes, handbags, scarves and even some jewelry.
Women are also the beneficiaries of the successful drive as items were donated to FOCUS Women’s Resource Center and Clothing Closet.
“It is with huge gratitude that I personally thank all of you for your donation to the Robbins Staffing clothing drive in support of FOCUS,” says Robbins. “Our mission this winter was to fill the racks in our effort to help women in need get a boost for their career path.”
FOCUS offers a Career Clothes Closet at the Focus Flea where those who receive FOCUS career services can shop for “free” for an appropriate outfit for a job interview or business meeting. Robbins adds, “Many women in need of a job find it difficult to summon self-confidence during the interview process (or even while at the job itself) because they cannot afford or do not have professional or suitable clothing.”
After this year’s clothing drive, Robbins hopes that isn’t a factor. She says that even bad weather couldn’t slow down the wave of donations from the community. “There were so many beautiful choices, not simply the out-of-date or worn stuff donors were tired of, but sophisticated business outfits, fashionable shoes and jewelry and great-looking purses,” Robbins says.
For more information about FOCUS, visit http://focus.avenue.org.
Robbins Staffing is “committed to our philanthropy program of elevating the career marketability of women in need,” Robbins says. “Our next clothing drive is planned for September.”
For information about Robbins Staffing, visit http://www.robinsstaffing.com or find it on Facebook by searching for Robbins Staffing Solutions.

Piedmont Council of the Arts (PCA) will participate in statewide initiative MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts, with a June photography exhibit. The statewide event was organized by Virginians for the Arts to honor contributions by women to arts and culture.
This first-ever statewide initiative will raise public visibility of the size and scope of the arts and cultural industry in Virginia, while building collaborations and partnerships among the arts and cultural organizations across the commonwealth.
To celebrate this important program, PCA will mount “PCA Presents: Women in the Arts,“ an exhibition featuring photographs of local women in the arts taken by women photographers. The exhibition will be on view in the Upstairs Hall gallery of McGuffey Art Center during the month of June.
PCA, whose offices are located in Studio 22 of the art center, will hold a special preview party for the exhibition on June 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at McGuffey for the artists and subjects, and all members of the community. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning in April.
“PCA Presents: Women in the Arts” will feature the work of local photographers including Lynn Brubaker, Jen Fariello, Mary Kalergis, and many others. Curated by PCA Board Member and photographer Tom Cogill, the exhibition will showcase portraits of more than 30 women in the arts in the Charlottesville-area community, as seen through the eyes of the exhibiting artists.
In tandem with the exhibition, PCA will launch an online photo gallery to celebrate the many other women in our community who inspire and lead us through the creative and cultural sectors. The online exhibition will be hosted on http://www.charlottesvillearts.org, Piedmont Council of the Arts’ Web site.  All community members and friends of the area will be invited to submit images for the online gallery, which is set to launch this month.
For more information about “PCA Presents: Women in the Arts,“ contact Nikki Melton at .

About Piedmont Council of the Arts
As the designated arts agency of Charlottesville and Albemarle, PCA encourages access to and awareness of the arts to maintain them as an essential part of life for all people in the Charlottesville area. To learn more visit http://www.charlottesvillearts.org.

Photography exhibition, online gallery, and preview party at McGuffey Art Center

Piedmont Council of the Arts (PCA) will participate in statewide initiative MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts, with a June photography exhibit. The statewide event was organized by Virginians for the Arts to honor contributions by women to arts and culture.
This first-ever statewide initiative will raise public visibility of the size and scope of the arts and cultural industry in Virginia, while building collaborations and partnerships among the arts and cultural organizations across the commonwealth.
To celebrate this important program, PCA will mount “PCA Presents: Women in the Arts,“ an exhibition featuring photographs of local women in the arts taken by women photographers. The exhibition will be on view in the Upstairs Hall gallery of McGuffey Art Center during the month of June.
PCA, whose offices are located in Studio 22 of the art center, will hold a special preview party for the exhibition on June 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at McGuffey for the artists and subjects, and all members of the community. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning in April.
“PCA Presents: Women in the Arts” will feature the work of local photographers including Lynn Brubaker, Jen Fariello, Mary Kalergis and others. Curated by PCA Board Member and photographer Tom Cogill, the exhibition will showcase portraits of more than 30 women in the arts in the Charlottesville-area community, as seen through the eyes of the exhibiting artists. 
In tandem with the exhibition, PCA will launch an online photo gallery to celebrate the many other women in our community who inspire and lead us through the creative and cultural sectors. The online exhibition will be hosted on http://www.charlottesvillearts.org, Piedmont Council of the Arts’ Web site. All community members and friends of the area will be invited to submit images for the online gallery, which is set to launch in March 2010.
For more information about “PCA Presents: Women in the Arts,“ contact Nikki Melton at .
More information on Minds Wide Open: http://vamindswideopen.org/

