Danville, VA
- Switch it On! a community-wide read of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, the latest bestselling book by Chip and Dan Heath, will take place throughout October and culminate with breakfast with author Dan Heath, October 26, the first event of Danville Regional Foundation’s (DRF) speaker series for 2010-2011.
Switch it On!, the community-wide read, is a collaborative effort between Riverview Rotary, DRF and Averett University. Riverview Rotary and the Danville Regional Foundation will partially underwrite the price of the books, which will be sold for a discount price of $10 at The Schoolfield House Booksellers at Averett University and will be available to the public September 15.
"The Riverview Rotary Club is partnering with the Danville Regional Foundation and Averett University to redefine the way we talk about the Dan River Region,” said Bruce Wilson, president of Riverview Rotary in Danville. “We hope that if all quadrants of our communities - from aspiring students and young professionals to emerging and established leaders - are reading a book about the possibility of positive, creative change together, we will learn new ways to talk about our regional assets and a new Dan River Region will emerge. My vision is that because of “Switch It On” future generations of Danville citizens will be able to say, ‘Remember when our town came together and made community renewal happen.’"
DRF awarded a $4,000 grant to Riverview Rotary, which will reduce the price of the book from $26 retail to a discount rate of $10 plus tax. Riverview Rotary has also committed close to $3,000 in funds to purchase an additional 200 copies of Switch at retail cost to distribute for free to high school juniors and seniors, as well as regional college students throughout DRF’s service area of Danville and Pittsylvania County in Virginia and Caswell County, N.C.
“The Dan River Region is changing,” says Karl Stauber, CEO and President of DRF. “Switch is an easy-to-read book and full of real world examples about how people and communities can change. We want 1,000 adults and 200 high school students to join us in reading Switch and then attend breakfast with one of the authors. DRF is part of an area effort to create a new economy and a new culture where is prosperity is available to all. Right now, our region is a ‘mill town without a mill;’ an area defined by its past, rather than its future. We need to change that into a renewed view of what is possible.”
Switch addresses the question: Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle, say the Heaths, is a conflict that’s built into our brains. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems – the rational mind and the emotional mind- that competes for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants an Oreo cookies. In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people have united both minds, and as a result, achieve dramatic results.
“For things to change, somebody somewhere has to start acting differently. Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s your team,” write authors Dan and Chip Heath. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.
“This is an exciting initiative that will continue to move our community forward by engaging ‘everyone’ in helping to ‘see and make’ the possible happen!” said Tiffany Franks, President of Averett University. “Averett wants to be both a partner and leader in helping advance our community. We’re excited about partnering in this community-wide effort.”
The community-wide read will culminate with readers sharing breakfast and hearing a presentation with Switch’s author Dan Heath. The breakfast is the first of DRF’s three-part, annual Speaker Series, and will be held Tuesday, October 26, 7:30 a.m. at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.
To get a copy of the book, visit The Schoolfield House Booksellers at Averett University, at 354 West Main Street Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or Sunday from noon – 3 p.m. To register for breakfast with Dan Heath, contact the Danville-Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, 434-836-6990, or email: chamber@dpchamber.org. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Maximum capacity is 550 people.
AVERETT UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1859, Averett University offers courses of study leading to bachelor's and master's degrees.. More than 2,600 students attend Averett, at the University’s main campus in Danville, Va., and 12 other locations around the state. Averett is ranked as a top tier Regional College in the 2011 Best Colleges guide from U.S. News & World Report. www.averett.edu/
DANVILLE RIVERVIEW ROTARY
Danville Riverview Rotary Club was chartered December 20, 1988. The sponsoring club was Danville Rotary Club. Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business, professional, and community leaders. Members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
DRF
The Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) focuses on transforming the regional economy and creating a prosperous culture to benefit all Dan River citizens. It does this by making long-term investments to improve education, economic vitality, community wellness, financial stability and civic capacity for citizens throughout the City of Danville, Virginia; Pittsylvania County, Virginia; and Caswell County, North Carolina. Since its establishment in 2005, DRF has invested more than $40 million through over 40 grants. www.danvilleregionalfoundaiton.org
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Bruce Wilson Christina Motley
President, Riverview Rotary Director of Marketing & Public Relations
434-792-5960 434-770-3523
elan@comcast.net cmotley@danvilleregionalfoundation.org
Source: Danville Regional Foundation
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