Strategies

Replenish Richmond promotes the Power of Intentionality which offers increased benefits to those that consistently use strategic planning as a core element of their efforts, whatever they might be. When considering the science of people-based community development, intentionality and strategic planning are critical components to maintaining a truly scientific process. Once the whys of any project have been defined, intentionality and strategic planning define a pathway of whats to achieve those whys.

When looking at the whys behind the project called Replenish Richmond, one need go no further than Rick Tatnall’s Personal Mission.

Rick Tatnall's Personal Mission

My Personal Mission is to Replenish Richmond – to inspire, nourish and provide for my home, Richmond, in an effort to help build a proud, unified Community of Richmond,
I intend to help create:

a community that offers every citizen equal access to all opportunities, including the promised rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;
a community where people are judged solely by the content of their character;
a community actively using the power of its past to positively shape its future;
a community that is a shining example to the rest of the world;
a community considered the best possible place to live, work, and visit.

To achieve my Mission, I will work to continually strengthen the following six important subsets of the Community of Richmond.

Community

The Community of Richmond is strengthened when there is an increasing sense of community amongst its citizens. I am a Richmonder! I believe my quality of life is forever tied to my home community, so I intend to consider what is best for Richmond in all my life’s decisions and will work to influence other Richmonders to believe and act likewise.

Creativity

The strength of the Community of Richmond is mystically tied to the collective creative spirit in all its citizens. Creativity is a powerful, positive force and I intend to nurture creativity in all its forms and fashions, helping establish Richmond as a creativity mecca with a special accent on the creative arts and their ability to transform lives.

Economy

The quality of life in the Community of Richmond will continually increase when it possesses a constantly growing, multi-faceted, interconnected regional economy. I intend to help Richmond maximize the benefits of a strong economy by working to achieve the highest possible level of socially conscious economic growth for the Richmond Region.

Education

The strength of the Community of Richmond is directly connected to the collective level of education of all its citizens. I intend to maintain consistent support for the public education systems of the Richmond Region, enabling them to offer unfettered access to the best possible education for all Richmonders of all ages.

Enviornment

The future of the Community of Richmond is certainly intertwined with its magnificent natural environment which stimulates our economy and offers recreation, tranquility, and through the James River, is our source of life. I intend to be an excellent steward of this incredible asset and will work to influence other Richmonders to act likewise.

History

I believe the future of the Community of Richmond is linked to its incredible past. Since 1607 this community has been and continues to be at the core of the social development of the United States and I believe it is the Nexus of Our Nation. I intend to help Richmond maximize the power of its past to positively influence its future, and the future of all mankind.

To achieve Rick’s mission, Replenish Richmond has initially developed 3 Strategies that supplement and complement each other in collectively achieving our objectives:

Richmond Community Garden Collective (RCGC)

The process of designing, building, maintaining and sustaining a community garden requires many elements of a community to work together across many seasons and years to achieve the individual and collective goals of the garden. When viewed as a community development tool, the community garden offers a substantial number of social, educational, economic, environmental, and community-building opportunities for every level of community. In an effort help the Community of Richmond take maximum advantage of the power of community gardens, the Richmond Community Garden Collective (RCGC) was created in 2006. RCGC intends to become a growing number of individuals, families, clubs, neighborhoods, communities, organizations, institutions and governments committed to collaborate as a collection of community gardens and community garden enthusiasts interested in strengthening Richmond through community gardening. RCGC intends to play a critical role in building a proud, unified Community of Richmond. More. . .

Double the Travelers Campaign

The City of Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia were ground zero for the incredible events that gripped the United States 150 years ago – the American Civil War and the end of slavery, Emancipation. The Sesquicentennial – the 150th anniversary of these events – will be commemorated from 2011 through 2015 and in an effort to take maximum advantage of this unprecedented opportunity, Replenish Richmond has created the Double the Travelers Campaign which intends to more than double the number of travelers to the Richmond Region, offering significant social and financial benefits to the Community of Richmond. More. . .

Richmonds of the World

On May 24, 1981, Richmond Virginia and Richmond upon Thames, its namesake in England, formally became Twin Cities after decades of cultural interaction. The Twinning relationship between the two Richmonds has grown to involve many diverse elements of each community, including the arts, schools, business, government and sports to name a few. In 2007, Richmond and Virginia commemorated 400 years of history since the landing of English Settlers at Jamestown in 1607, with help from Richmond upon Thames and England, including a visit by Queen Elizabeth II. Heightened involvement between the two Richmonds in 2007 led to the creation of the concept of Richmonds of the World, a global community building initiative intended to unite the 80 communities around the world named Richmond. In 2008 a delegation from Richmond Virginia visited Richmond upon Thames and the two Richmonds formally announced the formation of Richmonds of the World. The foundation for the Richmonds collaborative was made complete in 2009 when Richmond, Yorkshire – the original Richmond – joined Richmonds of the World. More. . .