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It cannot be accidental that the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur share this season, share the rituals of fasting and feasting, and share the themes of cleansing and renewal. Being of the Jewish faith, this season has always been a time of reflection, a time where I seek spiritual meaning and again try to make my life more relevant to something greater than myself. I have always found symbolic the astronomical events that mark the Jewish holidays—the new moon ushering in Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s Day), followed by the cleansing fast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and culminating on the full moon with the feast of the harvest holiday, Sukkot. The juxtaposition of the lunar cycle lends timelessness to man’s yearly struggle to purify his soul.

My introspection this year is further stimulated by a Christian faith-based nonprofit, Boaz & Ruth, which Teri Lovelace and I visited earlier this week. Located in the north Richmond community known as “Six Points,” the neighborhood is defined by street names we once associated with crime scenes – Meadowbridge Road, Brookland Park Boulevard, Second and Third Avenues. A store window with shattered glass and bullet holes relates the story of the neighborhood’s violent past. One is not surprised to learn that Six Points lies within a two-mile radius of six of the seven census tracts with the highest number of released prisoners in our City.

Enter Martha Rollins in 2002. Many of us remember Martha’s Mixture, an iconic antique furniture store in up-tempo Carytown. Enlightened and inspired by her shepherd and pastor, Reverend Charles Summers of First Presbyterian Church, as well as by the Book of Ruth from the Old Testament, Martha pondered the tremendous resources of the wealthy and the severe needs of the poor. She wondered how she might use her talents to productively conjoin the two. Thus called to serve, Martha migrated her used furniture store and restoration business to this blighted block of boarded up buildings, where she has deployed her 30 years of business experience to create a series of enterprises that seek to renew both the human spirit and this neighborhood. In only 7 years, we see the people and the buildings transforming before our very eyes.

After a tour of the original furniture restoration business and used furniture store—which has evolved to include a thrift shop, a construction crew, a moving company, six transitional homes and a restaurant/catering business housed in a restored and historic fire station—Teri and I dined with Martha, her development director Lou Mazzini and Alton Mitchell. We learned that other than Martha, Lou and a few other visionary and committed cohorts, these business enterprises are run entirely by formerly incarcerated prisoners who are seeking to turn around their lives. Alton is one of the former prisoners. We had seen him on the tour restoring the beautiful features of a house, which only months ago had been disguised by debris that had gathered through years of neglect and abuse. Permit me to paraphrase and condense Alton’s words, which he eloquently delivered in soothing tones that tenuously veiled a former life of crime in the manner that new pink skin grow over a long-festering wound.

“I grew up in this neighborhood. At the age of 12, I discovered drugs. At first, it was marijuana, and later much stronger drugs. I chose the wrong friends and lived a life of crime. I was arrested many times and lived in many jails. I tried to go back to school, but they put me in a grade with much younger kids so I headed back to the streets. Most recently, I was in jail in Beckley Federal Prison in Beaver West Virginia, and when I was released in 2006 I returned and discovered Boaz & Ruth.

“I found love here. I found God. I learned that I could rebuild this neighborhood that unfortunately I had helped to destroy.  I was always my mother’s favorite, and I am again living with her in the house where I grew up. Now, when I see my former friends, they know that I have changed.”

Alton’s story, punctuated by our bedazzled questions, kept us spellbound for half an hour. The air of ease around our table echoed the spirit of the daily prayer circle with which Martha and her growing family of former felons complete the lessons of each day. It cannot be a coincidence that this neighborhood has experienced a 37% drop in crime, and it has not had a violent incident since 2004. After hearing Alton’s story, which punctuated our two hour journey with a bold exclamation point, we were not surprised to learn that Martha was recognized last month at the White House, at which time she personally delivered to President Obama a notebook with photos of her colleagues engaged in productive pursuit.

Martha Rollins’ entrepreneurial approach has enabled her virally growing business enterprises to self-fund 30% of their overall operating budget. Donated funds are leveraged in almost countless ways. Social work students from VCU and University of Richmond train under the tutelage of Bonnie B. Dowdy, a Ph.D., who guides the life skills training aspect of Boaz & Ruth—the heart of the soul restoration enterprise.

If you would like to visit Boaz & Ruth, you may wish to join us when The Community Foundation schedules a site visit in the near future. This on-site experience will be the perfect way to kick off the 2009-2010 season of the Richmond Donors Forum, where we will feature four speakers who are in some way engaged in what we call “The New Business of Philanthropy.” Richmond is rich with nationally recognized social entrepreneurs, including our lead-off speaker in October, Michael Pirron of Impact Makers, and June’s concluding speaker, Jon Lugbill of Richmond Sports Backers. Like Martha’s story, each of these sessions will open our eyes to the intersection of entrepreneurship and eleemosynary pursuit.

Simply email me if you are interested in attending the tour and/or the Richmond Donors Forum. We will do our best to accommodate everyone.

In closing, whatever your faith, may this season be one of cleansing and renewal. And, may the coming year be one of good health, good fortune and service to the greater community of which we are all a part.

Bobby,
That’s a great story you’ve related, but you forgot to mention the Fire House Restaurant that serves delicious food at a very reasonable price.
Martha said that it would make a significant difference if folks changed their spending habits just a little to include eating at the Fire House Restaurant once in awhile.
A couple friends and I have eaten lunch there several times, enjoyed the food and fellowship, and been back downtown in just a few minutes.  If you have have the time, you can step across the street to the Boaz & Ruth “Antique Shop”.
Please encourage folks to check out the Fire House Restaurant for lunch and while getting a good meal, they’ll be helping an enterprise that helps the neighborhood.

Coincidence, but the Metro Richmond Women’s Bar Assn has “adopted” Boaz and Ruth as the charity of the year; we toured earlier this week.  It is truly a feat of cooperation, determination, preserverence and dedication. We were all impressed, just as you and Teri were.  I have my own “personal shopper” who is pulling clothing for me even as I type from their very nice thrift shop.  Looking forward to dining in this former scary neighborhood.  Great article, Bobby!

Bobby,
Thank you for beautiful way you tied together unlikely partners—Boaz & Ruth, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and Ramadan. 
We choose our name Boaz & Ruth to remind us of the transforming power that occurs when folks connect across unlikely barriers. Everyone is a Boaz with gifts and everyone is a Ruth with needs. We invite folks to be a part of the connecting challenge—to live in the “and” of unlikely relationships.

We have luncheon tours on the first Tuesday ad the third Thursday of each month at noon. It’s free—just sign up reservations@boazandruth.com

Firehouse 15 is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free Wireless, great food. Private parties and meeting space available all day and in evenings.

Sunny Days Thrift Clothing and Harvest Thrift Furniture are open from 11-5 Mon-Sat.

Mountain Movers and Parable Furniture Restoration-call 329 4900.

Change a life and a neighborhood by shopping in Highland Park.