Showcase Magazine December 2023

2023

Community Strong

PERSON OF THE YEAR

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CONTENTS

Showcase Magazine

DECEMBER 2023 @showcaseDVA

Showcase Magazine

showcasemagazineva @ info@showcasemagazine.com

FEATURES

ALSO INSIDE

Community Strong

Confessions of a 30 Something

Recognizing those who volunteer their time and expertise to better the community.

Don’t Stop Believing 11

JIm Godrey 8

Games

Golden Jubilee Tour

12

50 Years of Preservation and Renewal 10

Crossword & Wordsearch

Paws for a Cause

Meet Miss Precious 14

2023 Showcase Magazine

Community Strong Person of the Year

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showcase DECEMBER 2023

CEO Andrew Scott Brooks scott@showcasemagazine.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Paul Seiple | paul@showcasemagazine.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kim Demont | demontdesign@verizon.net FINANCE MANAGER Cindy Astin | cindy@showcasemagazine.com ADVERTISING Lee Vogler | Director of Sales and Marketing lee@showcasemagazine.com | 434.548.5335 Emily Wilkerson | Executive Assistant emily@showcasemagazine.com 753 Main Street #3, Danville, VA 24541 Phone 434.709.7349 info@showcasemagazine.com www.showcasemagazine.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paulette Dean | Barry Koplen Lee Vogler CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Danville Area Humane Society Danville Historical Society JIm Godrey | Lee Vogler COVER JIm Godrey. Photo by Lee Vogler.

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COMMUNITY STRONG PERSON OF THE YEAR 2023 JIM GODFREY

Jim Godfrey Community Strong

PERSON OF THE YEAR 2023 PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DANVILLE AREA HUMANE SOCIETY

J

im Godfrey has always loved animals of all kinds.

He sees the need to give his time because animals can use a helping hand with problems caused by no fault of their own. “Strays and homeless pets are our fault. I like to help in any way I can.”

Godfrey has been Santa to the animals staying at the Danville Area Humane Society for over ten years. Last summer, he dusted off the beard to bring a summer Santa to hus furry friends. He spends his free time helping to transport dogs to other shelters that have openings offering a better chance at adoption.

Showcase sat down with this year’s recipient of our annual Community Strong Award to find out why making the communality better is dear to Godfrey’s heart.

Showcase Magazine: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Jim Godfrey: I moved to Danville from Pennsylvania in 2006. My mother is originally from the area.

Danville City Police Officer from June 2006 to August 2023. Pittsylvania Co. Sheriff’s Deputy from August 2023 to present. I am the School Resource Officer at Chatham Elementary School. I have a great love of animals and the Danville Area Humane Society. All three of my cats have come from the shelter. I enjoy helping people.

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SM: How do you define community involvement?

JG: Community Involvement to me is helping in whatever way you can. When I worked with DPD I worked the North Main Street area. There I could have a direct impact on the community of that area with its problems. As an SRO, I get to be a positive role model for the children of the community.

SM: What inspires you to get involved in the community?

JG: I’m inspired to be involved in the community just to see things get better for those who need it.

It bothers me seeing people who need and want resources not being able to get them.

SM: How do you balance life, work, and community involvement?

JG: My entire job is community involvement. As a police officer it was rare to see a “win” but as an SRO it is almost all wins. Being in law enforcement, it is a struggle to find a balance between work and regular life. You are almost always “on the job.” It’s good to have a support system at home and with friends.

SM: How do you recharge. What do you like to do outside of work and volunteerism?

JG: I recharge by reading and spending time with my girlfriend and cats.

SM: What is your idea of happiness?

JG: Happiness to me is being content in who you are.

SM: What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

JG: That sometimes doing the right thing is the hardest thing.

SM: What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

JG: For 2024, I’m looking forward to having a full year as an SRO. I’ve only been doing it for a short time so far and enjoy it very, very much.

SM: Do you have a favorite quote, and if so, what is it?

JG: My favorite quote is “We accept the love we think we deserve.” by Stephen Chbosky from the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower. As a Police Officer I constantly saw people accepting less than they deserved. People need to know that they deserve more. Also “There are no secrets, only facts that haven’t come out yet.” from Doug Gottlieb SM: Who are your real-life heroes and why?

JG: My mother, Veda Godfrey, is a hero of mine. She made it from an impoverished childhood to being an RN, and a person who always finds time to help others. Also, Paulette Dean, she devotes her life to helping animals.

