KERI GARNETT, 32 / Executive Director, Roanoke Skatepark Initiative
While Keri Garnett loves her day job as financial empowerment center manager at Freedom First Credit Union, there is another cause near and dear to her heart. After Garnett took her son to the Wasena Skatepark, she saw an instant need for something better for Roanoke’s youth. In 2015, she founded the nonprofit organization Roanoke Skatepark Initiative (RSI). Through RSI, Garnett has worked tirelessly to raise awareness, including fundraisers and town hall meetings. She has also worked closely with the city’s parks and recreation and City Council to add a modern concrete skate park to the city’s master plan. For Garnett, it’s about giving young people a voice, and not encouraging them to get involved, but insisting that they be heard. “Witnessing local teenagers and young adults show up to planning meetings or speak in front of City Council has been very impactful to me,” she says. “It’s something I didn’t know how to do when I was growing up and I hope that their involvement … has sparked a desire to become active members in the community as they age.”
- Earned a master’s in Education from Northeastern University
- Founded and serves as Executive Director of Roanoke Skatepark Initiative
- Shadowbox Microcinema volunteer
- Refugee and Immigration Services refuge mentor
- Steering Committee for Local Colors
From the Nomination: “For over 10 years, Keri Garnett has been a driving force in the Roanoke Valley’s nonprofit world. She began her work at Hall Community Services assisting people with severe mental illnesses. Her passions soon led her to work as a benefits specialist for Roanoke City’s Department of Social Services before moving over to TAP where she worked with ex-offenders helping them get back on their feet and giving them a second chance at life. In between all of this, she found time to volunteer as a refuge mentor for Refuge and Immigration Services as well as serving on the Steering Committee for Local Colors for four years. Her unrelenting passion for helping others is her defining trait. Whether its driving at-risk youth to skate contests outside of Roanoke or helping Nepali refuges adjust to their new surroundings, Keri is a purpose-driven, influential and compassionate part of Roanoke.”
What do you love about Roanoke?
Garnett: “I love that Roanoke is constantly evolving. I’m especially proud of the efforts we all make to celebrate diversity and try new things. Over the past decade, I’ve met so many amazing people, from all walks of life, who’ve enriched this town with art, culture and creativity…it’s really made me appreciate living here. I think it’s important that we all push ourselves outside of the comfort zone of what it can mean to live in a small town and embrace the things that make us unique. Roanoke may be geographically small, but within the city limits, we’re holding a world full of talent and diversity. I hope we continue to embrace and support the things that make us different.”
How does your passion impact your community?
Garnett: “Throughout my creative and professional endeavors, the current that keeps me going is the opportunity to learn about others and make an impact in their lives to some degree. My passion lies in breaking stereotypes and simply listening to what people have to say about their own lives, without judgement. The Roanoke Skatepark Initiative began because I listened to what people around me were saying. I understood that young people often have no input in the making of their own community and I wanted to advocate for them as much as possible. As someone who grew up in Roanoke, I felt firsthand the disconnect that can occur when youth are not given opportunities to participate in the community they live in. But what we have to remember is that these adolescents are the ones who will eventually vote in our elections; they will choose whether or not to live and work in our city; they will determine the future of what we build. So, it’s safe to say that my passion for advocacy, particularly in Roanoke, stems from a very personal place. I want the City to hear their voices and take their opinions into consideration.”
