Storefront Welcomes New Executive Director and Youth Innovation Director

Storefront for Community Design is excited to announce the selection of Shawn Balon as its new Executive Director.

Shawn brings a wealth of experience in design, non-profit, and educational environments with expanded knowledge of organizational management and strategic planning. He has the strategic vision necessary to elevate Storefront for Community Design and its programs in the years to come and will bring a creative, innovative, and collaborative approach when working with staff, board members, donors, partners, volunteers, and the community-at-large.

“I appreciate the board’s confidence in me, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead such a great organization. It will take innovative and purposeful solutions to create a path for Storefront for Community Design to continue addressing the challenges in our communities, and I look forward to advancing my efforts to focus on the importance of participatory design to honor differences, challenge injustices, and create vibrant neighborhoods,” said Balon.

In addition to the arrival of our new Executive Director, we are thrilled to welcome Kai Banks as the new Youth Innovation Director. Kai has extensive experience working in communities around the City of Richmond for the past seven years and has connected with various partners, businesses, and organizations to manage and supervise programs that bring social change to youth and families. She brings exceptional communication skills, leadership, and innovative thinking and is prepared to analyze needs and create unique solutions designed to provide growth to the community.

“I am honored to join Storefront for Community Design as Director of the Highland Park Six Points Innovation Center (6PIC) to develop equitable and culturally responsive strategies in conjunction with the community and other partners. I am committed to bridging the gap for marginalized communities by listening to their needs and providing education, opportunity, and resources so they can accomplish their goals,” said Banks.

Shawn assumed his duties as Executive Director on January 4 and we welcome Kai to her duties as 6PIC Director on January 19. We are excited to introduce our dynamic team of Board of Directors and staff to elevate Storefront’s mission in the coming years.

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary this year, we reflect upon the progress we’ve made to assist in creating more equitable communities. At Storefront, we believe design, when guided by community priorities, has the power to offer tangible solutions to community challenges. We will continue to provide a space for stakeholders to gather and engage in bold and difficult conversations with the goal of creating new models of leadership and community engagement around neighborhood development.

We have provided a link to our press release announcing Shawn, Kai, and our ten year anniversary.

In Community,

Bernard Harkless
Board Chair

Shawn Balon, Executive Director (left); Kai Banks, Youth Innovation Director (right)
images: Kim Peters

About Shawn Balon
Shawn has worked in the design, education, and non-profit sectors throughout the U.S. Prior to joining Storefront for Community Design, his work as a landscape architect and urban designer provided experience domestically and internationally combining graphic communications, conceptual design, community engagement, master planning, and project management. At the American Society of Landscape Architects, Shawn developed and managed the career discovery and diversity strategic work plan increasing awareness of design career opportunities to youth. At the George Washington University and Reynolds Community College he served as adjunct professor where he taught technical and drawing courses. Shawn graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Degree and received a Master of Science in Urban Design Degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

About Kai Banks
Kai is a Richmond native. She is currently attending Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a Non-Profit Management minor. Banks is an AmeriCorps (ACES) Action for Enhancement Services Alum. During her term with ACES, she served as a co-conspirator for several non-profit organizations including The Relationship Foundation of Virginia, Girls for a Change, Higher Achievement, and the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club under the strengthening families’ initiative. She is a trained facilitator on an array of topics such as conflict resolution, trauma, social change, food access, and healthy relationships. Most recently, as an Outreach Specialist for the Richmond Food Justice Alliance, her efforts have been focused on inclusive community engagement around healthy food access and policy.

Current Design Sessions seeking volunteers!

The fall season is one of the most robust times for our Design Session program. We are currently seeking volunteers for 4 projects in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design.

Here is a taste of each of the current projects:

A park project, which transforms unused public land in Richmond city into a park that encourages unity in the community, needs a landscape architect as a consultant.

A social enterprise hub and food court concept need interior and architectural conceptual help with the renovations of their warehouse space.

A historic school building seeks help (and muscle) with transforming its ruin into a community park and stage.

A neighborhood community arts center is looking for innovative and low-cost ideas for transforming their existing space into an art gallery for neighborhood artists, youth, and residents.

If you are interested in any of these projects, please email adele@storefrontrichmond.org for more information!

Jackson Ward Community Garden Seeks Assistance

A year and a half ago in her Jackson Ward apartment, Jourdan James began dreaming about how to access more green garden space in her neighborhood. Now she is applying for non-profit status and furthering her plans for turning the triangular plot of land at 620 Chamberlayne Parkway into a community garden and educational space. 

The plot is uniquely situated at a major gateway to the neighborhood, which sets it up to be a verdant usher into the neighborhood.

She is seeking assistance with a landscape plan of the 8,200 sq. ft. space, using approximately 4,000 sq. ft. for 12 raised bed gardens and the remaining space for storage, education, bee-keeping and leisure. The Jackson Ward Community Garden will be a space to learn about native flowers and vegetables as well as sustainable gardening practices. Some concerns she faces already include water access, fencing, and accessibility to all neighborhood residents. She also has plans for an updatable mural site for the dreary winter months.  

For those who are interested, the scope of this work requires about 2 to 6 hours of your time. The deliverables are a site-plan and elevation rendering due by the end of October to help this forming non-profit raise funds and share their ideas for community green space and sustainability education.