SM: What is it about Danville that makes it special to you?

JG: Danville is special to me because I have a long history with it. As a child we would come for 2 weeks a year to visit my mother’s family. I remember when it was a successful textile town, and it is nice to see it becoming a vibrant area again. It is where I started my law enforcement career, and I have a great number of friends here.

SM: What are your favorite things to do in Danville?

JG: My girlfriend and I really enjoy supporting small businesses in Danville. If we can buy it here, we will. I enjoy helping out the DAHS whenever I can.

SM: What are your visions for the future of Danville?

JG: My vision for Danville would be for it to be a safe and successful place to work and enjoy life. www.showcasemagazine.com | DECEMBER 2023 | SHOWCASE Magazine 9

FEATURE GOLDEN JUBILEE TOUR: 50 YEARS OF PRESERVATION AND RENEWAL

Golden Jubilee Tour 50 Years of Preservation and Renewal PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DANVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

T

his year marks the 50th Holiday Tour of Homes, presented by the Danville Historical Society. Join the fun on Saturday, December 9, 2023, from 11 AM to 5 PM. This year, the tour will showcase a delightful blend of homes, churches, and businesses, each with their own unique history and charm. You’ll be amazed by the countless transformations these places have experienced throughout the years.

“We’re excited to continue the Danville tradition of the holiday tour,” remarked Historical Society president Sarah Latham. “These sites have been restored, renovated and, often, repurposed. They speak to the city’s history, beauty, and resilience.”

Among the sites on this 50th tour:

The Barnes Penn House, more commonly known as The Wedding Cake House, is a lavish 1902 structure that was a wedding gift from tobacconist James Gabriel Penn to his daughter, Mary Katherine, and her husband, Barnes R. Penn. The house was last on the tour thirty years ago.

The Dr. Bruce James House will be on the tour for the first time ever. Built in 1899, this Main Street house was both home and doctors’ offices for decades before becoming the headquarters for the Red Cross, apartments, and finally – in just the past year – a single-family home.

Commonwealth Senior Living at Stratford House will open what was once known as Main Hall. The building was constructed in 1883 for the Danville College for Young Ladies. Later, it became RandolphMacon Institute and then Stratford College. Fifty years ago, Stratford College was in session for its last academic year ever, closing its doors in 1974.

Another prominent building on the Golden Jubilee Tour is High Street Baptist Church. It has a storied history. It was the first African American church organized in Danville in 1865. This early-turn-of-the20th-century structure is the third building on this site, the first two burning in 1878 and 1901. This year, High Street Baptist Church commemorates sixty years since Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke there, and Civil Rights marches began there. Visitors will hear from congregants who took part in those protests.

These are only some of the sites highlighted this Golden Jubilee year. Tickets are available on Eventbrite starting Monday, November 6th. Tickets are also available at Karen’s Hallmark, Gingerbread House, Vintages by the Dan, and Rippes. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ DanvilleHistoricalSociety.

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CONFESSIONS OF A 30 SOMETHING

Confessions of a 30 Something Don’t Stop Believing

BY LEE VOGLER PHOTO BY LEE VOGLER

“It’s that time, Christmas time is here Everybody knows there’s not a better time of year Hear that sleigh, Santa’s on his way Hip-hip-hooray, for Christmas vacation” Those of us of a certain age probably know exactly where those lyrics come from, and are probably singing them in our heads right now. Christmas Vacation has become a Christmas classic for many reasons, but one of them is because we can all relate to Clark Griswold in the movie.

The holidays can be chaotic, and sometimes even disastrous. But the Christmas season can also be a lot of fun and very special, especially when you’re with your family.

I’ve never been one of those people who jumps right into Christmas the second that Halloween ends. In fact, I’ve typically been a “traditionalist” who insists we wait until after Thanksgiving to start putting the decorations up. This year, however, has been a little different. A week or so before Thanksgiving arrived, the Christmas bug hit me. I started playing Christmas music in the house. Some of our yard decorations went up. If nothing else, it seemed to make me

feel better. And who wouldn’t want that?

As you’re reading this, Christmas time is certainly here. I hope it is a joyous season for you and your families. I can’t help but think of how incredibly blessed I am. Last year, just days before Christmas, a car slammed into the car I was driving with my son Kingston, in the back seat. It totaled our car, and left Kingston and I with a variety of injuries, including a broken fibula for me. It certainly slowed me down during the holidays, but I was thankful to be alive and with my family. A year later, I’m feeling better than I have in a long time (outside of an ache I feel in my knee during rainy days) and looking forward to another fun-filled Christmas with my family and friends.

