🌱 Roanoke Valley Blood Drive + Kip Nininger Scholarship Fund

Hello again, Roanoke! Important update: You all, as readers, have made the Roanoke Daily so successful that it is my honor to announce the next stage of the newsletter. Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the Roanoke Daily. Although I have loved getting to know this community, we want to pass the torch to someone truly local to write about Roanoke long term. So if you're interested in earning extra income while making this newsletter a more valuable resource for your neighbors, learn more and apply here.

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First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny, breezy and cool. High: 50 Low: 29.

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Here are the top three stories today in Roanoke:

1. The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs donated a portion of their home game ticket sales at the Berglund Center against the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday to benefit the Kip Nininger Scholarship Fund. The fund was established to honor Kip Nininger, a two-time high school state championship wrestler who died in a car accident last year at the age of 19. "When we started this venture [we gave] out four or five scholarships," said Kip's father Chris Nininger. "To give out 35 this year … has been quite rewarding." (WFXR)
2. The Junior League of Roanoke Valley held a blood drive this weekend to help combat severe national blood shortages. The drive took place on Mar. 26 at Taubaum Museum in downtown Roanoke from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to Sarah Rourke, a member of the Junior League of Roanoke, they are facing "the worst blood shortage in a decade," which has been exacerbated by winter weather cancellations. (WSLS)
3. According to the Virginia IT Agency (VITA), local small businesses may be most at risk for Russian cyberattacks in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. A VITA report found that the Commonwealth faced 66 million cyberattacks in 2020 at a rate of 2.12 attacks every second. Southwest Virginia has been described as "a hotbed for hacking" by computer security experts, and several of them shared safety tips for Virginia small businesses with WSLS. (WSLS)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Business Speaker Series - The Impact of the Federal Drug Court At Shenandoah Club (11:30 AM)
• Pet Photos With The Easter Bunny At Valley View Mall (4:00 PM)
• Ladies Night Out At Wolfs Den Billiards (5:00 PM)
• In-Person Public Meditation Class At Grandin Co-Lab (6:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• Virginia Career Works- Blue Ridge Region is hosting a hiring event on Mar. 31. The event is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and multiple companies looking to hire new employees will be there. (Facebook)
• Cheryl Murphy, Certified Sound Healer, and Erica Austin, Yoga Teacher, are hosting a Gentle Yoga and Singing Bowl Meditation. The event will take place at Roanoke Yoga on Apr. 8, and tickets are $22.(Facebook)
• Dr. Bazilchich of the Roanoke Valley SPCA has been awarded the Mentor of the Year Award from the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. Her commitment has helped many animals in need of care so they can be adopted. (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Monday. I'll see you around!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.