Although Confederate monuments are sometimes designated as historic, and while many were erected more than a century ago, the National Trust supports their removal from our public spaces when they continue to serve the purposes for which many were built—to glorify, promote, and reinforce white supremacy, overtly or implicitly.

Roanoke Valley Gives Day (3.18.2020) is fast approaching!  

This annual event is designed to inspire those who love the Roanoke Valley to invest in nonprofit organizations making a difference locally! Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation is among those participating and we would love to have you, your friends, colleagues, and family help support our mission of protecting our history, promoting preservation, and contributing toward a prosperous community. 

You can be a part of the largest day of giving in the Roanoke Valley for as little as $10!  Simply make your donation on RVPF’s Roanoke Valley Gives page at
https://www.rvgives.org/organizations/roanoke-valley-preservation-foundation
now through 11:59 p.m. on March 18^th

We’re eligible for incentive prizes through the challenges listed below! Donations must be submitted through our RV Gives page

In It to Win It:  If we reach or surpass our goal of $5,000, Roanoke Children’s Theatre will be entered to win a dollar for dollar match up to $15,000!

Midnight Madness:  This is for all you night owls!  A donation made between 12:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. on March 18th will be randomly selected and enhanced by $1,000.

Medium Leaderboard:  Most dollars raised among medium nonprofit organizations with 1^st place winning $5,000; 2^nd place winning $3,000; and 3^rd place winning $2,000.

Power Hours:  $500 to the organization with the most donations during specified hours throughout March 18th.

Far, Far, Away:  The donation with the farthest verified address from Roanoke will be enhanced by $250!

The COTTON CLOUDS premiere is Tuesday, March 26th and is open to the public. Show time begins at 7:15 pm. Admission is $5 General Admission for everyone, and is a fundraiser for the Grandin Theatre Film Lab.

In the summer of 2018, the Grandin Theatre Foundation launched a first time project over the summer. Pairing teenage student filmmakers with actual film industry professionals (Dave Perry, Jenna Giannini, Kathryn Hatam, Ben Mullen), this afterschool program set out to make a twenty-minute period piece featuring no dialogue. The Grandin Theatre Film Lab is a program for high school aged students who come to Grandin and learn the process of filmmaking, screenwriting, editing, production, and promotion. The summer project, COTTON CLOUDS, will premiered at the Grandin Theatre on Tuesday, March 26th at 7:15 pm.

The film is set in 1912 Roanoke, Virginia, and features a young girl who struggles to help provide for her family by working in the exhausting conditions of a cotton mill, while still holding on to the optimism of childhood. The original script written by 19-year old writer and director Chloe Shelton from Salem was inspired by the famous photographs by Lewis Hine, who documented child workers that had become the exploited, cheap, laborers upon which America depended.

Join the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation this Wednesday, March 13 for Roanoke Valley Gives! We’ll be raising money online to finance interpretive markers for important historic sites in our area 

The Roanoke Valley Greenways Historic Trail Marker Program was inaugurated in May 2014, with the unveiling of three interpretive historic markers –the site of the American Viscose Corporation, the Norwich neighborhood, and Elmwood Park. 

Now, we plan to expand this program with additional markers, at Fire Station No 7 in Grandin, Washington Park, Persinger Cemetery, and Preston Place in Salem. Your donation will help us remember the history and significance of these important places for future generations.

You can check out our Roanoke Valley Gives profile page  for more details on each project. We hope you’ll contribute on Wednesday, and give where you live!

Check out the Fall 2017 edition of our newsletter, Preservation Focus for a look back on the past few months! This issue contains a list of our 2017 Endangered Sites, an article on preservation easements, upcoming events, and more! You’ll find an invitation to our Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards ceremony on the last page. We hope to see you there!

Check out the full newsletter HERE.

Upcoming Preservation Events – Check back for updates!

Upcoming preservation events – Check back for updates!

Friends of Greenfield Fundraiser – Saturday, Nov. 5 , from 6-9pm. Join the Friends of the Greenfield Preston Plantation for the unveiling of their archaeological study. For more information, download the flyer HERE!

Virginian Station Grand Opening – Saturday, Nov. 12, from 11am-4pm. Join the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and the RVPF for a look inside the newly restored Virginian Passenger Station (1402 South Jefferson St).

 Tweed Ride – Saturday, Nov. 12, beginning at noon at Sweet Donkey Coffee House (2108 Broadway Ave. SW). Hosted by RIDE Solutions, with historic guides provided by the RVPF.

 RVPF Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards – Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 6-8pm at the Virginian Station (1402 South Jefferson St).

Preservation Pub Talk #2 – February 2017 (date and location TBA). “Preserving Authenticity,” with Isabel Thornton of Restoration Housing.

Preservation Pub Talk #3 – June 2017 (date and location TBA). “Keeping History Relevant” with Stephen Warren, President of the Historical Society of Western Virginia, Board of Trustees.