Henrico police officers and members of the board of directors and staff of the Henrico Police Athletic League (HPAL) held an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony May 10 at the organization's new administrative offices at 8655 Staples Mill Road.

Preparing to cut the ribbon (from left) are board members Carol Jellie and RIR President Dennis Bickmeier; Assistant Chief Tom Leary and Assistant Chief Freddy Bolling; Sgt. Kenneth Ragland, executive director; and board members Charles Adams and Johnny Newman.

A Hermitage High School student who nearly died at school and the pilot of a small plane who barely survived a crash were among the attendees at a recent Henrico Fire awards ceremony honoring first responders.

Held May 10 at the Henrico Theatre, the awards ceremony recognized firefighters and EMT's involved in 18 incidents, who were chosen out of 36,000 calls for service for displaying actions above and beyond the call of duty.

Also recognized were members of the Hermitage HS staff, including principal and associate principal Omega Wilson and Diane Saunders, nurses Sandra Ruder of Hermitage HS and Catherine Brawley of Pocahontas MS, and physical education teacher Nancy Steiner, for their roles in saving the life of Kathryn Hardy.

Lakeside resident Ramona Fulwider (above, right) was recognized May 11 at the annual Legal Information Network for Cancer (LINC) luncheon as the 2012 recipient of the Allison L. Held Volunteer Award.

As the patient coordinator for the Hanover office of Virginia Cancer Institute, Fulwider is a frequent volunteer at LINC fundraisers such as the annual "It's in the Bag" event. Presenting Fulwider with her award is Allison L. Held, the long-time LINC volunteer for whom the award is named.

Henricus Historical Park hosted a ground-breaking ceremony May 7 for the re-creation of the 1611 colonial church and meeting hall; officials also unveiled architectural renderings and a construction timeline for the building, acknowledged donors, and honored the late Thomas K. McLaughlin, Jr., honorary town architect at Henricus.

At right, performers Kelly Kennedy and Friends serenade the crowd as they enjoy lunch following the ceremony outside Mt. Malady, a re-creation of the first English hospital in the New World.

More than 1,400 Special Olympics athletes from throughout Virginia will convene in the Richmond region June 8-9 to participate in the Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games, and organizers are seeking volunteers to cheer at the events.

Athletes will be competing in tennis, powerlifting, swimming, bowling, track and field and softball competitions during the event. Organizers hope to pack venues to provide the athletes with the true feeling of competition and support.

If you're invited to a wedding in Virginia in a few decades, don't be surprised if the groom is named William and the bride Sophia.

Those two names top the list of the most popular names for babies born in Virginia in 2011, the Social Security Administration announced today.

Overall, the top five boys names (in order) were William, Jacob, Mason, Noah and Ethan. For girls, the most popular names were Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Isabella and Abigail.

Geline B. Williams (in yellow jacket), who with her husband founded the Virginia Society for Human Life (VSHL), was among the honorees at the annual Commonwealth Catholic Charities Community Service Awards, held May 3 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Joining Williams, who won the Individual Award, were friends and well-wishers as well as fellow members of VSHL.

A mother of five, Williams volunteered for various organizations while raising her family, including the United Way, Instructive Visiting Nurse Association (IVNA), Commonwealth Catholic Charities, and Christian Children’s Fund, working on behalf of the health and welfare of the unborn, families, and the elderly. After she and her husband, Alex, founded VSHL in 1967, the VSHL established the Alex and Geline Williams Oratory Contest for high school juniors and seniors.

Richmond International Raceway, 600 E. Laburnum Avenue, will celebrate the ninth annual NASCAR Day on Friday by giving fans extra incentive to share their passion for the sport and make a difference in the lives of children this year.

Fans who purchase a NASCAR Day 2012 lapel pin at the track from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 18 will receive a complimentary Pace Car ride. Guests must enter at the Service Gate, which is located on Meadowbridge Road, one gate down from the Main Gate.

To continue raising awareness, fans can visit the NASCAR Foundation’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NASCARFoundation between now and NASCAR Day to “Pin It Forward” with their $20 donation for a pair of commemorative pins – one for yourself, and one for a friend.