"Can't Stop. Won't Stop."

Last spring, Sandy Ting was exploring ideas for an internship for her doctoral program in curriculum, culture and change at Virginia Commonwealth University when she stumbled upon an intriguing opportunity.
An avid cyclist, she connected through a mutual friend with Craig Dodson, the founder and executive director of Richmond Cycling Corps and its main project the Legacy Academy, to determine if she could combine her athletic passion with her teaching skills and course requirement.
 
One thing led to another – quite quickly, actually – and by summer, Sandy, a Collegiate Middle School learning specialist and math teacher, had her VCU project in place plus the job of chairman of the board of RCC and Legacy Academy.
 
“The funny thing,” she said, “was that I walked in looking for an internship and found myself with 12 kids.”
 
Some background.
 
RCC began a decade ago as an after-school program for youths in Richmond’s East End. In September 2017, Dodson opened the Legacy Academy, a licensed home school serving a dozen boys in grades 9-12.
 
The programs provided a measure of stability for young men who faced one life struggle after another. Cycling – for recreation as well as competition – provided a positive physical and emotional outlet for the participants, many of whom came to view Dodson as the father figure.
 
Challenges arose, though, not the least of which was Dodson’s departure for Northern Virginia in 2018. Then, the board voted to close the Legacy Academy and, if that weren’t enough, the executive director, program manager and, finally, the entire board resigned.
 
A hopeless situation. Right?
 
Not so fast.
 
“RCC was by-and-large folding,” Sandy said. “The founder, who had resigned, said, ‘What if I put together a new board and resuscitate this organization?’”
 
So he did … with Sandy at the helm.
 
“This wasn’t what I signed up for,” she said, “but in a great way, I found something I wasn’t looking for. It was an opportunity to work with children I was emotionally connected to.”
 
By July, she had put a new board in place.
 
She also hired Lauren Kern and Ryan Hamlet to share the teaching responsibilities and oversee the day-to-day operations of the school, which is located at 2123 Fairmount Avenue.
 
Kern, who previously taught at Armstrong High School, serves as executive director.
 
“She’s been amazing at making partnerships happen,” Sandy said. “The kids spend time at VCU’s Rice Rivers Center doing hands-on environmental science-based activities. They do computer-based activities with CodeVA. We have a partnership with the (Downtown) YMCA so the kids go there twice a week. They live for that.”
 
Hamlet, who serves as program manager, knew many of the Legacy Academy students through his work with the Blue Sky Fund, an organization which provides outdoor education and wilderness training to youths from urban neighborhoods.
 
“Ryan is a natural dad,” Sandy said. “He has this really warm, natural, genuine rapport with them. What comes through is his level of sincerity combined with high expectations for their academic responsibilities and citizenship.”
 
The enrollment at the Legacy Academy is capped at 12.
 
“These kids are selected to come here,” Sandy said. “The traditional school system did not work for them. There were chronic absences and frequent suspensions. We make sure they’re getting to school and making the right decisions. Our kids have very real struggles in their personal lives. We’re just trying to meet them where they are.”
 
The day begins around 7:30 a.m. when Hamlet picks them up at their homes. Breakfast is served around 9 a.m. Then, students break into two groups – freshmen/sophomores and juniors/seniors – for core classes and join together for experiential activities.
 
Then, there’s mountain biking. Each day, weather notwithstanding, they train, mostly on trails around Brown’s Island and Belle Isle. On weekends, they compete in the Virginia High School Mountain Bike Series.
 
“You know something’s working when the kids are the ones finding the metaphors between cycling and life,” Sandy said. “One of the things that speaks to where they are is how many times they’ve crashed out of races or had flat tires but still managed to finish by running uphill carrying their mountain bike.”
 
Legacy Academy is a 501(c)(3) organization, so contributions of money and goods from individuals and groups provide sustenance. In fact, many from the Collegiate community have donated lunches, groceries, clothing and school supplies. Those gifts, graciously given and gratefully received, have enabled Legacy Academy to perform its mission.
 
“We’re building the car while driving it,” Sandy said. “We have a tiny budget where I try to keep the lights on for one more year. Hopefully, we’ll be open next school year.”
 
So what’s in it for Sandy, especially since her VCU internship ended Dec. 15? It’s full speed ahead, of course: early mornings, late evenings, weekends. Her spirit reflects RCC’s battle cry, “Can’t Stop. Won’t Stop.”
 
“It’s hard for me to talk about it without being emotional,” she said. “I believe in our kids. They’re part of the community. They’re part of my community. It’s important for me to stay a part of their lives as much as each of them will allow me to. They need to know that our community has not given up on them. I want these boys to focus on school and making good decisions. I want them to focus on their home and their futures. That’s a really tall order. While they do that, I want to be one of those people helping to secure their meals, secure their winter clothes, secure their opportunities.
 
“I get a lot of hope out of this. There’s a lot in the world to be discouraged by, particularly right now. This provides encouragement. It’s a labor of love.”
    -- Weldon Bradshaw
 
(For more information about the Richmond Cycling Corps or Legacy Academy, please contact Sandy Ting at sandy_ting@collegiate-va.org.)
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