OUTLET: WAVY

People impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic received a free hot meal Tuesday at a Norfolk restaurant.

The Azalea Inn and Time Out Sports bar distributed 650 meals from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. outside at the Roosevelt Gardens Shopping Center (2344 East Little Creek Road).

It was 150 more meals than they originally planned for.

Each box included a turkey sandwich, mashed potatoes and green beans. The meals were one per person on a first-come, first-served basis. For safety reasons, motorists and passengers were asked to stay in their cars.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before and for people to come out and do this and help families in need, especially like myself, it’s a blessing and it really takes some of the pressure off,” Norfolk resident Sabrina Whorton told 10 On Your Side.

The “Thanks and Giving” event was made possible by Virginia Wins Together, a community initiative made up of operators and locations that host Queen of Virginia Skill & Entertainment (QVS) games.

“With so many negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, QVS, our operators and customers want to help folks during these difficult times,” said QVS General Manager Jeanna Bouzek. “We are also thankful that we can partner with a great restaurant, Azalea Inn and Time Out Sports Bar, to support our community in a meaningful way before the holiday.”

This isn’t the first time the Azalea Inn has been at the forefront of giving back. The owner has served those in the community on Thanksgiving Day many times in the past.

“Today is a beautiful day, it’s a special day for us, for the community, for the restaurant, for the employees. It’s a good day,” said Azalea Inn co-owner, Taki Karangelen.

At the event, QVS also announced how much revenue it alone has generated since July for Virginia’s COVID-19 Relief Fund and local governments from a special state tax on skill games.

That levy, $1,200 per gaming terminal, totals millions of dollars statewide.

“In four months, just Queen of Virginia has written a check for $25 million to the state of Virginia. We’re 54% of the skill game industry, so if you add all that up, that means the state of Virginia has gotten about $48 million in the last four months. So, I don’t see any way possible anyone with any type of conscious can vote to take that type of money away from the state.”

OUTLET: WTKR

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – It’s a sunny Saturday morning in the South Norfolk Neighborhood of Chesapeake.

And some workers are hard at work trying to make sure a new home is ready by the holidays. The difference here is these folks are not getting paid to build this house – they are here because they want to be.

They’re building the home for the Habitat for Humanity program, and their lead volunteer is retired Navy vet Dennis Plank.

“Dennis is amazing. He’s been here for over 10 years; he’s the backbone of our volunteers.” (more…)

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – It’s a big year for Beth Sholom Village in Virginia Beach. The rehabilitation and senior living facility is celebrating 40 years in our community, the end of a major renovation, and no outbreaks during this coronavirus pandemic.

Beth Sholom Village takes the health of its residents and patients very seriously. So, when COVID-19 hit and workers learned seniors were high risk, the facility made some big policy changes.

“When somebody comes into our building for the very first time no matter whether they are coming from home, from the hospital, another facility, they go on what we created as an isolation unit,” explained Marcia Brodie, Marketing Director for Beth Sholom.

She said she feels like coming to work every day is one of the safest places she can be. “Every single staff member, I think we maybe have 320, is tested every single week. Tuesdays are our testing day.”

Marcia went on to say, “We’ve not allowed visitors in since March. So, a lot of people have not seen their loved one face-to-face.”

The only exception to that rule, Marcia said, is when a patient is nearing end of life.

Beth Sholom staff members also got very creative to make sure their residents could stay in touch with family.

“We did a lot of window visits. So, a family member is on the outside, the resident is on the inside. We have a staff member typically who facilitates with a cell phone. We’re not allowed to open the window, but they talk through the phone or an iPad.”

About a month and a half ago, the Beth Sholom team added a new plan to keep families connected. “We had a team build a plexiglass booth that we put outside and the person is put into the booth, they’re wheeled in, and it’s 3-sided, and a family member can drive up and we put a speaker in the family member’s car and a speaker in the booth and you have a visit. It’s not ideal, but a lot of families have taken advantage of it because they can lay eyes on somebody which is really important.”

Because of the precautions, Marcia said there have been no outbreaks, just a few isolated cases. “I think we’re going on a month and a half, two months, that we have not had anything.”

Marcia said they make sure residents have plenty to do, from socially distanced games, to art, and now that renovations throughout the facility are complete, those at Beth Sholom really have something to smile about.

