Greetings from the new Media & Events Coordinator!

Hello to all! My name is Rianna Hill, and I have humbly and gratefully accepted the position as Media & Events Coordinator here at Our Community Place.

I was born and grew up in Richmond, Virginia, with my wonderful parents and the sweetest twin brother. The city was always a fascinating and exciting place to me, but from a very young age I knew that I didn’t want to stay. It will always be home, but there was (is) a world outside of the 804 and I wanted to dive into it as soon as possible.

After graduating from Richmond Community High School, I decided to pursue my higher education at Bridgewater College. Needless to say, this city girl was a bit culture-shocked to see only one stoplight upon entering the town, and unpleasantly surprised by the turkey and manure scents that penetrated Bridgewater’s campus, the surrounding area, and my nostrils. For the first year, I muddled my way through this new and strange environment, developing myself through a crash-course of hard-knocks (not listed on the BC website).

Joining the Black Student Association, becoming a member and eventually director of the Bridgewater College Gospel Choir, and discovering hiking trails within twenty minutes of campus (thanks to Molly, my college roommate and forever friend), I finally began to feel like I was fitting into college life.

But something was still missing.

From a young age, I’d always had a heart for service and helping others. I grew up as a pathfinder in church, so mission trips, feeding the homeless, and other community service projects were a big part of my life. But when I got to college, somehow that all started to feel like routine, and my passion for it dwindled. I knew those projects were good works, but I was ready to dive into the ocean and stop dipping my toes into the pool. I wanted to commit my life to helping others, to being on the front lines of service, but I wasn’t sure how.

I first heard about OCP when I joined Bridgewater’s student-run newspaper, Veritas, my sophomore year. I was put in charge of writing articles for, editing, and developing the Community in Action section of the paper, where we highlighted local non-profits and the work that they were doing in the hopes of finding ways to connect and get students plugged in. I heard about OCP, and quickly set up an appointment to meet with Philip Rhodes, the director at the time. During our interview and while touring the center, I felt something stirring in my spirit. This was no ordinary non-profit organization. There were people from all walks of life in the room, of all shapes, colors, and sizes, interacting with one another. Some were sorting mail, some were playing games, some were eating food and washing dishes, but everyone was…welcome. There was a welcoming energy permeating the room, and permeating my heart.

In May 2015, after graduating from Bridgewater with a dual degree in English and Communications Studies, I ended my senior year-long internship with United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County and joined their team as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I learned more about Harrisonburg and the surrounding area’s culture than I had in my whole four years being in the valley. While Harrisonburg is a beautiful place, as with anywhere, there are deeply rooted issues affecting people in this community that need to be addressed. And I knew I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to do more.

Finally, the ocean that I was looking to dive into presented itself in the form of a job opening at Our Community Place. During my journey to this point, God was behind the scenes of the whole crazy ride, paving the pathway and ordering my steps to fulfill His Great Plan for my life. When I first met Ron Copeland, the current director of OCP, we discussed the nature of this beautiful organization, and after our conversation I knew that this was where God had been leading me.

As I continue to watch this organization grow – and grow with it – I will definitely have more to say about how it is changing my perspective and my life. But for now, I will simply say how grateful I am to share a space with some truly spectacular human beings. I’m grateful for the new friends that I’ve made, and for the opportunities to give and share love with folks who may not have ever experienced a smile, a warm hug, or someone to let them know that they matter, that they are valued. OCP means it when we say that we welcome ALL people, and I intend to carry out that mission with every individual that walks through our doors.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'”. (NIV, Jeremiah 29:11)

-Rianna