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Angie and Micah McCauley, along with their daughters Emma and Madison McCauley, celebrate their family’s win in the Hearts in Unity Challenge at a recent city council meeting. Also pictured is Radford Mayor David Horton (at right) and RADical Change Commission members Janiele Hamden and Michael Wyms.
Heather Bell
RADFORD – On this year’s anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., the RADical Change Commission issued a challenge to the Radford community: show love and unity in an artistic display.
Several families answered the challenge, and one family’s display recently garnered them the win.
The McCauley family – Angie and Micah and their daughters, Emma and Madison, headed to their garage one Sunday and made an impressive display of a large heart and signs expressing the power of love over hate in the name of unity.The family was recently honored at a Radford City Council meeting.
“We honor a great family,” said RADical Change Commission member Michael Wyms.”And they get bragging rights for being awesome. We are truly better together.”
“They did a beautiful job celebrating love over hate,”said Mayor David Horton.
Angie McCauley, a Radford City Public Schools teacher, said her family had a great time creating the display.
“We just felt we needed to take action,”she said. “We wanted to show love, not division.”
The Commission’s challenge centered on creating “works of heart to display on your cars, in your yards, and/or on your person to demonstrate your vision for the spirit of hope, unity, and love in the heart of the New River Valley.”
Founded by community organizer Janiele Hamden, the objective of the RADical Change Commission is “to demonstrate actionable resolve in instances we identify barriers to the safety, empowerment, and success of at risk, vulnerable populations.”
The mission says, “The RADical Change Commission envisions a world where the promise “Liberty and Justice for ALL” is protected and honored. We understand Liberty in this instance to mean “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views”. We understand Justice in this instance to mean “a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people”. We hold ourselves and our fellow beings accountable to bring this vision to fruition.”