“All rooms were updated. All hallways were updated. Our dining room was redone. Beautiful colors, really open and airy. All of our common areas were redone, so it’s really very welcoming.”

Marcia said residents’ rooms got a big upgrade.

“Every room now has its own shower along with the bathroom. I love our bathrooms. They are beautiful. They look almost spa-like with beautiful tile. We have showers where you can wheel in a shower chair. Huge difference there.”

There are unique additions everywhere you turn.

Marcia said in one area there is a huge glass birdcage, “There are always about 10 finches in there, so, people love to go and sit and watch that.”

The completion of the renovation was perfect timing for residents and patients who had to remain socially distant during the pandemic. Beth Sholom is starting to allow face-to-face visits, but masks must be worn, there must be at least six feet of social distancing, and visitors must test negative for coronavirus before visiting.

To take a virtual tour of Beth Sholom Village, click here.

ROANOKE, Va., (WSET) — On Friday, September 11, Queen of Virginia paid four restaurants that market its games in the Roanoke area to prepare box lunches for firefighters and EMS workers at 14 stations in Roanoke, Roanoke County, Salem, and Vinton.

Queen of Virginia Skill Games have more than 5,000 terminals statewide and have delivered $13,260,000 to the COVID-19 Relief Fund. That includes $6,450,000 in the month of August.

“We are pleased that our partner amusement operators and location owners are welcoming customers who want to play our games,” said Joel Rubin, a spokesman for Queen of Virginia. “The result so far, just from our terminals, show that Queen games are popular and a source of strong support for critical causes.”

Given extended life by the General Assembly in April, skill games in the state’s bars, restaurants, and convenience stores are generating significant revenue for a special state fund set up to help assist individuals impacted by the coronavirus.

MEDIA OUTLET: Suffolk News Herald

Endurance IT Services recently announced its COVID-19 Relief Scholarship to benefit a student who demonstrates resilience and a commitment to education in the face of the global pandemic.

Endurance IT Services will award the $5,000 scholarship in August to a student interested in a career in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and math). Endurance IT Services is a Hampton Roads leader in IT and managed services with offices in Virginia Beach and Newport News. “We want to honor a student who is enduring a tough time but remains committed to a college education,” said Blake White, president of Endurance IT Services.

“We know so many families are dealing with unemployment and tough financial circumstances, and we hope the scholarship will make an immediate impact for one student.” Students are encouraged to apply at www.endurance-it.com/scholarship and follow the criteria for the written and video submissions. The application deadline is Aug. 28. People can get more information by emailing Scholarship@Endurance-IT.com.

Endurance IT Services is an IT and managed services firm in Hampton Roads.

MEDIA OUTLET: Richmond Times-Dispatch

Queen of Virginia Skill & Entertainment, the face of the embattled skill game industry in Virginia, says its games generated almost $7 million in the first month for the state’s COVID-19 relief fund and local governments.

The company, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Pace-O-Matic Inc., says a new state tax on its 5,700 machines in Virginia produced $6.8 million in July, the first month operating under a new state law that gives the industry a year to operate with a $1,200 monthly tax on each machine.

The tax, proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam and adopted by the General Assembly in April, produced more than $5.7 million for the COVID-19 relief fund and $826,176 for the localities that host Queen of Virginia electronic gaming machines in restaurants, stores and truck stops. (more…)

The Women Build, an all-women event meant to inspire and empower female leaders in the Hampton Roads community, took place the week of August 3-7 in the South Norfolk section of Chesapeake.

Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads, an RCG client, hosted the event.

The women worked alongside Habitat’s seasoned construction volunteers to erect the frame of a home that a deserving family will soon occupy, hopefully by the 2020 holiday season.

Check out the coverage we helped Habitat receive on WTKR NewsChannel 3 (the CBS affiliate in our market).

Tage Counts interviews business leaders, entrepreneurs and non-profit executives on his podcast “Tage Talks” for the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. RCG’s Danny Rubin was on to discuss his professional journey in public relations, media and communications, provides an overview of the public relations field and how it serves the needs of businesses of all types, working with the local media and news sources, and managing the ever changing media & public relations landscape.

Listen to the Podcast here

(more…)