Tag: Reno

Together: Ways to give back in these uncertain times

Image via Dickson Realty.com

While the lion’s share of this blog has centered around pop culture and business (more-so of the former), I wanted to take a brief break moment and talk about some pressing issues. With opinions obviously everywhere on social media, I wanted to offer some of my favorite ways to help our community in these uncertain times. These are just some of my favorite ways to help give back, some larger than others, but they all can serve a purpose for that is bigger than ourselves. That being said, I understand all time commitment situations are different, but these have been my favorite activities to give back and also keep myself sane during these times. So without further ado, here is the Mt. Rushmore (shout out to PMT) of ways to give back.

Image via Big Brothers Big Sisters Northern Nevada

Volunteering your time: I had the awesome opportunity to be a “Big” in Big Brothers Big Sisters in college and it was a great experience. While this was certainly a big commitment at the time (2 years), it was a solid way to connect with a new person. Since COVID-19 does limit opportunities for organized community service, there seem to be new endeavors popping up each week from community clean-ups to promoting new initiatives in our area. Yes everyone’s time commitment is different, but there are avenues and ways to give back to your area.

Donating:Whether it is old clothing, food or other supplies, we all could use a little early summer cleaning when we have the time. I have been able to clean out a lot of unused items in my house and been able to repurpose them with a little thought and effort. I have spent way more than the average person on tennis shoes so finding new homes for them has been a great way to donate and give back in a very small way. I know many others are doing this as well and I truly believe in the phrase “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”.

Bettering yourself and the people around you: This has definitely been one of my favorite activities during 2020. From projects around the house to spending more time with my family when appropriate, I have taken on a new appreciation for my loved ones. This has included a new siding project (shout out Daniel) and also a new pup (shout out Molly and Moose) in addition to a new office set-up. I have also made it a point to watch more videos on financial literacy, increasing my own emotional empathy along with some other long-term goals for my future, when I’m not listening to some sweet beats that is. So comment below with your favorite ritual of 2020 (so far) and how it has helped you and as always, thank you for reading!

Pour One Out For The City: USA Today Cancels “The City Podcast”

Image via TheCityPodcast.com/USA Today

While 2020 has hardly been the best year of my adult life — for obvious reasons — one of the shining stand outs from this year has been the culmination to “The City” podcast that was produced by USA Today in conjunction with the Reno Gazette-Journal. To be clear, I am not referring to USA Today cancelling the series, but rather the series being created in the first place. This series chronicled the changing landscape of my hometown in a way that has never been done before (at least from what I have seen), and helped shine a light on one of the country’s most fascinating cities in terms of its image changing. So I wanted to salute the crew who put this together since Reno’s economy is much more diversified than ever before and for spotlighting all of these changes, for better, and for worse.

Image via the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.

Stand out reporting: Headlined by the RGJ’s Anjeanette Damon, “The City” follows the story of Reno changing from a town with a history of quickie divorces, gambling and brothels to a burgeoning tech hub that is aspiring to be the next “Silicon Valley” in many ways. The show is also produced by one of my old colleagues from college, Fil Corbitt, and narrated by Robin Amer who does a fantastic job of setting the pace of the entire story. The crew does a great job of making sure to involve the major players of “Old Reno” and some of the new tech and development acolytes that are moving into the region to take advantage of its growth opportunities. Similar to the boom of the 1859 Comstock Lode in Virginia City, northern Nevada has seen a ton of new interest and investment in the region.

The cast involved: In terms of a colorful characters, I don’t think I have listened to another podcast that does so well in terms of framing its cast. If you are from Reno or northern Nevada, you will no doubt recognize a slew of these names and businesses that have helped to grow our region to where it is today. As a Reno High alumnus, I am very familiar with the Keshmiris and their contributions to the city and also their generous investment in the Reno High track team (Go Huskies, shout out to coach Green). So seeing this story along with the parallels of the new developments out in USA Parkway, was very exciting and beautifully told. Reno is a town that has a lot of grit and personality, and is a place full of people who have made it what is today.

Expanding on the history of my hometown: Reno is a town with a marred history in some regards, but it is still a place I am proud to call home. With a much more diversified economy since the Great Recession of the late 2000’s, northern Nevada has weathered a lot of storms and has grown into a trendy and thriving community, well until March of earlier this year but we won’t get into that. With our community banding together once again, I cannot say how thankful I am that a podcast is available to those interested in learning more about the changing state of our community. It’s not every day that a town undergoes an identity crisis amidst an economic boom and you get to live through it, but that’s what it is like living in Reno right now. It is a pretty special time and I wanted to salute the crew of “The City” for making this possible.

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