So if you see me out and about this month, throw me a wave and a Merry Christmas. I’ll be the one in the Santa shirt that says “Don’t Stop Believing”. I hope Santa is good to each of you and that you have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap danced with Danny Kaye!

988

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EXTRA GAMES

Games

Crossword Puzzle ACROSS 1 And so forth 4 Transparent gem 9 Hit 14 Dit’s partner 15 Where you were at crime time 16 Blue ___, water bird 17 Wood chopper 18 Lore 19 Stupid 20 Upset 22 Storage areas 24 Hive dweller 25 Cozy room 27 Typing rate 29 Part of “Colorado” 32 747 35 Animal covering 36 Riot 38 Horse steerers 40 Academy (abbr.)

42 Ancient German letters 44 Legible 45 2:1, for example 47 Bleed 49 Shout

50 Tent 52 Move forward 54 Watch secretly 55 Picnic visitor 56 Street abbr.

59 Reimburse 63 Hurt 67 Funeral hymn 69 Jell-o salad 71 Topper 72 Peaks 73 Hair color 74 Bard’s before 75 What you get in restaurants 76 Tunes 77 Swamp Down 1 Cheese 2 Ride on the runway 3 French cook 4 Make lace 5 Poisonous evergreen shrub 6 US liquid unit 7 A wager (2 wds.)

8 Type of pasta

9 Mouth 10 Biddy 11 Arabian 12 Pointed cylinder 13 Joint 21 Popular president’s initials 23 Cash with order (abr.)

26 Hearing part 28 Presence 29 Ticket to a performance 30 Speak 31 Plant seed 32 Sound 33 Brother’s daughter 34 Tree knot 35 Distant 37 East northeast 39 Pigpen 41 Expires 43 Grating 46 Crush 48 Honey abr.

51 Look 53 School group 56 First man

57 Moral corruption 58 Writer Bombeck 60 Taxis 61 Capital of Norway

62 On 64 Musical bass __ 65 Engage 66 Adam’s garden

68 Hair stuff 70 Discs

Word Search ARMS BUTTON CARROT EYES

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FROSTY

PIPE

HAT

SCARF

MOUTH

SNOW

SNOWBALL STICKS TWIGS WINTER

Answers on Page 14

PAWS FOR A CAUSE

Paws for a Cause WRITTEN BY PAULETTE DEAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY

to not give an animal as a gift. You may give a gift certificate, promising a pet, but the recipient has the right to choose which animal they want. A boyfriend may think his girlfriend needs a dog, but she may be more inclined to want a cat. Grown children may think that a cat is just the companion for their elderly parent, but the parents may not want to be “tied down” to having a pet. The list goes on and on.

Some of the most perfect moments of my life have come during the Christmas season.

The day is over too quickly, however, and it always makes me a little sad to see the discarded trees and the shelves of poor, overlooked decorations in stores.

However, that cannot compare to the sadness animals shelters face when, within weeks or sometimes even days, they begin receiving discarded pets that were given as gifts.

In fact, in 1994, I adopted a dachshund mix that had been given as a gift the year before. By the time she came through our shelter doors, she had been physically and emotionally abused. She was an emotional mess and she never quite recovered. Katey, though, was one of the lucky ones because she did find a home with a human who absolutely adored her.

The rest of her days were spent as my almost-constant companion. Many discarded pet gifts do not have such happy endings.

Most animal welfare organizations urge people

MEET MISS PRECIOUS This two-year-old miniature pinscher mix girl has been in at least two homes and came to us through no fault of her own. She is very sweet and needs lots of attention.

DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY

Some shelters allow holiday gift adoptions. We do only if parents want to surprise their children with a family pet, but we do not let the animal be presented on the noisiest, most confusing morning of the year. (Santa Claus sometimes brings pets the day before or the day after Christmas, just so they don’t have to endure a long sleigh ride completely around the world.)

Companion animals require a commitment of time, money, and, yes, even sacrifice. Our goal is to make sure they do not get discarded as easily as torn wrapping paper and trees. Our goal is to do everything in our power to ensure that the rest of their lives is almost perfect.

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May your holidays be filled with joy, laughter, and precious moments shared with family and friends.

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Crossword Puzzle Word Search

Continued from Page 12

Games Solutions

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