This, That & The Other

* Happy Birthday PHAR! PHAR (the Public Housing Association of Residents) is celebrating its 10th birthday with a reception tonight at Legal Aid. Hard to believe that it's been 10 years. Over that time, PHAR has become one of the most well-recognized public housing resident organizations in the country and Charlottesville is the better for it. Thanks to PHAR, the public housing redevelopment process that we're on the verge of launching very well could be a model for the nation for its forward-thinking principles and inclusiveness. (Stay tuned for more on that soon.) Plus, how many non-profit organizations can claim to have not one, but TWO former staff members on their local City Council? (In PHAR's case, myself and Holly Edwards.) Here's wishing PHAR many more decades of positive results.

* Tomorrow is the Richmond Half Marathon, and even though I was battling a head cold during the home stretch of training over the past 2-3 weeks, I'm going to make a go of it. My first half marathon. My goal is simply to finish the race, hopefully within 2 or 3 hours of when I start it. :-)

* Just got back this afternoon from the 2008 Governor's Housing Conference in Hampton. Met some very cool folks, heard some inspiring (and some not-so-inspiring) speakers and saw lots of familiar faces. My first real job out of grad school was as Special Assistant to the Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), about 100 years ago. So many of my former colleagues at DHCD are still active in the affordable housing field, even though they've mostly dispersed to other organizations. This conference is like a big ol' DHCD reunion and the same stories get told each year and they never ever get old. What a great group of people.