BY TARA BOZICK
Media General News Service

One Danville woman wants to help empower middle school and high school girls to reach their full potential.
Katina Davis initiated the start of a Young Women Leaders Program in Danville in 2005. Because of low participation, she is revamping the program through monthly workshops where girls can delve into issues like teen dating violence awareness, teen pregnancy prevention, diversity, perception of women and striving for academic excellence.
Speakers and experts will conduct the information seminars and Davis will moderate a dialogue among participants within limitations and boundaries, she said.
“Choices - the children don’t realize choices play a large part in whether your life will be of substance or disaster,“ Davis said. “It’s all about the choices you make.“
Davis has four teenage daughters and a son and witnesses how negativity among young people weighs them down. She would like to help change that by teaching leadership development skills, confidence and addressing self-esteem issues. Mainly, youth can come together, get real and talk about the issues that may most affect their lives and sense of self.
Davis needed help in those areas as a young person, she admits. The motivation for the program comes from her own journey.
At 14 years old, Davis became pregnant with her oldest child. She allowed sex to become a way she identified herself and felt like she had “no one in her corner” back then.
Eventually, Little Life Pregnancy Medical Center is where she “got saved.“
“Thank God, glory be to God,“ Davis told attendees of a Tuesday night YWLP meeting.
Davis started working in the Westwood Middle School cafeteria and worked her way through the school system to security officer at George Washington High School. In her spare time, she started a “My Sister’s Keeper” group in 1999 in her apartment where young women talked about their struggles, dreams and their kids. She developed a youth center in that apartment complex while she lived there.
She found working with youth was therapeutic and healing. Eventually, her informal meetings blossomed into developing a sister site in Danville for the YWLP, which was founded at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville as an after-school mentoring program.
Davis still carries the dream of developing a youth center. For now, the YWCA downtown houses the YWLP meetings. Donations, fundraisers and out-of-pocket expenses pay for the activities.
In April, Davis will bring to fruition the event she’s been envisioning for the past seven years: a “Girls Day Out Summit.“
In March, DOVES Inc. plans to partner with YWLP to talk about relationships, sexual assault and teen dating violence awareness. Upon hearing Davis’ goals on Tuesday night, DOVES sexual assault coordinator Sheila Jacobs said she wished such a program existed for her when she was growing up.
“I think it’s a very much needed program,“ said early childhood education instructor Sheryl Lashley. “There couldn’t be a better person for the program, with her compassion.“
Davis hopes to introduce young women to role models of the community and asks parents to keep attentive of their children. She would like to uplift the youth who accomplish positive deeds.
“Part of why I do what I do, I know I’m not perfect,“ Davis said. “When I see children, I see potential.“
Tara Bozick is a staff writer for the Danville Register & Bee.
If You Go
Girls Day Out Summit on April 3: Girls ages 13-16 can share their experiences and concerns. Parents are encouraged to attend.
For more information on the Young Women Leaders Program monthly workshops or summit, call Katina Davis at (434) 548-5541 or e-mail .

Robbins Staffing Solutions is sponsoring a “February Clothing Drive for Women” in support of FOCUS Women’s Resource Center and Clothing Closet. Many women in need of a job do not have and can’‘t afford professional clothing. During the month of February, Robbins Staffing Solutions will accept clean, gently worn career clothing at its office on Rio Road. Accepted items include business suits, jackets, blouses, dresses, slacks, bags, shoes and conservative jewelry. For more information, contact Joyce Robbins at or at (434) 295-9770.